Walking to Save Your Life

One step at a time-great healing advice. There is no need to fix all of life’s ails at once-but just one step at a time- a walk, a walk-in nature, on the beach, around your neighborhood is a great way to start the journey.

Walking is exercise, walking is healing, walking is therapy, meditation, and time for your mind to process and reorganize all that is happening there-walking is like a mail-sorting machine for your thoughts-they maybe be stirring in you, swirling about, unattached to reason-and a quiet walk outdoors seems to sort them, organize them and help to put them in their proper place.

For me walking is creative time-in the quiet with fresh air and sunshine and the majesty of trees around me-walking allows for original thoughts and ideas to slip in. I have written entire songs out on a single morning walk-and hurried back to write them down. Walking is soul time, time to connect to your higher power -if you have one-walking is breath, and life, and peace.

Out at Mashomack Preserve for a hike the other day, my friend remarked that her daughter suggests that she take a ‘purposeful walk’ each day-and it opened up all kinds of thoughts on what the purpose of a purposeful walk might be. A walk for your health? A walk for your soul? The purpose of a saunter may be quite different than the purpose of a power walk-the purpose for a healing walk might be quite different than a speed walk. And then there may be a place where all of the purposes meet.

You may have heard of ‘shinrin-yoku’ a Japanese term translating to, ‘forest bathing’-a time that you immerse yourself in nature-enjoying the sights and sounds and smells of nature-just like taking a bath-soaking it all in. They have found that forest bathing has restorative effects on your health and well-being. The pace of this walk is gentle and slow giving you an opportunity to take it all in through your senses. The purpose then is not to get from here to there, or to increase your heart rate necessarily-it is to be, and experience and heal in nature. Scientists are said to have determined the health benefits of this practice-improving attention span, lowering glucose levels, decreasing blood pressure and improving immune function. It doesn’t have to take place in a national park, or a preserve-the benefits can be felt around town or in your own backyard! I remember my mom used to walk circles around our yard and drop a pebble at a designated point each time in order to keep track of how many laps she had done.

I have found that I feel so much better after I walk-I think it includes each of the purposes of a purposeful walk. It doesn’t require any special equipment and we are so fortunate to be surrounded by beautiful places to explore. I read about a man that was nearing 100 who woke up at 6 Am each day and walked for an hour-rain or shine-raining he’d just grab his umbrella-and this became an integral part of his life and I’d imagine a key to his longevity.

Walking connects us to the earth-to all of the footsteps that came before us-from the dinosaurs to our ancestors. It is what our bodies were made to do-it enhances our endurance, our longevity, and our creativity. So when life feels as if it lacks purpose, if thoughts are stymied and your heart is filled with worries-take a walk-a purposeful walk-one step at a time.