Why chose long walks
Walking is an underrated form of exercise. Simply put, it’s not too rigor. It doesn’t pump us very much. We don’t see ourselves motivated by the simple act.
We’re used to associating exercise with what’s posted on billboards by advertisers and on our local gym - motivated, focused, sweating yet still smells good.
I despised the gym when I realized our ancestors were not paying the gym to become healthy.
They were walking the savannahs not to have a great body but looking to find food.
I imagine them hitting three birds at once. They didn’t realize they were keeping their body optimal at that time. They didn’t worry about additional expenses and they were not fat because they keep on burning.
Anyhow, fast forward to our present sedentary life where we have more time sitting than moving. Where we ate more and get fat then spend more to lose fat.
We are putting ourselves in a huge disadvantage here.
Sitting is killing us. Our butt hasn’t evolved yet to keep us healthy regardless but we dismiss this because there are no short perceivable feedback and everyone else is sitting and staring on their screen.
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The idea of taking long walks has been in my mind before for so… long. I just haven’t had the opportunity to add it to my daily life routine for environmental reasons.
When I was in Cebu walking was not enjoyable. There were a lot of distractions that were taking my attention and keeping my brain from feeling safe - big billboards, loud noises, avoiding potholes and evading automobiles.
There’s no flow for thinking clearly. My brain resets or keeps getting redirected to useless concerns and I mostly lose my ideas throughout the duration.
That’s why I think it is really important to have the right environment to foster new habits
If you’re swimming against the tide you’ll spend more energy and willpower and we all know that willpower doesn’t last.
Being constrained by the environment constrained our mind to think within the bounds of those constraints - we adapt. Most of the time we find other outlets to dull our mind but most of them only increase the negative aspects of our lives.
Since I moved to a rural place walking becomes enjoyable. Taking walks have become accessible and I can easily add it to my daily routine.
Have you ever heard the sound of nature? It’s very liberating. Unloading the weight and stresses from work and just immersing in the sound of the birds and cicadas is very calming.
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The reason I chose long walks over other forms of activity is that I can bundle it with other good habits easily. For example:
- Listening to audiobooks
- Formulating solutions (wandering is diffuse mode).
- Reflecting and reviewing plans and life goals (sit somewhere and use a trusty pen and paper)
While reaping other benefits like:
- Burns calories and increases stamina
- It feeds our brain needs to explore.
- It boosts brainpower and clears your thinking
- It makes us happier
- And it’s less monthly expenses (no gym membership)
So, go walk.