Walk through this post! Don’t run! Okay, Okay, I know that was cheesy. However, I must prepare you that will be the tone of most of the posts moving forward.
I could not be more excited about this topic. I love to walk for many reasons, which we will talk about. Clearly, walking is important. Most of us learn to walk before we can even speak.
What I find so interesting about walking, is that we do it every day mindlessly. We walk from our car to most buildings, we walk around the store or mall, we walk around our house or to the mailbox. When I used to work in weight loss, one of the things I would push people to start doing is mindful walking. To start thinking about how many times they just do a little bit of walking that did not take too much out of them and to start increasing it. Maybe you park in a parking lot at work and walk to the building, so this time park a little further and make it a little of a stretch. My clients were always shocked at how much they could add that little bit of exercise into their day without interruption and how it actually had some effect.
We all know the health benefits of getting moving, but have you ever used it to help you ease your stress? Just to get outside and walk around. Maybe you are a beach gal who loves to walk the beach and hear the waves and just being there makes your troubles disappear. Perhaps you are a mountain guy and finding a good trail and being able to be under the trees and in the dirt is something that takes you to a place of relaxation. I prefer both, sometimes just for stress relief and to stroll casually, and other times to really get after it and get a good pace going. My personal preference is to really get the heart racing, the blood pumping, by having my headphones in and really taking on something challenging, thinking about all the crap I am overwhelmed by and letting it go by the time I reach the destination. It is one of the most rewarding feelings. I will give you and example.
One day, I took the day off and contacted a friend of mine to hike. I had exhausted all of the spots I knew and really wanted a challenge. I was unaware of what I would be walking into. I picked them up and we were off. The road just to GET to the trail was extreme, you could only realistically fit one car and it was dirt and on a constant downhill. Then you get there… Its dirt, rocks, and extreme incline. I thought to myself “Holy cow Shay, I don’t know if you can do this.”, but I went ahead and put on my backpack and went for it. Going up, it was hot and challenging. I had my music blaring and my emotions were running. I pushed myself to go at a good pace (yes, sweaty and gross) and not stop. When I got to the top, there was a beautiful waterfall and some rocks to sit on. We stayed up there, listened to music, looked at the scenery, and had some snacks. It was the most beautiful feeling. Looking at how high I got and what I pushed myself to do. The way down, I could feel every muscle I had forced myself to use and it was painful, but a good pain. I will be going back to this place one day.
Walking is universally used for protesting too. Walking is seen as something powerful when you get a group together standing for the same thing and taking that journey together. It shows force and strength in numbers.
I guess my message is that walking has many different uses and meanings for people.
What are your uses for walking? Do you have favorite places you prefer to walk?
Simply,
Miss Shay
Simply Miss Shay 