Barry hopped of the treadmill and came over to my office.
 

“Hey, Phil. I’m trying to do more running. I’m really slow. But it’s still hard. I think my form is off.”
 

I had already taken a peek at his running and I said, “Well, Barry, you’re moving as if you’re running, but you’re really walking. During walking, a person is always in contact with the ground and, at all times, you had at least one foot on the ground. But since you’re walking, why not simply….walk? It will probably be easier for you to walk naturally, instead of walking as if you’re running. You’ll feel less exertion while burning the same number of calories.”
 

I wasn’t sure how Barry would take the news. I was hesitant to tell him because I didn’t want to come off like I was belittling his effort. He was overweight and making a real effort to do something about that. I admired his effort. I wanted him to understand that there’s a difference between walking and running, and that walking is great in and of itself.
 

Barry is now on his way to getting healthier and getting to a point where he may begin running.