Walking—Awaken Your Inner Dinosaur
Walking is part of everyday life. It feels so natural that we don’t even realize we are performing an exercise. You can walk at any age, in any climate and in any neighborhood (save for dark alleys).
And there is more good news: it’s free, and you don’t need any fancy equipment. You have your own two feet, a balancing thingy in your inner ear and that’s it, you are good to go. You can walk anywhere: at home, on the street, indoors, outdoors, on the beach, on the train, and between two restrooms.
This must be the most amazing and universal exercise in the history of life. No wonder, it has been around for so long: longer than humans. Dinosaurs could walk, giraffes and penguins can walk; and so can you, if you put your mind to it.
Why?
I will give you a list of the benefits of walking, but ultimately you are the one who needs to answer this question. So, let’s get into it but bear in mind that most of these benefits are not unique to walking but also hold true for other regularly performed physical activities.
You will feel better
Walking, especially walking in nature, is proven to be effective against stress, anxiety, and depression. A long list of research came to this conclusion. But if you are still skeptical, ask yourself this: have you ever seen a depressed dinosaur?
You will live longer
With just 30 minutes a day (that’s around 2% of your time) you will reduce your risk of a stroke. Your advantage will be as much as 44% if you also increase your speed a little while walking.
You will move better
If you walk, you will make a positive impact on your leg and hip joints as well. Low-impact exercises —like walking— can prevent the development of arthritis or even treat it.
You will be less likely to catch a cold
The number one reason dinosaurs didn’t get sick very often is the fact that they were walking a lot. If more humans followed their example, their immune system would also be stronger.
You will be cool
If you walk regularly, you can be just as cool as a dinosaur, the indisputable king of walking. Or you can become even cooler, if you decide to go to the gym and do squats, deadlifts, and bench presses. (That would be a clear win for you, because, I admit, dinosaurs were pretty bad at bench presses.)
So, based on the above, decide why you’d want to start walking more. Did you find your reason? Good, then let’s move on to how you can get started.
How?
Now you know that walking is cool, we just need to find some time for you to do it. We also want to make sure that you have fun along the way because sustainability and habit formation are key to your long-term success.
Walk the short distance
If you are making errands, and your goal is in walking distance, don’t take your car. There is a reason it’s called walking distance.
Take the stairs
Instead of the elevator (or escalator) take the stairs. Remember: no dinosaur would use an elevator.
Walk around
If you are making a phone call or listening to your podcast, walk around at home or go outside for a walk.
Get a dog
It’s a long-term commitment, but your puppy will make sure that you do the walking every day. Or else.
Combine
Think of things you like doing and combine these with walking. Take pictures, explore, plan your next trip, feed the ducks in the park, go for a walk with a friend to catch up.
How much?
10 thousand steps a day is what most places suggest, but this figure is never backed up with anything. You don’t need that much to enjoy the benefits of walking. A good rule of thumb is your current activity level plus 2000 steps.
And that’s it. Very simple yet very effective. Just remember to watch out for asteroids during your walks because that’s where dinosaurs got things deadly wrong and became uncool.
