If you want to do something to improve your wellbeing, one of the first things you should consider is walking. All of us that are can walk should walk and do it more often. How much of a bit do we need?
Well it depends what we want. If we want to clear our minds, change our thought patterns and relax then a short 15 minute walk maybe enough, but if you want to walk for fitness, even moderate fitness then we need to consider pushing ourselves a bit.
Walking comes in many flavors, there are as many styles of walking as there are people ; the striders the shufflers the bimblers and the meanderers. How we walk may change over time as we age but also varies with mood and intent.
If you want to change your focus after a hard day or harsh words, then you might benefit from getting out in nature among the trees and just experiencing them. Walking slowly, intentionally, being aware of the subtle changes that engage your senses can have significant effects on health, lowering blood pressure, reducing stress and helping people to feel more connected to their environment. Getting a daily nature fix may help you to reduce anxiety and sleep better, without the side effects of medication.
If your walk has a more direct fitness bent then you may want to push on and get your heart rate up, walking more briskly and rhythmically engages deep movement patterns within the human body which can itself be relaxing but also helps with coordination and removes some of the patterning associated with sitting flexed with your ribs and lungs compressed. Lengthening your stride and opening your hips enables you to cover more ground but you need a good level of fitness to sustain it.
You can combine these elements in a simple 30 minutes walk, make the initial 25 minutes more relaxed and engaged so you cap reap the benefits of connecting with the environment and changing your mode, but in the last five minutes set a tied task such as walking between two set points such as a bus stop and your office or between two street lamps. Simply count or time how long it takes and try to maintain or beat that time. It’s not a massive commitment, it is achievable, measurable and repeatable , like any good experiment.
Walking with an aged dog that constantly stops will get you the benefits of being outside but not many of the benefits of actually walking in terms of rhythm and flow. Dogs are great at getting you out of the door but you need to think clearly about whether you are getting the movement dosage you need, if you’re not as aged as the dog prehaps another few turns round the block are required?