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I’m a huge fan of walking, but I think it gets a bad rap sometimes. We all know that it’s a great activity for people who are just starting to exercise and need something that’s simple and low-impact. But there are a lot of advantages to walking, no matter how fit you are -- it just tends to be overshadowed by activities that are more “exciting,” or that burn more calories in a shorter period of time.
Look at it this way. Even though walking involves putting one foot in front of another, over and over, there are a lot of ways to mix it up. You have the option to go outside, so you’re not limited to a designated area like you are with exercise machines or weight-lifting. You don’t need special equipment, other than a decent pair of sneakers and weather-appropriate clothing. You can push yourself (by incorporating intervals and hills) if you feel like it, or slow things down if you need to. You can walk by yourself or with a group.
I love walking in an area that I’m not familiar with. Even though I have a favorite, well-established walking route in the area where I live, it’s nice to have a change of scenery once in a while. The time goes by faster when you don’t know exactly what to expect. When I studied abroad in Amsterdam back in 2004, I’d walk around the city (by myself and without a map) all the time. Sure, I’d get lost -- but it wasn’t such a huge place that it was all that difficult to find my way back to my original location. Where I live now, I’m too familiar with the area to get lost unless I walk really far away.
My ideal walking scenario is when I don’t have anything I need to carry or anywhere in particular I need to be, and I’d be wearing loose clothing and comfortable sneakers. I certainly enjoy walking a lot more when I’m not on my way to work, because I tend to carry all kinds of stuff in my bag -- book, water, dress shoes, food for the day.
Most of the time I end up walking by myself. I enjoy this because, for that period of time, I don’t have to answer to anyone. I don’t have to talk; I don’t feel like I should be doing something more productive; I don’t have to respond to text messages (indeed, I usually leave my phone at home unless I’m coming to/from work). I often take long walks for the express purpose of clearing my mind. I’ll play some music on my iPod -- which I sometimes pay attention to, but sometimes I tune out and use it only as background noise -- and go from there.
Sometimes, though, it takes walking with someone else to remind you that group activities can be fun, too. This past Sunday I walked around Georgetown (and a section of the Capital Crescent Trail) with my friend R-. Even though we walked slower than I would have if I was by myself, I had a really good time. I put aside thoughts of how fast I should walk and how much ground I could cover and instead concentrated on the beautiful day, the scenery, and the conversation. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with walking for exercise, this experience reminded me that it’s a good idea to take it easy from time to time.
What do you like about walking?
Additional walking options:
eHow: How to Design an Interval Walking Plan
Nordic walking (using poles)
MBT (Masai Barefoot Technology) walking
Related Reading:
Sagan likes the social aspect of walking.
Our Life Upstate, in her list of things she does for the environment, mentions walking as one of her favorites. She says, “I love to walk. Anytime I can walk somewhere - the bank, the post office, etc I do. [...] In truth I do it just because I love it.
Veronica says that before she had kids, she walked for exercise. I liked her method: “My method of walking for exercise was very simple: I walked away from my home until I was so tired that I could not walk anymore. Then I turned around and walked back. This meant I was always walking twice as far as I thought I could. Forcing myself to walk even when
