I had found myself getting in a rut…not a huge amount of exercise going on.
It’s so easy to focus on what we can’t do, that at times we get sluggish and don’t do the bits we can. My brother reminded me recently that I can’t just sit around, that going for a brisk walk is better than nothing. And he’s right.
There had been a lot of rainy days, lack of sleep, blah, blah, blah…excuses for just sitting in bed, watching tv, becoming a blob. Certainly I have a lot of things working against me, but I remember thinking the same thing a year ago before I creamed my elbow (there are a lot of things working against me, I can’t do what I’d really like to, etc), and letting that mindset get me off the hook for not doing what exercise I could.
And now I’d do just about anything to have that level of health! And at that time I would’ve done anything to get back what I had before my joints went south.
While it’s perfectly okay to look back, and fine in my book to have some regrets, until they invent the time machine we might as well find some measure of acceptance with what has happened and work with what we have.
So I took a detour from where I was headed, pulled the car over and started walking. And walking. And over two hours later found that I was still walking, felt great, had seen some beautiful scenery, lots of kids playing, dozens of people jogging, and a whole environment of activity. People moving. A lot faster than me. But I was moving too. The blood was slightly flowing and I was breathing fresh air. Breathing in inspiration from their efforts.
Exploring scenic areas can be refreshing & even inspiring.
Taking in the sights, sounds, & smells can multiply the health benefits of going for a walk.
I tend to look at the guy jogging and think, I can’t even DO that. I wish I could. But in reality it could be a huge sacrifice for him to be out there doing what he’s doing. Maybe he’d like to be running 10 miles, and a tricky hip limits him to two. But he’s doing what he can. And putting myself around people doing what they can might be the next dose of medicine that I need.
Health Benefits of Walking
According to the Mayo Clinic’s website, walking can have the following health benefits:
- Lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol)
- Raise high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol)
- Lower your blood pressure
- Reduce your risk of or manage type 2 diabetes
- Manage your weight
- Improve your mood
- Stay strong and fit
It probably does all that. I’m not really sure. As for me, I can personally vouch for tangible benefits of number 6 on that list.