Heel Toe Express

There’s something about walking that just resonates with me. I’m one of those people that is tends to get caught up in trying to do the ‘latest’ work out to try and fit more exercise into my mostly sedentary life. I can hardly count the number of times I’ve ‘started running’. It all starts by finding a seemingly easy Couch to 5k or similar plan online. I’ll get really into it and start thinking how I’ll be SUCH an awesome runner. I can even start seeing marathons in my future! Then I go on that first run. And it’s awful. But I persist. And I go on more runs. And I try to convince myself that I’m loving it! But in reality, it hurts, I can never seem to control my breathing, I only look forward to stopping and I generally end up finishing frustrated. Inevitably, the time will come where I’ll hang up my compression socks and go on to something else.

Easy to spot in a crowd, that’s for sure!

After running, it was hot yoga. It started with a Groupon deal and ended with sweat-covered EVERYTHING. But I bought a month-to-month membership at my local studio and again, convinced myself that I loved it. Meanwhile, my limbs were constantly slipping off each other, sending sprays of sweat in every direction. There was never enough water to drink and it was always SO hot! Similar to running, I soon threw in the towel on hot yoga. (Though I must say, I do have an appreciation for non-hot yoga).

I’ve even done off and on bouts of Jillian Michaels’ workout videos. I did enjoy those, but it was so hard to motivate myself to do them in my living room.

Amid all of these attempts at finding my fitness niche, there was walking. Indulge me as I now ascend into an Ode to Walking.

Walking never leaves me frustrated, sore or drenched in more sweat than I knew my body was capable of producing. Aside from a decent pair of running shoes, walking doesn’t require any equipment. It can be done almost anywhere provided there’s a stable surface beneath your feet. I’ve walked in all sorts of weather too. Most notably – in what must have been a lapse in judgement – during the polar vortex we experienced this past winter. I don’t think ‘frigid’ can quite describe the temperature.

My scarf was frozen by the end!

While it may not be considered the most physically exhausting method of fitness, I think there’s something to be said for a good walk. In fact, Dr. Mike Evans sums it up to a tee in this video. Essentially, a simple 30 minute walk a day has nothing but a positive impact on our lives. It’s just plain good for the body, mind and spirit. Period. I do some of my best thinking on my walks. It’s a time for me to unwind and reflect on recent going-ons. I can connect with my neighbourhood in a way that I wouldn’t be able to if I were going just a tad faster. I enjoy seeing the responses to my “Hi!”‘s and waves to passers-by (I’m currently doing a mental tally of this – I’ll try to report back later as I think it’s interesting. *Nerd alert*).

I think ‘just going for a walk’ is too often under-rated. With the pace of life moving at ultra-speed these days, it’s nice to simply disconnect and do nothing else but put one foot in front of the other and just walk.