Walking the walk.

I am writing about walking this week, I don't think I can stress enough the importance of walking and the benefits gained from it. It is also in my opinion the more if not most enjoyable form of physical activity. I want to share my personal experience with walking and my relationship with walking. I will also list some health benefits that I experienced and found in my research.

I grew up in a country where walking to the shops or walking to school was not possible due to safety. I always loved walking so I would secretly venture out the security of the estate where I live to go to the shop for an ice cream or I would walk to the shop after school for some warm chips before getting collected by my parents or a friend. To me walking is freedom, it's a moment to think and to see the world around you, the sky, trees and birds. On the weekend my father would take me and the dogs to different walking nature trails, these trails were fenced and guarded but in a way where you didn't notice, you felt the freedom and you felt the wonders of the outdoors. As a young adult I moved to Northern Ireland, United Kingdom and here you can walk anywhere and everywhere, which is exactly what I did and do. I then explored Donegal in Ireland and I would go stay there for periods of time and experience real and safe nature walks, being outside in the wild of the west of Ireland, looking out at the views and feeling the sun on my skin and breathing in the freshest air I ever have. That feeling is pure euphoria. Since then I crave walking, its no longer a want its more a need for my own health yes physically but mostly mentally because of the joy it brings me.

I have done quite a bit research when in comes to walking because it is walking that started me on this fitness journey and so I thought I would research the benefits of daily walking. I will list a few and get into more detail over one or two.

Health benefits of daily walking:

1. Improves mood- this is my favourite and well covered in my previous paragraph.

2.Heart Health

3. Increases lung capacity

4. Lowers sugar cravings

5. Boosts immunity

6. Speeds up digestion

7. Relieves stress

8. Improves mental alertness

9. Straightens legs- this I find very apparent as when I started walking more frequently I found my leg day workouts weren't as challenging and I could push myself further.

10. Weight loss- I am going to get into detail about this one because of my personal experience with it. I would walk to work from the train everyday and I walked a bit at work so I would say my average time walking per day was 1hr30m each day about 5 days a week. I did this for three months and within these three months the number on my scale went down by 12kgs and my trousers went down two sizes, I had not changed my eating (healthy, balanced meals) and in fact my appetite increased. This walking everyday made me feel good, I thrived off of the endorphins and how fit I was feeling that I started to add daily strengthening workouts and muscle building workouts and I was fit enough to perform these workouts better than ever before and my weight was down to a weight I was comfortable with and that allowed me to exercise without straining myself.

I get asked how to start in fitness and how to start weight loss and my answer is; start by a 30min walk everyday and slowly you can increase your distance and time. Feel the benefits of walking and then use your walking progress as inspiration to start other physical activity or exercise programs. Walking does not cause the body stress as a run would and so it essentially cannot be demotivating. Take in everything that walking does for you and stay in tune with yourself and you will see and feel the changes in your body and mind.

During the times we are in now being in lock down due to the pandemic I would urge that you take your daily walk, let it help decrease your stress and improve your immunity, two key needs during this time. 30min a day is all you need to start this journey and this adventure that is walking.

I hope you gain some insight and motivation from this post. Look after yourself and stay healthy and safe.

xxx