The Benefit of Walking and Fitting it In

Andrew Stutts

My walk with the dog today reminded me of the time my impatience turned into a good workout.   It was a day I decided to save some gas money and have my wife drop me off at work since she was going to be on that side of town running errands.  When I called her to pick me up, she informed me she was going to be another thirty minutes.  My work was finished, I earned my money, and I felt no need to linger around.  I must admit I was aggravated at the prospect of waiting and my patience did get the best of me.  I work for some nice folks at the time and their company was a blessing, but it was such a nice day that I wanted to be outside without delay. 

Well, I decided to channel that energy in a positive way and started to walk towards home and rendezvous with my wife along the way. So, I texted my wife the location I'd be heading, and I did just that.  I walked for approximately twenty minutes before we met up and man did, I cover some ground.  It felt good to be outside and walking was the perfect way to unwind after work.

The energy I had from this walk put me in a great mood and motivated me to get in a good workout as soon as I got home.  Normally it takes me a while to get in the mood to exercise and I end up doing it later in the evening.  Not this day, I got right to it and found myself with so much extra time in the evening that I sat in my porch swing and enjoyed watching the sunset over the Rockies.

Walking is so beneficial for your health and so easy to do for most of us.  It is the most underrated exercise, and the ability most able-bodied people take for granted.  There are those that lack the ability to walk or their ability to walk is encumbered for reason beyond their control.  However, there is segment of the population, in western society, which have allowed their physical fitness to deteriorate to the point where they have lost much of this basic function of life.  This is a crying shame!  Unfortunately, mobility is one of the first things to go when one leads a sedentary lifestyle.  However, walking is the cure and the foundational exercise to begin reclaiming your health and mobility. 

There is little excuse for not beginning a walking routine or to add one into your current fitness regime.  Walking requires no expensive gym membership or equipment.  You can do it almost anytime and anywhere.   In fact, with a little preparation most weather should not be a deterrent to this essential activity. Walking is one of the most primal and instinctual movements one can do.  It is a basic inherent function of the body that does not require one to pay for the service of a personal trainer to do safely and effectively.  It should be understood as an obvious fact that humans were design to do lots of walking.  One just needs to look at the lifestyle of primitive societies to find numerous examples.  This fact holds equally true to some extent for both hunter-gather group as it does for agrarian societies.  Our human ancestors have done vast amounts of walking and there are a variety examples in recent American History to support this notion.  In fact, there were a group of American Pioneers that migrated through the Mid-West walking and pushing their belonging in hand carts.  If this curious fact is of interest to you just do a Google search on the topic of Mormons and hand carts.  On a side note, there are actual places in Nebraska and Wyoming, just to name a few, where you can touch the tracks of American Pioneers that are still embedded in the ground. 

Oregon Trail Wagon Rut in Wyoming

Now if you've let your health deteriorate to the point where you can no longer do this activity or you have a medical condition affecting your ability that is a different story.  In this instance you need to consult the advice of a medical professional and enlist the services of a good physical therapist.  However, I bet dollars to donuts they would set goals to get you moving again and that would probably include walking in some capacity.

Now those that reside in the realm of elite fitness should not disregard walking.  Walking has many advantages that supplement more extreme fitness regimes.  Also, there are numerous was to amp the intensity of the simple act of walking and the military has made an art of this concept.  Don't worry you don't have to enlist to take advantage of this principle.  Furthermore, walking is a great way to work around an injury while recovering.  Lastly, light walking is also one of the best cures for DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness).

Yearly Fallen Defenders Ruck March, Joint Base San Antonio Texas

Life is busy for us all, but I bet like me you can find these opportunities to exercise.  Don't let them pass you by.  The human body was designed for work and movement.  Every little bit of activity you do in a day adds up in the bank for your overall health.  Time management is important in every aspect of your life including health and fitness.  Do not let these opportunities pass you by get outside and get moving.

Muscle Apocalypse