No matter how much technology changes …. walking for health will remain the same. The old Walkman and today’s iPods are about the only thing that have really had any impact on walking. Notice – I don’t even mention those walking abominations – treadmills! No – walking remains the same over the ages….and a great way to get away from the technological distractions that bombard us every day.
Doug Johnson recently posted about walking. What better time to talk about it than when we are all awash in New Year’s Resolutions?
I’ve walked for two years now and love it. Unlike Doug, I do listen to music sometimes…but sometimes I just go for blissful quiet. I know what he means about silence and enjoying nature. I wrote about the opportunity to dig deeply into your thoughts rather than jet skiing over them in a post awhile ago – Jet Ski or Scuba Dive.
I can testify that walking has raised my good cholesterol, lowered the bad, lowered my blood pressure, and best of all, I no longer have osteoporosis. Yay!! The walking (along with high doses of calcium and vitamin D) gets the credit for that. And no osteoporosis meds with nasty side effects!
The secret really boils down to carving out time for yourself as well as to get healthy. Using weight loss as a motivator seldom works – at least not for women of a “certain age” like myself. But staying around for your grandchildren is a super motivator. The health benefits – both mental and physical – will help you to become a life-long walker.
To Jim Randolph who posted a comment on Doug’s blog ….I highly recommend walking right after work….before you drive home and re-enter that equally demanding world. Everyone deserves at least a half hour of ALONE time to enjoy their music and/or their thoughts. No matter how busy you are. You will be a better and more effective person for it.
Here are my own personal ramblings on walking: