I have always kept myself in shape but noticed as I reached 50, it got harder to keep my weight in check, particularly around my middle. Motivating myself to run when joints got sore was tough and feeling a bit down about it one day, I happened to bump into my personal trainer. She’d recently stopped work to have her first baby and looked terrific.
Only 2 months after the birth, she was back to her old self, not an ounce of baby weight anywhere. After complimenting her on how she had managed it so quickly, I asked her what she’d done.
She walked.
She’d pushed her buggy for 1 hour every day trying to get her little one off to sleep. Walking was what had removed her extra baby weight, no strange diets or regimes, just plain old walking. That got me thinking.
There are times that I really can’t be bothered going for a run but I can always find the energy for a walk and walking is better than doing nothing at all.
In 1 hour, I can speed along 6km’s, about 8000 steps, so I’m not hanging about, but I’m not fast enough to join the speed walking championships any time soon. I pace fast enough to get a sweat on and elevate my heart rate to do some good. You’ll find your own comfortable speed as you get going.
I have “discovered” walking has other benefits than burning calories:
My mind is awakened
My emotions are balanced
My surroundings excite once more.
The sun feels welcoming
The rain feels exhilarating
Getting sweaty is motivating
The vitamin D is benefiting
I think it’s fair to say that most of us can walk at some point during the day; it’s just a matter of allocating that time and committing to doing it. I find early is best for me, before breakfast and the rest of the day but if I do miss a morning for some reason, I can go for a shorter one after dinner. Great for the digestion too!
Miss it, and I miss it.
We all have 24 hours in the day, we just choose to spend them as we see fit, so I urge you to make walking a new habit starting today. By walking for 1 hour every day for a week, you are well on your way to a new norm and soon enough, it’ll be part of your routine like cleaning your teeth.
Devote a few hours of the week to yourself, time when you’ll go for your walk, sort through your thoughts and emotions, get your blood flowing and take in your surroundings once again.
Now, I don’t even think of it as exercise. It’s simply my time, part of being me.
Try it, I know you’ll love it.
Do you walk regularly? How else do you keep your mind and body healthy?