Hey, You! Take a Hike or a Long Walk or a Stroll — Good Moves for Every Body

You’re thinking more clearly, your mood is elevated and you’re getting more and better sleep. Sure, West Villages makes you feel that good, but these benefits also come with the best exercises of all: walking.

Miles of walking trails wind through the award-winning community’s nine distinctive and stunning neighborhoods. In instances when clubhouses or golf courses are closed, walking provides an excuse-free way to get out, enjoy the lush natural surroundings and get movin’.

Virtually steps away from paths already in West Villages, even more trails connect you to, well, as far as you’d like to go. These trails also connect you to numerous benefits, such as:

Lower stress and improved mood: Studies show that walking, especially at moderate and higher levels to raise cardio levels for at least a half-hour a few times a week, improve mood and lower stress, thanks to endorphins. Walking also improves overall brain health.

Improved memory: Say, where’d I put my sunglasses? You mean, the ones perched on your head? Walking improves your memory and cognitive function, according to even more studies. Walking also boosts “executive function”—that is, staying focused during those long meetings at work, switching easily between tasks and keeping things straight.

Putting aside plenty of time for a good long walk—or a brisk short one—also breaks up your routine. The most-studied form of exercise also provides the simplest and easiest form of entertainment you’ll find anywhere. Opportunities for that surround West Villages.

Here are just two of many pathways where you can walk literally to your heart’s content.

The Legacy Trail: The 20 miles of paved walkways has it all. Connecting communities in Sarasota County even into Charlotte County, the trails feature rest stations and trailheads where you can step off to play in parks and preserves. The system stretches to the Historic Venice Train Depot, 10 miles from West Villages. If that’s too far, you can rent a surrey.

Blue Heron Park: Along with dozens of other trails and parks, this one gets tails wagging. That’s because the park within West Villages includes Central Bark. Complete with doggie water fountains and “agility stations,” the park even offers shady structures for when, uh, your pooch needs to relax.

So, yes, lace up your walkin’ shoes and step just outside the door of your new home at West Villages.

Even more studies show you’ll live longer. To learn more about extending Life Your Way, stroll over to West Villages’ Model Home Centers, listed here. Or call the Home Buyers Information Line at 941-960-7805.