Tuesday, October 3, 2017
I have the world’s best dog (and cat), the world’s best friends who love to walk and I live in a county where there are endless places to walk. I am rich. We are all rich. We can walk out our front doors and be in a neighbourhood, or on a cottage road or along the highway. We can come to town and walk the boardwalk along the lake or head out on the Rail Trail. There are great walking trails at Dahl Forest, Snowdon Park, at the Haliburton Sculpture Forest or at the Gull River Whitewater Preserve. Andrea Mueller leads a walking group every Wednesday morning for the Municipality. The list can go on and on. There are so many places to walk. And these places are likely surrounded by trees, perhaps close to water and the air is fresh. There are lots of places where you can find solitude and others where there will be more people. There is beauty everywhere. The trees are slowly changing colours. The weather is great again this week. There are birds and horses and ferns to be seen. There are just so many possibilities.
Personally, I always feel more energized and alive after a walk. My whole system seems to work better and feel better when I move every day. I’ve known this for years.
I have a book that I am making my way through called “Born to Walk” by a Canadian named Dan Rubinstein. The author writes 8 chapters where he looks at one benefit of walking in every chapter: benefits for the body, mind, society, economy, politics, creativity, spirit and family. Like many people the author goes through a personal crisis (his was at work) and then gets injured and begins to walk more to help heal from his injury. Walking becomes his work. Dan's bottom line is that there are so many positive outcomes that are connected to 30 minutes of walking every day. And the outcomes are even better if the walk occurs in natural spaces. How lucky are we to live where we live? There is inspiration for everyone in this book.
I personally really appreciated the chapter on walking for a healthy mind. I think in today’s society there are so many people and families who are affected by anxiety, depression and loneliness and I know from my own experience that a walk can really change my outlook and attitude on even the lowest or hardest of days. Sometimes it is just so hard to get up off the couch and get moving and I think in that situation you have to really see the resistance, love it, name it, feel it and still get up and get outside. Put one foot in front of the other. Start with 10 minutes. Call a friend or join a group if you are someone who is looking for company or inspiration. Humans are meant to walk. We all feel better when we do. I hope everyone has a grateful Thanksgiving weekend that you get outside and find the right walk for you.