Walking is one of the best forms of exercise you can do. It’s fun, too!
How often do you walk?
I don’t mean walking to the mailbox in front of your house or up the stairs to your bedroom. I mean taking walks through your neighborhood or in a local park – walks you take for purely recreational (or fitness) purposes.
If you’ve never considered adding a daily walk to your weekly routine, I encourage you to try it … just for a couple of weeks. I’m confident that if you do, you’ll notice an increase in your energy levels and a DECREASE in stress.
The Best Way to Stay Active
Of course, there are LOTS of ways to stay active, but most of those involve at least SOME walking … like gardening, tennis, bowling, flying kites, and tossing balls for your dog to chase at the park.
One reason I think of walking as the “best way to stay active” is because it requires so little preparation or equipment. I like the fact that I just need to slip on my favorite walking shoes – and a jacket if it’s chilly. The enjoyment I get from the walks I take at a huge park 10 minutes from where I live always makes it worth the drive. But another – and more important – reason is because it’s an activity that people of all ages can usually do. In other words, it’s “gentle on the body.”
Walking + Nature = Less Stress
For over 10 years, starting in my late 20’s, I became a fan of Jazzercise – attending several classes a week. That (and any walking I needed to do around town) was my main form of exercise. In later years, I started exercising at the gym several days each week. But as time went on, I realized exercise was never as fun as when I just went walking outdoors.
Being able to see different scenery and activities wherever I’m walking is part of the reason I enjoy it so much. Seeing people exercise their horses, play frisbee golf, or even pose for family photos (especially in the fall at the park I usually visit) are just a few examples of the variety that’s out there.
Getting out in nature for a walk – whether at a local park, along a creek, or up a mountain – is usually referred to as hiking. (I like to think of it as “walking in the wild.”)
Enjoying nature while getting a good workout is a combination that guarantees a HUGE reduction in stress levels!
Walking Slows You Down
Another huge benefit to walking is that it has the power to “slow you down” – an extremely valuable thing in today’s world.
It wasn’t until my second year in Chico (the small town where I attended college) that I REALLY began to appreciate the joys of walking. The huge trees that lined the streets surrounding the campus had shed their leaves by late fall, and there was color on the ground everywhere.
Becoming more aware of my surroundings in a slow-paced town (SO much different than the metropolis of San Francisco where I’d grown up) helped me detach from any stress I was feeling due to schoolwork. That was also the first time I’d been surrounded by “non-evergreen” trees all year long … and helped me understand why so many people consider fall to be their favorite season.
Mental & Emotional Health Benefits
Once you know how powerful the simple act of walking can be for your stress levels, you can probably guess that the benefits you get are not just physical. Your mental and emotional health benefit from this type of exercise, too.
Lots of people have written about the wonders of walking, but I like this quote from Hippocrates (a Greek physician and philosopher who lived from 460 to 370 B.C.) best:
“WALKING IS MAN’S BEST MEDICINE.“
When Barriers Arise, Get Creative!
What happens when something comes along that keeps you from doing the activities (including walking) that you’ve been used to doing in your daily life?
Almost three years ago, I realized I was no longer able to go walking whenever I felt like it. The pain I woke up with one day was (I soon learned) due to plantar fasciitis (PF). As soon as I knew what the problem was, I started looking for solutions. I found exercises that were supposed to help, and eventually, I even sought physical therapy.
Little by little, my foot has improved. But the biggest takeaway I’ve gotten from this condition is this: DO NOT EVER TAKE FOR GRANTED THE ABILITY TO WALK! Even better … don’t take for granted the ability to walk PAIN-FREE!
I know there are conditions some people deal with that are far more debilitating than PF. But regardless of what your “barrier” may be, I just want to encourage you to not give up on finding solutions … or at the very least, things that can replace the activity (or activities) you once enjoyed.
Doing this will not only help rejuvenate you and give you a new enthusiasm for life, it will also help you stay focused on your business (or your job, whether you’re employed full- or part-time).
