The Power of a Daily (Outside) Walking Habit
Do you desire to create an exercise routine but feel stuck, unable to get started? You have good intentions, but each time it comes to your planned “workout time,” your mind starts feeding you a million excuses on why you can’t? Too many other things to do? Too tired?
Starting an exercise habit begins with the FIRST STEP. I personally buy into the strategy of starting SMALL. One short walk. One morning started with 10 minutes of yoga. One body weight exercise workout from YouTube. The goal initially isn’t going from someone who doesn’t exercise at all to someone who works out for an hour, 5 days/week. While I do think it is helpful to have a big goal in mind, such as running your first 5k, losing 20 lbs, being able to do 10 push ups, etc., we must break this down into small, actionable steps to START with.
For anyone who is new to exercise, or working on getting healthier in general, the first habit I encourage is to move your body outside in some way! For most of us, that will mean walking. But you are more than welcome to bike, hike, run, skateboard, etc. if that is more enjoyable for you! When you are first starting, and feel limited on the time you can commit to exercise, I recommend going out your front door and walking in your neighborhood (as long as you feel safe). This means you will spend no extra time driving to get somewhere. And if you have some kind of physical limitation that prevents you from going far, simply walk to the end of your driveway and back. Tomorrow, walk just 10 feet past your driveway. Momentum builds momentum. If you are not experiencing a physical limitation, I recommend starting out by committing to walk for 10 minutes.
What time of day? That is up to you, based on your schedule. If it works to build it into your lunch break, great. If you like to do it after putting your young kids to bed, go for it. But if your lunch break is busy and you are dead tired after putting your kids to bed (ME!), then I highly recommend getting it done at the beginning of your day. This might mean setting your alarm clock 10 minutes earlier, which can feel dreadful the night before as you fall into bed in exhaustion. And even in the morning when your alarm goes off, and your brain whispers to you that it is more important for you to hit snooze and take that extra 10 minutes of sleep instead of walking. DON’T GIVE INTO IT! Commit to one week of walking every day, not allowing yourself to give into your primitive brain that wants to conserve energy and stay comfortable. Once you are up and go for the walk, you will feel refreshed, energized, and proud of yourself for staying committed to your goal of stepping into better health.
Even in the winter months, when it is cold and still dark in the morning, STICK WITH IT unless the conditions are too hazardous to walk. If you KNOW you have a time later in the day that you can walk, and prefer to wait until it is light and a little warmer, go for it. Otherwise, stay committed to doing it in the morning (again, as long as you feel safe and there are streetlights or you can use your phone flashlight). While I may prefer the warmer, lighter mornings for walking, something about the crisp, cool air energizes me more than walking in a comfortable temperature.
There is one more thing I challenge you to do on this walk: Do it in silence, without headphones. If you hate this idea, trust me, I get you. I used to have to listen to music when I ran, and more recently, I am obsessed with gaining knowledge via the amazing world of podcasts. And hear me, I do listen to music or podcasts when I do most of my workouts. But I commit to having some time each week where I walk in silence. It feels very uncomfortable at first, and sometimes negative feelings or worries may come up, but the more I practice it, the more I get into a flow and begin to find clarity in the things I am worried about. So what may initially bubble up to you as a worry - something about the physical movement of your body allows your mind to work more efficiently and creatively, and you’re able to problem solve that worry rather than letting it fester under the surface.
With the development of technology, most of us spend little to no time without our mind being distracted. Anytime we begin to have idle time (waiting in line, eating a meal, sitting at a red light), we look for an immediate outlet, typically via our phones. Our minds need time to rest and just be, especially for us to be able to connect with who we really are. Otherwise we go through the motions of each day, with a constant nagging sense of dissatisfaction and unease. We go through the checklist of things we have to do for the day, and don’t find ourselves enjoying the process. Please, DON’T MISS OUT ON YOUR LIFE!
One final recommendation: I challenge you at least once/week to get connected with nature!! Regardless of where you live, we almost all have a place within 10-20 minutes of driving that provides beautiful scenery, and the peaceful sounds of birds and the breeze instead of traffic, etc. This is certainly where I do my best thinking and am most comfortable being in silence. I promise the benefits you begin to notice in your new habit will be profound, providing not only physical benefits, but mental as well.
Better mental and physical health begins with the first step. Go out and do it!!
