Active Adventures – The Great Benefits of Daily Walks

On most days, I wake up, fill my water bottle, grab my earbuds, grab my walking belt, get my audible book ready, start my watch, and head out on my walk. Most evenings, I repeat the cycle.

COLORADO VS FLORIDA STROLLS

We have tried numerous times to go for walks while we lived in Colorado and unfortunately, it never stuck because it just didn’t work for me. The neighborhood we lived in was literally called Seven-Hills and that was all it was. Having a hip injury and temperamental tendons, a day or two was all I could do before my hips said “no more” lady. I couldn’t do it long enough for it to stick.

Here, it’s another story. Everything is flat here, which I was so happy about. I started walking one mile a day and then added the evening walk the following day. A week or two after that, I bumped up my morning walk to 2 miles and kept my evening to 1 mile. The following week, I just decided that two and two worked for me.

I’ve been doing this for almost three months now and I really feel it when I get off track. I have carved out my route nicely and it takes me about 45 minutes to complete. While I am out on my walk, my husband goes for his bike ride and usually does about 10 miles on average. In the evenings though, my husband will join me on the walk as well. I know it may seem boring to some, but believe it or not, walking around our neighborhood has proven to be an adventure on its own.

BENEFITS OF WALKING

It is well known by most of the modern world that being active is important to your health and if you can’t be a gym rat right off the bat, walking is a great way to start and or just maintain a healthy weight and life. Here is a list of benefits to convince you to sinch up those laces.

Additionally, the more you walk and the faster you walk, the greater the benefits. If you want to boost up your walking, you can alternate casual walking with brisk walking or even alternate with a light jog to increase your cardiovascular output. Keep in mind though, that jogging can increase your chances of injury and can put a strain on your knees, legs, hips, and kidneys. Walking reduces those risks.

BENEFITS OF WALKING AFTER A MEAL

One of the very few downsides to living in Florida is that when the rain comes, it usually happens in the afternoon or evening, right around dinner time, BUT, when the forecast is clear and sometimes even if it’s just a mist or light rain, I enjoy taking a second walk right after dinner.

One of the biggest benefits of walking after a meal is that it stimulates the metabolism and helps to burn calories. It also reduces sugar cravings after a meal, especially if it was carb-heavy, as carbs increase sugar cravings. If you eat too much at dinner, a nice walk after can speed up the process of digestion and help lessen that uncomfortable full feeling caused by gas and bloating. A post-meal walk can also prevent the sudden spike in sugar levels that come after a meal when the body starts to break down the food. This is great for individuals who suffer from diabetes or are in the pre-diabetic stages and hope to reverse the outcome or keep things under control.

Keep in mind though, that there are a few downsides that include indigestion and stomach pain that are usually caused by the length, intensity, and timing of your post-meal walk. My post-meal walk is usually the same 2.14 miles, but I usually wait until we finish cleaning the kitchen post culinary destruction, so that gives me about ten to fifteen minutes before we are ready to go, and then it is a slower pace. If you eat a proper meal that is within a healthy caloric range, the chances of abdominal pain are reduced. It’s when you overeat or stuff yourself to the point of feeling uncomfortable that you should use caution. Keep the intensity low and walk a comfortable length. Even half a mile after dinner can be beneficial.

HOW OFTEN DO I GO?

The CDC recommends that you walk for 30 minutes a day for at least five days a week. If you can’t manage 30 minutes each day, you can break this segment into shorter walks spread throughout the day. If you walk just 10 minutes after each mean, three times, that’s 30 minutes. Keep in mind, that this is only the minimum recommendation, you can always increase your time. I walk for about 45 minutes in the morning and again in the evening. A total of an hour and a half. This works for me now, but there will be a time when I may only be able to do one walk and less time. The big takeaway is to walk, as much as you can. Accept your limits and just do what you can. Be active.

Additionally, it is recommended to take a minimum of 10,000 steps each day. I am pretty sedentary and work at my desk most of my day, so my two 2.14-mile walks ensure I get those 10,000 steps or 5-miles, as each mile is approximately 2,000 steps and then I have all the in-between steps of the day. So, if you can’t walk 5-miles each day as an outing, you can find all sorts of ways to get those steps in. You can climb stairs, take breaks from your desk and walk the room, and try to add where you can.

Let’s not forget our furry friends and their needs as well. If you are fortunate enough to have a furry friend to talk along with you, consider their needs as well and let them be your guide and motivator to get moving.

WHAT I EXPERIENCE ON MY WALKS

Now here is the fun part. When I walked my neighborhood in Colorado, I saw houses, squirrels, a few cars here and there, and lots of dogs barking. Just your typical neighborhood walk. Here in Florida, at least in my area, we have a lot of streets that have empty lots full of trees and wildlife. There are very few houses on my walk that I encounter, but lots and lots of nature. Unlike the hills in Colorado (not the Rockies), here, it’s pretty darn flat, and I love that, but what I love the most is the ‘nature’. Granted I go to a nature preserve for my nature walk every couple of weeks, but I still get to see so much here within just a few blocks from my house. HOW. AWESOME. IS. THAT?

Almost daily I see morning doves and cardinals hunting for food, bunnies hopping through the grass for their morning munch, gopher tortoises watching the world go by as they enjoy their breakfast mindfully, and squirrels running a muck. Things most people think are just normal animal activities, but when you really watch, you notice how their world works.

I’ve noticed how the morning doves are a married couple and they are always close to each other, hunting for grubs together. The cardinals, love to fly like crazy and bounce around from tree to tree. The bunnies love their wet dewy grass and are so cute when they think that no one sees them if they freeze where they are. And then there is the gopher tortoise who has a pattern of coming out near the coverts. Just yesterday I enjoyed watching a mockingbird hunt and do his typical hunting dance of flashing his wings in hope that it would spook some bugs to move so he can grab them. It was just so fascinating to watch nature at work instead of flying by as if it didn’t exist.

Then there are the flowers and the vegetation. Yes, you can find these just about anywhere here, but truly, they are the little things that catch your eyes. Ooh and the cute little caterpillars that crawl across the street and the bounty of mushrooms growing everywhere after a rain.

But wait, there’s more. I’m sure to many, these animals seem so typical and perhaps boring, and sure they are frequent flyers *wink wink*, but there are the, ‘not so typical’ wild lives I get to see as well. In my short time walking here, I have seen wild boar, bobcats, coyotes, and armadillos. Unfortunately, some of the armadillos were dead and that is the price of wildlife living near streets where people like to drive fast, so please, SLOW DOWN.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR WALKS MORE MEANINGFUL

Do you think walks are boring? Sure they can be if you let them. I like to listen to audible books, podcasts, and youtube videos. It’s like killing two birds with one stone. I get to be physical, clear my mind and learn a few things along the way. I listen to everything from Chef Podcasts to philosophists. Additionally, I also enjoy listening to classic books like Sherlock Holmes or the Art of War. Or, you can just enjoy the silence. Sometimes, I will just listen to the sound of the wind blowing through the palms or the rain coming down. The choice is yours.

Another way to make your walk more meaningful is to pick a day and do a clean-up of your walking route. My husband and I wanted to work once a month in our neighborhood cleaning things up. We’ve only done one day so far, but we ended up collecting 10 lbs of trash. I’m noticing that trash is starting to pile up again so it looks like another round is due. The way we look at it, this is our way of giving back to the peace our walks and bike rides give us, beyond seeing the trash of course.

We use my teaching cart and our 4Oceans netted trash bag along with the grabbers we take with us when we are collecting trash on the water. Next time, we have to remember to bring our water because it took a lot longer than expected and I just bought a small Bluetooth speaker that can make the walk more entertaining. In the end, it not only makes our neighborhood look better, but it’s also better for the wildlife, and it makes us feel like we did the right thing for all of us because after all, we are connected.

AT THE END OF THE TRAIL

I can say, that for me, walking has been a great way for me to maintain my weight loss and has greatly improved my hip area. Just the other day I hiked at Myakka River State Park and climbed the lookout tower. Last year, climbing up one or two flights of stairs would have hurt and I would have had to stop often to let my tendons and muscles calm down. I would be anywhere from a level 5 to 10 in pain. This time? I climbed the entire 6 flights without any real pain beyond a level 2. I was so happy and I contribute this growth to my grand weight loss and walking daily. Major wins!

All you need to do is start with a block and work your way up. Plot a course on google maps or drive your neighborhood to measure distance. Get a watch like Garmin Venue SQ to help keep track of your success and motivate you to keep moving. Just keep on keeping on 😉

Stay Salty and Stay Connected,

Kelley

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