The Power of Walking

[Giovanni SouthSide]

Been going through some mental hurdles.
2 weeks ago I started walking 5.5 miles everyday at the local park.
Straight up walking fast pace with arms naturally swinging at each side.
Takes me 1 hour and 10 minutes every morning on an empty stomach.

Your mind is like an operating system and you have to clear the cache.
One powerful way to clear your mental cache is through walking. I gather my thoughts and just walk. I’m also noticing that I think and speak more fluid during the day after the morning walk. My mental health is thriving.

I have also incorporated a back/hip/hamstring and pelvic floor yoga stretch routine daily (frog pose,yogi squat, happy baby, cobra, walking dog pose etc). Better erections by a long shot.

walking is primal and therapeutic.

 

[BillyPilgrim]

Walking is awesome until you mess up your foot or your leg. Always make sure you have a car for when this happens or else your life is going to suck.

But yes, walking has many benefits as OP described.

 

[Scaramouche]

Hi Billy,
"Walking is awesome until you mess up your foot or your leg"...Yup it's Billy not Silly LOL...You are soo right,I had bilateral prosthetic hips done 14 years ago and they are going arthritic again,I have a pendant Pedometer to ensure I dont do more than five miles a Day....A bike's the go,it not only gently exercises but provides nutrients by stimulating the sinovial glands that feed and lubricate the joints....A stationary one is fine too,you can watch DVD's to relieve the tedium.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

No idea how you are walking that fast unless you are almost running...fastest I have ever walked was like 4 mph and that was power walking where I was almost run walking. But damn man, that's really moving.

My typical pace is around 3.5-3.6 mph which is a brisk walk.

Walking is great for a lot of things including burning fat.

As part of my workout routine I use a walking pad while working and do 3 1-hour sessions throughout the day at 2.2-2.6 mph and a 4% incline which gives me about 16-17K steps and then 45 minutes on an elliptical at between 4.0-4.5 mph which adds another 6.5K in there so my daily totals Are usually in the 23-25K range for steps.

Keep it up, you will see tremendous benefits with consistently doing it.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Walking is amazing LISS cardio. It improves nutrient partitioning in a bulk, and helps steepen a deficit when cutting (without sacrificing recovery... if anything, marginally improving it).

Yup, walking has been a huge component of my success at dropping weight and body fat over the last year. The speed at which it picked up pace once I started walking more was astounding.

 

[Giovanni SouthSide]

No idea how you are walking that fast unless you are almost running...fastest I have ever walked was like 4 mph and that was power walking where I was almost run walking. But damn man, that's really moving.

My typical pace is around 3.5-3.6 mph which is a brisk walk.

Walking is great for a lot of things including burning fat.

As part of my workout routine I use a walking pad while working and do 3 1-hour sessions throughout the day at 2.2-2.6 mph and a 4% incline which gives me about 16-17K steps and then 45 minutes on an elliptical at between 4.0-4.5 mph which adds another 6.5K in there so my daily totals Are usually in the 23-25K range for steps.

Keep it up, you will see tremendous benefits with consistently doing it.

Interesting. Yes I’m trying to bank on the mental benefits.
you said something key that I should highlight. Power walking. That is what I do. Just walking fast. The apocalypse could hit the city but I don’t stop I keep going. Maybe that is why I complete the 5.5 miles in that time frame.
Today I decided to jog after walking about 2 miles. I don’t know I just had the burning desire to run.
I continued jogging for the rest of the 3.5 miles. That runner’s high hit different.
How should I incorporate running ? 2-3 times a week?
I plan on still walking everyday.

 

[Giovanni SouthSide]

Walking is awesome until you mess up your foot or your leg. Always make sure you have a car for when this happens or else your life is going to suck.

But yes, walking has many benefits as OP described.

Years back when I was training I sprained my left ankle twice in different occasions because I tried to run after dark here in Mexico. I hopped on foot back to pad. 3rd world streets and I should have known better. I was in crutches for days. That was a b!tch.

 

[Giovanni SouthSide]

I'm doing only half that distance but my erection has become so strong that my lovers complain of bruised cervix. Anything I can do about that?

I rather have women complain about teared up cervixes than to complain about a small d!ck not causing some damage. Always leave a mark on em. I will never quit air pumping.

 

[EyeBRollin]

I won't underplay the importance of walking as a fitness, especially since you don't need 'equipment', so for exercise I walk, I swim and I ride bicycles everywhere. However, since my city is not conducive to 'exercise walking', I have a motor-less treadmill at home (being monocular can make me trip over loose pavement stones, et cetera), but I do most of my exercise riding bicycles everyday, both for pleasure cruising around the city and for groceries/shopping. On important thing is that cycling is easier for me than walking and less risky with regards to injuries to my ankles and knees which were damaged in the past.

I was curious about which is 'better'; walking or cycling and found this video explaining the difference in benefits.

Cycling and walking are both excellent. I’d say cycling is “better” as exercise and a mode of transportation. It is also more mechanically efficient.

Walking is safer and more accessible. Anyone with a working lower body can do it.

I do both. I cycle outside on a road bike 1-2 times a week for an hour or so. I also walk 7-8K steps per day in barefoot shoes, usually in 3 daily walks. I use them to break up the monotony behind a desk.

 

[bella_gray14]

My trainer has always told me that no exercise is as best as walking for losing the weight and if you want to get up for another level, you can do cycling. But the one thing which he recommended was to be consistent in the same.

 

[Travel memoir21]

Make sure to do some Tai Chi, Yoga, core stretching exercises when you get back home for added benefit.

Especially those core stretches in the floor, look up a couple of those Youtube videos.

 

[misua]

My trainer has always told me that no exercise is as good as walking for losing weight, and if you want to get to another level, you can do cycling. But the one thing which he recommended was to be consistent in the same way.

Walking is underrated for weight loss, and it's so simple to stick with. Cycling is a great next step if you want to up the intensity, but you can't go wrong with regular walks!

 

[Travel memoir21]

Walking is underrated for weight loss, and it's so simple to stick with. Cycling is a great next step if you want to up the intensity, but you can't go wrong with regular walks!

lol…are you asian by any chance? Your screen name sounds asian

 

[eli77]

So true I can say the same about biking

 

[JacquesMemoirs]

I’ve been taking long walks to burn off extra pounds and gain mental clarity. Also I go walking without a phone. Instead of the phone I carry a pen and paper.

Prior to walking exercises I was doing jogging and sprints but I think that began messing with my kneecaps so I went back to just walking.

 

[jhonny9546]

I had to give up because getting up earlier in the morning meant sacrificing my sleep (which is even more important than walking).

I have to make up for it by adding some walks during lunch time, after the office

 

[JacquesMemoirs]

Lately when I wake up I am usually ready for the day even if it’s 3am. I’m excited to get started. I will go on a walk at 5am and enjoy the hell out of the town when nobody else is around.

I walked like 3 hours today exploring and was home by 9am lol birds chirping. Yeah sleep is important but if I wake up early that’s enough. I don’t take caffeine so grogginess isn’t a factor.

 

[FlexpertHamilton]

I've grown so tired of lifting weights, it's a chore and it doesn't make me feel good. Other than HIIT, I think walking/hiking is by far the best form of exercise for mood/cognition.

 

[JacquesMemoirs]

How about the rucksack?

I made a makeshift rucksack with 40 pounds of weights put into a durable camping backpack with straps and back support. It’s a straight up walking workout.

My schedule is really busy that’s why I was just doing sprints. With just a few minutes of quick sprints it gets the cardio pumping and mouth watering. Drinking that water that forms in the mouth is a serious key to keeping healthy.

Sometimes I also do jump roping and have a few different techniques for that. It’s a great workout that gets the mouth watery and cardiovascular pumping.

 

[BeExcellent]

Advice from the old lady:

I walk between 3-5 miles each day, sometimes more. I use that as "think" time like Giovanni or I get on the phone and catch up with people if I'm not walking with my husband. It is great exercise. I walk briskly but not as fast as Giovanni. I can

I used to Latin dance 3-4 nights a week too. Not doing that now as husband is not a dancer (shame really but don't feel its appropriate for a married woman although my husband constantly says go without him)....

I also agree with stretching. I work largely remote so I'll get on the floor & stretch while on conference calls (not video calls, lol).