I am walking
"The longest journey begins with a single step."
- Pantanjali
On a weekend away, I stumbled upon a "real" bookshop - the kind that SMELLS of books and invites people to BROWSE (pun intended) and CHAT about this and that. For me, time in a place like that is never wasted. I also found an intriguing book and decided to take it home - not only as a memory for this fantastic bookshop experience. The book is called "52 Ways to Walk" by Annabel Streets. The subtitle is "The Surprising Science of Walking for Wellness and Joy, One Week at a Time".
So here we go.
I often elaborate on the transformational powers of movement and nature. In my view, they are key ingredients for mindful living. Studies by the University of Cambridge show that as many as 1 in 10 premature deaths could be prevented with as little as 11 minutes of daily moderate to intense activity. This could be brisk walks, dancing, riding a bike, or whatever else tickles your fancy (mindful yoga that brings your heart rate up and then down again may be helpful, too ;).
According to Mrs Streets, when we move, hundreds of intricate changes happen in our bodies. A twelve-minute walk alters 522 metabolites in our blood - those are molecules that affect the beating of our heart, breath function in our lungs, even the neurons in our brain. Increased oxygen levels in our body affect our vital organs, our memory creativity, mood, and our capacity to think (I like that one).
Walking causes hundreds of muscles, joints, bones and tendons to move in an elaborate, effortless sequence, triggering a multitude of molecular pathways, smoothing the lining of our arteries, shunting sugar from our blood and switching our genes on and off in a wonderous process known as epigenetic modification.
What's not to love?
Weirdly, our busy minds find a myriad of reasons why we should not walk:
"The car is quicker, it looks like rain, it's cold today, it's hot today" - or we simply do not even contemplate walking instead of taking a more sedate form of transportation.
Yesterday, I conducted my third session of Walking Coaching. My client is a lady in Australia. She walks on some Australian Beach, while I take the bush track to the waters of Waiheke Island. I am deprived of an opportunity to take notes of read up on last session. I actually have to be present. My client says that she is more courageous to explore new ideas while walking, instead of being confined to her desk. So yes, there are downsides, but also a lot of ups. My step count definitely is.
I have not even finished the first chapter of this book, but I am hellbent to give it a go and be inspired by it.
This week, I will consider a walk (even if it is to the letterbox) as a means to deal with emotions that would otherwise make me to do things like scrolling socials or making a third cup of tea. I will explore using walking as a circuit breaker toward my wellbeing.
My invitation to you today:
Consider walking when you are stuck or about to do an activity you know is not serving you long-term, or
make a plan to go on a 12-minute walk today, maybe leaving your car behind or exploring an area in your neighbourhood you have not explored before.
Remember, the longest journey begins with a single step.
This is your time.
With a spring in my step
Yours kindly
Mel
