10 Reasons to Take a Walk and Save Your Life
Written by Marci Renée
Photo by Bianca Castillo on Unsplash
“What you’re doing right now, at this very moment, is killing you.” said Nilofer Merchant in a 2013 Ted Talk.
Nilofer’s statement may be somewhat exaggerated. It has been said many times that “sitting is the new smoking.” Although “research does suggest excessive sitting (roughly more than eight hours a day) increases the risk of premature death and some chronic diseases by 10-20%, this pales in comparison to the risks associated with smoking,” according to the American Journal of Public Health.
I don’t smoke, but I sit . . . a lot.
I have been sitting all day. What about you? I’m sitting as I’m writing this. You are probably sitting while reading this.
I’ve been working at my computer—emails, conference calls, reports. The list goes on and on. It’s a long list of tasks on my to-do list that require me to sit on a chair, at my desk, at my computer, or in my car.
Sure, I moved around a little bit today. My watch counts my steps for me. It reads a whopping 317 steps today, and it’s already 3:30 p.m. I’ve already been awake for 9 hours. How is that possible?
My blood circulates a little each morning when I first wake up. On an average school day, I get my kids out of bed, pack school lunches, and push them out the door to make it to school on time. I walk around the house some while I pick up the kitchen and living room, hang laundry, make our beds, and brush my teeth.
However, after grabbing a quick bite for breakfast, I usually settle comfortably in my desk chair. It seems to be where I spend most of my waking hours.
In the afternoons, I walk out the door to pick up my kids from school. There are carpools to activities in the evening and some puttering around the kitchen while I make dinner. However, my step count is usually low, dangerously low—just like yesterday and the day before.
The Good ‘Ole Days
Sitting may also be hurting our kids.
In the olden days, our little ones used to run around the yard and play freely or help work at the family business. They now sit eight hours a day in school, then walk through the doors of our homes in the afternoon to sit some more. They are either doing hours of homework at the kitchen table or glued to cell phones, game consoles, and computer screens.
We sit next to them. We sit together.
People didn’t use to sit all the time, for hours a day, for most of their waking hours, for most of their lives.
“Scientists indicate that preindustrial humans expended some 1000 kilocalories of activity per day, while modern humans average only 300 kilocalories.” (Hart, 2020)
The average person is spending 9.3 hours sitting each day. That’s more than our average sleeping span of 7.7 hours! (Merchant, 2013)
That’s terrifying!
Why is it so difficult for me to get up off my lazy bum and take myself (and my dog) out for a short stroll? Why is it so difficult for us?
As we become used to health safety restrictions and working or studying from home, taking the time we need to get off of our chairs and take a walk can seem even more difficult. Let’s discover why overcoming the inertia is worth it to take us out of our ruts.
Following in the Footsteps of Others
Throughout history, other well-known, successful, working people around the world took time out of their overloaded and busy schedules. They took time to get up on their feet and move.
“From Steve Jobs to Sigmund Freud, walking was a way they carried on meetings and processed their best thinking and advice. Even in the 1800’s, Charles Dickens walked almost twenty miles every day to de-stress and free his mind to come back fresh for composition.” (Lyons, 2019)
Without a car, it’s amazing how far our feet can—and must—carry us!
This is actually one of the wonderful things about living in North Africa. We often have more reasons and opportunities to walk, just in doing daily chores—visits to local souks, runs for fresh bread, extra steps to take public transportation, climbs in apartment buildings without elevators, etc. And, with the beautiful temperatures here, we certainly don’t have bad weather as an excuse to not get out and walk!
Major international companies such as Google also see the great benefit of walking. They have designed indoor walking tracks on which employees can conduct “walking meetings.” They simply have to reserve their meeting time on the track. (Lyons, 2019) Some companies now have treadmill desks and stationary bike desks to counteract the lack of mobility among their employees and to increase work productivity.
Although most of us don’t work for Google, we can all make an intentional step out the door for a short stroll.
The Benefits of Taking a Walk
Physically protects us from obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, cancer, and other physical ailments.
Stimulates our brain activity.
Increases our focus and concentration.
Brings healing to our souls at times of sorrow and grief.
Stirs thankfulness in our hearts as we re-establish contact with nature and creation.
Allows us to let go of control. (Lyons, 2019)
Taps into our creativity. “Getting ‘out of the box’ actually leads to ‘out of the box thinking.’”
Aids problem solving, helps new connections and solutions emerge.
Brings clarity as it clears the brain fog. “Fresh air drives fresh thinking.” (Merchant, 2013)
Releases endorphins, lifts our mood, and reduces stress and anxiety. It can even help to stop panic attacks, according to Harvard Medical School. “Engaging in exercise diverts you from the very thing you are anxious about. Exercise activates frontal regions of the brain, which helps control the amygdala, our reacting system to real or imagined threats to our survival.” (Ratey, 2019)
“Walking is critical for restoration of our mental health, creativity, and productivity. When seasons of grief hit, when I’ve hit a wall without creativity, when I’ve run out of words, the best thing I can do is get out and walk.”
Why wouldn’t I regularly take a much-needed break from my work and get up on my feet to move?
Is walking a part of your daily routine? If not, what can you do to integrate more walking into your daily rhythms?
A 7-Day Experiment
Maybe we can all do a little 7-day experiment together.
Let’s all schedule (on our to-do list) some 10-minute walks throughout our day, maybe every few hours.
If you live near the beach, go stroll on the boardwalk or walk barefoot in the sand. If you live in a place where it’s hard to get out and walk, then move quickly around your house or put on a 10-minute “Walk at Home” video in your living room.
If we are completely honest with ourselves and with each other, we can all carve out a few 10-minute slots in our busy day to move our feet. Unless we have a medical condition that hinders us from walking (even slowly), then we are without excuses. So, we need to stop making them!
Each day, let’s actually write down on a paper the date, the times we walked, and where we went. Take note of the thoughts that come to us while we walk. We can also write down how we feel after walking (immediately and throughout the remainder of the day). Did we see changes in our mood, our gratefulness, our creativity, our focus, our productivity?
Who knows! In addition to gaining some benefits with walking, maybe we will lose some things along the way. Perhaps we will lose half a kilo just by walking for 10 minute periods throughout our day! This is all a part of re-establishing our health.
If we notice positive changes in our personal lives during this 7-day experiment, why stop walking? Why not make walking our new habit, our new rhythm?
And if we need to schedule a meeting with someone this week, let’s ask him or her to take a walk with us. It might be the most fun and productive meeting we have both ever experienced! Who says we have to work for Google to have “walking meetings”?!
We can all walk and talk!
Works Cited
Hart, A. (2020). Unfit for Purpose: When Human Evolution Collides with the Modern World. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Lyons, R. (2019). Rhythms of Renewal: Trading Stress and Anxiety for a Life of Peace and Purpose. Zondervan.
Merchant, N. (2013). Got a meeting? Take a walk. TED Talk.
Ratey, John J. “Can Exercise Help Treat Anxiety?” Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School, 22 Oct. 2019, www.health.harvard.edu/blog/can-exercise-help-treat-anxiety-2019102418096
Science Daily. (2018) “Sitting is NOT the New Smoking, Contrary to Popular Myth.”
Guest author, Marci Renée, along with her French husband and four boys, is a global nomad who has traveled to more than 30 countries and has lived in the United States, France, Morocco, and Spain. She loves to travel, speak foreign languages, experience different cultures, eat ethnic foods, meet people from faraway lands, and of course, write and tell stories. She is a published author of children's picture books, memoirs, short stories, and poetry.
You can find Marci and her books on her website.
"The Cultural Story-Weaver," at www.culturalstoryweaver.com