If you’re bored, go on a walk.
-If you’re stressed, go on a walk.
-If you’re uninspired, go on a walk.
-If you’re overweight, go on a walk.
Most, if not all of your problems can be relieved, if not solved, by going on a walk.– DAN KOE
sill remember those days. I was never a big fan of walking. But one day, as a teenager, I decided to walk alone. It was 6:00 am.
Since it’s been 4 years, there has never been a day when I’ve walked under 1,000 steps. Of course, there have been some days when I was not able to be consistent.
But hey, it’s all part of the journey; if we fail, we get up and try again.
Like:
- Charles Darwin
- Friedrich Nietzsche
- Mark Twain
- Charles Dickens
- Virginia Woolf
- Steve Jobs
These people treated walks as important aspects of their lives and work, I discovered the same.
On LinkedIn, my posts often got comments that they always see a park in the background.
Some asked, “Isn’t walking for hours a waste of time when you have work?”
If you had read Tim Ferriss’s book, The 4-Hour Workweek, you’d know that many people spend a lot of time working all day with nothing but some minimum results. You just need to focus on the things that matter the most.
And, you probably wouldn’t be reading this blog if I hadn’t decided to take a walk or decided to read “In Praise of Walking” book by Shane O’Mara.
I never would have gotten that idea about my next blog if I had not taken that evening walk.
- My writing style wouldn’t be the same.
- My body wouldn’t be the same.
- My identity wouldn’t be the same.
I want to share with you how walking changed my life, so let me begin:
Walking is a Holistic Habit
“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.” — James Clear
Something is not within our control, but we can control how we act every action that we take shapes our identity, as well as our future.
Even small habits, like walking, can make a big difference. They compound over time. So, you need to be consistent.
So far, walking has influenced every domain of my life, whether it is
- Mind
- Body
- Spirit
- Business
Most people do not have control over their habits.
Your mind reacts to almost everything that appeals to fun; this is how you have programmed it. Your attention is not on the right things; you often get swayed into tasks that require less effort.
The solution to most of your problems is this:
- You must reclaim your focus so you can implement new habits.
- The habits you choose must be high-leverage, high-impact, and enjoyable.
- The habits you choose to refocus your attention on the depth of life.
- Your focus programs your mind, shapes who you are, and decides your future.
Walking as a habit covers all domains of life: mind, body, spirit, and business.
Let me show you how:
Mindful walking
As you walk slowly, focusing on each step, your mind calms. You don’t worry anymore that’s what mindful walking is about.
We worry because we’re addicted to it. It’s a way to escape our anxiety. We create a scenario in our minds so we can feel a bit better.
- Things are not going as planned.
- My side business is not doing better than I expected.
- The writing that sucked yesterday makes you worry that it won’t get done tomorrow.
You trap yourself in a narrow-minded state of suffering. Your only way out is to reprogram your mind to be calm through Mindful walking
Walking for health
Once Hippocrates said that “walking is man’s best medicine.”
If you had read our story on “How I Found 5 Stringiest to Manage Stress” you would have known that to fix any physical problem —
“you just need to change the way you look at yourself”.
Walking does not only help us to get in shape but it also helps us build positive self-esteem.
I still remember. I became consistent with Walking just because I saw how fun it was. It wasn’t because it would help me to change my looks. It was because it helped me to see myself as a better person just by deciding to take that morning walk.
- Walking made me feel confident about myself
- It helped me to get in shape
- Morning sun exposure gave me good skin. Trust us, the sun is our friend, not our enemy.
Even a 20-minute walk can make a huge change in your life.
Walking For Creativity
All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.” — Friedrich Nietzsche
Many thinkers, writers, and philosophers any person who are creative-minded. Walking has become the most important part of their lifestyle.
Friedrich Nietzsche was one of the most influential thinkers. His work was highly influenced by walking.
“I would walk for six or eight hours a day, composing thoughts that I would later jot down on paper.”- Friedrich Nietzsche
He would not have come up with some amazing ideas if he had never walked
For many times I spend walking aimlessly with my thoughts which helps me to create content.
Whenever you go out you can:
- Listen to audiobooks or your favorite podcast
- Read a physical book or even have a meaningful conversation with your friend.
- Think about ideas that can help you in future writing project
- You need to be calm so you can allow your mind to solve a problem.
I remember those days of writing for hours. I never came up with anything good. Walking has fixed that.
Forming An Enjoyable Walking Habit
Step 1) Know Why You Are Walking
For every walk you take, ask yourself this question.
“Why am I walking today?”
What do I want at the end when I finish my walk?
- It can be coming up with that content idea that you were looking for
- You can go out to plan how you will spend the rest of the day.
- Or simply it could be just walk to calm your mind
It can be anything, just give yourself a reason.
Step 2) Set A Daily Goal & Break It Up
Every action you take changes your future
The question is: did you set that goal? Or were you quietly programmed by the media, your parents, your teachers, and your friends?
You can start with a simple habit with a simple goal
Start with a 5-minute walk. Then, increase it day by day. If you skipped a day, start again by going a step forward:
If you had skipped your day 7 at 15 minutes, start your next day with 10 minutes.
Now, break down those goals into sub-goals for your walks.
- Are you going to walk slowly?
- How much time would you spend there?
- What route are you going to take on the walk?
- Are you going to walk to a specific location?
- Are you going to walk to your favorite local café for focused work?
The more you know why you’re doing anything will help you to stick with your new habits for months.
Step 3) Getting outside for a walk
Going on a walk is harder than walking.
I remember I stopped walking for years because my city was not walkable, so I didn’t enjoy it.
There were only three reasons why I stopped.
- There was a huge traffic jam when I returned home.
- The route that I used to take was not walkable.
- There was a lot of sunlight.
All of those problems were solved when I started taking evening walks.
- There were people in the park who shared the same mindset about fitness
- Spending time in nature made me feel good
- The park path was walkable
You just need to go somewhere else if any place is stopping you.
