Whole foods walking
Walking.
One of the top go-to human movements.
Once, a non-negotiable form of activity (and still is for many parts of the world), in our culture, it’s an activity that we have the luxury of engaging in by choice.
Or not.
As a form of ‘exercise’, we take walks for enjoyment, for ‘burning off that piece of cake’, for stretching our chair-shaped lower bodies.
For many, it’s the most accessible whole-body movement we can reach for to nourish our cells.
Inspired by this podcast and a recommended app, I set a goal this spring to walk 10 miles a week.
I use the app to track my miles, not so much because I put that much emphasis on my steps or distance, as I really enjoy the activity of walking.
But, there is something about that little measure of accountability that helps me overcome the inevitable inertia that sets in daily.
I’m fortunate to live in a place that offers a mile-long stretch of quiet asphalt right outside my door, complete with hills and the reward of a lovely view from the pinnacle.
But, admittedly, even that can get monotonous after a while - for my body and my brain - and then it really does become more about how many miles and at what pace did I trek to give me the satisfaction of having moved away from my desk or office.
The human body - the brilliant, complex, dynamic human body - is an expectation of movement.
It’s an expectation of hills and bumps and holes and heat and cold and varying shades of light and bearing of various loads.
Our bodies are an expectation of wide varieties and movement-nutrients right down to the cellular level.
They are an expectation of meeting and adapting to the multitude of challenges we humans would face navigating life and needs within environments for eons that were not always comfortable.
We tend to feel fortunate that we don’t currently have to survive by those means, but our cells are still hungry for those nutrients. And they do starve when not fed the Vitamin-Nature they are designed to consume.
My mile-ish walk does indeed move my body as a whole.
I can feel my legs working, my heart pumping, my breath filling my chest. When it’s windy, I feel the extra work when I face one way, and the lift I get from behind on the return. When it’s hot, it’s definitely a little more work - who am I kidding? - it’s a LOT more work, and very easy to avoid, unless I go early in the morning, or after sundown.
But, even so - after so many days in a row on this one stretch of pavement, when there there are more same-nesses than differences - it’s like eating oatmeal every morning.
Nutritious, yes, but only in the same narrow and repetitive way.
Perhaps this is your experience, too.
And, perhaps, because you’re only focusing on the obvious active stuff (whether in your walk or any other exercise-y activity) - the steps, the reps, the weights, etc - you slog through the same patterns so you can check off the boxes; and yet, it’s all the un-measurable, the un-quantifiable stuff that is really what makes these movements of your body more nutritious to your cells, your organs and muscles, more enlivening to your mental states, and even more satisfying to your soul.
Or, at least, less boring. :)
A challenge …!
“If you were to list your last 10 walks, and pluck out 5 similarities (Examples: Always the same path, the same distance, the same time of day, the same clothing/shoes, the same dog :), can you try replacing any of those similarities with something different?”
(Paraphrased from the Move Your DNA podcast episode, “Enter the Gait Lab”).
Expanding our ranges of motions by moving with and through the suggestions below can help to cultivate greater resilience, bone density, balance, immune robusticity, body awareness, patience :), social engagement, as well as ‘stacking’ your whole body movement needs with other life goals and values!
Love when those red buds bloom!
Some suggested walking-nutrient variables:
SHAPES:
Flat
Uphill
Downhill
Sideways slopes
TERRAIN & TEXTURE
Gravel
Sand
Boulders
Snow, ice
Weeds, tall grass, fallen leaves
Tree roots, holes
Water, creek beds, mud
CLIMATE, TIME OF DAY
Cold
Heat
Wind
Rain
Snow
Fog
Buggy
COMPANY:
Solo
Partner
Group (faster or slower movers)
Kid(s)
Pet(s)
INTENTION:
Exercise
Leisure
Quality time with others
Transportation, errands
Meditation
LOCATION:
Familiar
Novel
Rural
Urban, suburban
Natural, wild
APPAREL:
Footwear
Weather-dependent
Looser, more form-fitting
LOADS:
Empty hands
Water bottle
Backpack/rucking pack
Weights
Small child
Groceries
STATE:
Mood
Proximity to eating/drinking (bladder fullness :)
Energy/hormonal cycle
Proximity to other activities (ex. after sitting in a car or at a desk for a while, or stretching
These examples are largely about expanding the meeting of physical nutritional requirements.
But, what other life values can you fulfill with a walk, that aren’t measurable with an app or seemingly as beneficial as speed and mileage?
Such as:
MENTAL: Taking in a podcast (like Move Your DNA!), making business or social phone calls, or just clearing your head.
PURPOSEFUL: In my tiny berg, I can walk to a farmer’s market, to my hair cutter, my church, (formerly, my car mechanic, till he retired :(. I will also sometimes park in any one of the business centers within a mile of my bodywork studio and walk with backpack, purse, and lunch. Anything close to where you live or work or shop?
SOCIAL: Walking with a friend, a child, neighbors, or a walking/hiking group.
SOULFUL: Walking in a somewhat peaceful place can be meditative. Or, in a busier place, walking provides a pace that allows to take in and notice more about the people and places you are trodding through, which can be illuminating.
For me and my ‘road’, even though it’s the routine, I can often find endless variety in the landscape, the light, the daily-changing hues of the fields and streams, which is a mindset/mindfulness choice…. to look for the novelty.
I rarely leave home without my phone/camera because, well, … you never know when you’ll come across mischievous horses or a snoring cow.
LAST WORD.
SOME ENCOURAGEMENT TO START WHERE YOU ARE.
Listen.
One of the biggest obstacles to our movement goals is what it’s supposed to look like. This can sometimes be enough to stop us before we even start.
Maybe you’re already walking as much as you want to. Maybe it hurts even to think about it.
One thing I do hope is that comparisons - to me or anyone - is not part of the picture for you.
I could compare myself to a Katy Bowman - whose ideal day includes a daily 5-mile walk before dawn - and, by comparison, feel like a slug.
I chose a 10-mile a week goal, because it felt mostly do-able for me, and a little bit of a stretch. It’s spread over a week, which gives me flexibility - around my schedule, my fluctuating energy and pain levels, the weather, my mood, etc.
The first week, I hit my goal.*
Last week, I barely made three miles. (I blame the ridiculous winds that had other plans for me…)
This week, I’m trying again. And it gets easier.
For you, a healthy stretch might be to the end of your driveway, and that would be awesome!
Point is, starting is that much more movement than not starting.
And, I hope your takeaway is that there are many ways to move, and walk, and to make each step - no matter how many you take - more nutritious!
* On the last day of that week, I was about 1/4 mile short of my 10 mile goal. I took my app on a grocery errand, parked the car the furthest I could from the entrance, and clocked an extra 1/2 mile. Everything counts!!
If walking is part of your movement plan, or you wish it were, and in any case, you want to add more vitamins to your steps, check out my Ask-Me-Anything call!
We can suss out some creative possibilities, as well as add a few exercises to make your walking more efficient and enjoyable.
