“All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
Let's face it majority of people think walking is boring. They'd rather take a ride to get from point A to point B. I was one of those people. Then I found the magic of walking.
Just this year, I noticed I was getting knee pain from being extremely overweight. Just 2 years ago I finished my first marathon by using the run/walk/run method. I would run for a brief period and I'd walk with the same amount of time. It was disheartening going from that bearable amount of fitness to what I have right now. I couldn't run for more than 3 days in a row for 30 minutes because my knee, thigh and calves would nag at me at night making me lose sleep.
I wanted to find an exercise that was bearable to do for long periods of time. Something that I can do till I lose some weight and get back to running again. I saw youtube video by Ryan Holiday explaining his morning routine where he takes long walks with his kids while thinking about the day ahead. So I tried it while listening to my favorite podcasts, and it worked.
I'm now on my second week of walking 4-5 times a week for 30-45 minutes and it has given me so many benefits including the following:
- Lost 5lbs of weight.
- Allowed me to think about the day ahead and strategize.
- Allowed me to reflect on how I can improve myself and serve.
- Improves my mood.
- Helps me listen to hour-long podcasts that gives me a lot of insight.
- Helped me to become consistent with my exercise.
Studies have shown that exercising 5 times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes helps keep the weight off longer. This is because most people who lose weight almost certainly gains it back for only a few months after a dramatic weight loss. The intensity of the workouts could be a factor in the sustainability in a long term weight loss plan. Even though most fitness professionals value HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) over steady state cardio like walking for weight loss, it has been found to be more sustainable.
Therefore having a long term view of your health and fitness goals are far more important than that event you are getting ready for an event like a wedding, birthday or prom. Walking is certainly one of those exercises that we can do for the sustainability of our health and fitness.
My plan is to sustain walking 5-7 times a week for 30-45 minutes until my weight goes down considerably. If it does go down, over time I will incorporate running into my routine.
Overall, I think walking is really a gift. After all not all animals are able to walk upright on two feet. Moreover, it has given me the gift of sustaining a workout for a long time while having a bloc of time to think and to enjoy listening to music and podcasts.