Start Walking and Reclaim Your Mind and Body

These feet (and paws) have walked over a 100 miles over the past few months!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”

                        ~ Albert Einstein

A few months ago I decided to take time out for myself and get back in shape. I was SO over carrying this extra weight I gained from my neck injury and taking steroids (it is a real thing people) and I wanted to find a form of exercise that would fit into my busy lifestyle.  Heck, we are all too busy these days, but finding time to take care of our body is so very important. I think many times we believe getting back in shape will take too much time out of our day but in reality it gives us back time.  In the sense that as you get back in shape and lose any extra weight you might have gained over the months (or years) you will feel a sense of renewed energy and vitality and will be able to get more done in a shorter amount of time.  I started out with a walk around our local park lake (about 1-2 miles) and have built up to walking about 5 to 7 miles a day.  Yes, you do need to make a commitment and find the time, but the health benefits – physically and spiritually far outweigh the time you feel you should be doing something else.  And this is about taking some downtime for yourself; to do some thinking, life-planning, soul-searching, or just enjoying your 80’s soundtrack you downloaded (most days it is 80’s songs playing on my iPhone!).

 

“Walking is a man’s best medicine.”

               ~ Hippocrates

My husband has joined me in this quest to get healthier and we’ve enjoyed some really great hikes together.  One of my favorite walks together was when we went away on a couples get-away to Santa Barbara and headed to Ellwood Butterfly Grove and cliffs.  We probably walked over 5 miles but the time goes by really quick when you have beautiful scenery to look at!

 

 

You can find the time to do this with your family.  For example, after dinner instead of sitting down to watch TV together, head outdoors and take a walk around the neighborhood.  The kids will get even more tired out in time for bedtime and you will get some extra exercise! It’s a win-win for the entire family really!  Another idea is to join a local charity walk-a-thon and do it together as a family.  During our visit to Disney World last May, we participated in the Disney Social Media Moms Alamo walk-a-thon.  Getting up at 5 am was a bit rough, but our daughter loved seeing the sunrise and we enjoyed walking through the Epcot boardwalk with no one around.  It was quite surreal and peaceful.

 

 

And if you aren’t convinced about this whole walking thing – check out the many health benefits!

More than 2,400 years ago, Hippocrates said, “Walking is a man’s best medicine.” To find out if he was right, two scientists from University College London performed a meta-analysis of research published between 1970 and 2007 in peer-reviewed English-language journals. After sifting through 4,295 articles, they identified 18 studies that met their high standards for quality. In all, these studies evaluated 459,833 participants who were free of cardiovascular disease when the investigations began. Each of the studies collected information about the participants’ walking habits along with information about cardiovascular risk factors, including — in most studies — age, smoking, and alcohol use and, in many cases, additional health data as well. The participants were tracked for an average of 11.3 years, during which cardiovascular events (angina, heart attack, heart failure, coronary artery bypass surgery, angioplasty, and stroke) and deaths were recorded. (Source: Health Harvard.edu)

In all, walking reduced the risk of cardiovascular events by 31%, and it cut the risk of dying during the study period by 32%. These benefits were equally robust in men and women. Protection was evident even at distances of just 5½ miles per week and at a pace as casual as about 2 miles per hour. The people who walked longer distances, walked at a faster pace, or both enjoyed the greatest protection.  My feeling is just get out there!  If I have more energy one day I will try to walk faster and longer but if I don’t have much energy I don’t stress about it.  I just do my best for that day and go slower.  At least we are out there moving right?!

This meta-analysis included studies from seven countries on three continents. Here is a brief summary of three Harvard studies of walking and cardiovascular health:

• Among 10,269 male graduates of Harvard College, walking at least nine miles a week was linked to a 22% lower death rate.
• Among 44,452 male health professionals, walking at least 30 minutes a day was linked to an 18% lower risk of coronary artery disease.
• Among 72,488 female nurses, walking at least three hours a week was linked to a 35% lower risk of heart attack and cardiac death and a 34% lower risk of stroke.

So are you ready to get your walking shoes on?  You won’t be disappointed by how much this simple exercise helps you reclaim your health and spirit.

 

 

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