One of the things I miss the most about living in the UK is the walking. The whole country is really criss-crossed with paths and trails, covering everything from short easy rambles to hill-walking and ‘munro-bagging’. One of my favourite R&R activities is, without doubt, a long walk in the countryside. As a child and teenager I walked a lot with my family, so in some ways walking for me is a very social activity–a way of connecting with the world around me, and with my family or friends. However, I’ve also done a lot of walking on my own. If I need space or an opportunity to think something through, I always go for a walk. Walking can provide a perfect space for fruitful introspection; there’s something about getting your body moving that can also encourage the free-flow of thoughts, ideas and solutions. Or, if I’m feeling particularly frazzled and overly introspective, I find that walking can draw me out of myself. Making an effort to notice the details outside (the different bird song, the sound of the wind moving through leaves, the swish of waves against shingles), and really focusing on them allows me to return to the problem at hand with renewed energy and perspective.
I’m a strong believer in the physical health benefits of walking: as a fat burner it really is unparalleled. Even though walks in the countryside will always be the most rejuvinating for me, I actually started a real walking regime when I was living in the bustling centre of Glasgow. At the time, I lived about a 45 minute walk away from my work (if I walked at a medium-fast pace). The transport options were either the bus or the subway, neither of which appealed, but then I realized I could incorporate my exercise into my commute if I just walked to and from the office instead. So I did. Rain or shine. I walked through everything from warmth and sunshine, to blustery gales, torrential rain, and even a bit of snow (pretty unusual in Glasgow!). I had a waterproof backpack with my office clothes and shoes, full waterproofs (when required), and a sturdy pair of walking shoes. I walked fast enough to work up a good sweat, so I kept some baby wipes in my office drawer and would freshen up and change when I got in. After a year of doing this everyday you couldn’t have paid me to travel to work any other way! My iPod and the cool morning air woke me up on the walk into work, and the same journey home allowed me to stretch and revive after a day in front of the computer. Without changing my diet, I lost over ten pounds in weight and for the first time since I was about sixteen my weight fell below 140 pounds. I slept like a baby every night, and the hip and big toe joint niggles that I’d been experiencing on and off since I was in my early twenties dissapated completely. Count me as a convert.
D went to play football this morning, so I decided to go for a walk and revisit the lake shore path that we last tackled on a freezing February day. THREE HOURS LATER I returned home! Parched and exhausted, but feeling on top of the world! There was a Terry Fox Run (to raise money for cancer) happening on a stretch of the path I was following, and it was great to watch everyone jog past. As I watched them I thought about what they were running for. I also thought about Terry, and his utter indefatigability and determination. It was humbling and inspiring all at the same time.
Towards the halfway point I came across an apple tree, hunched right over a small patch of beach, right at the edge of the lake. For once it didn’t look just to be a crab apple tree; it’s branches were heavy with gold and red streaked fruit with a thick blanket of apples in various stages of decay all around its base. I went rootling around and came up with the most intact one I could find, and carried it all the way home. When I cut it open I found it was a bit too far gone inside to eat, but I managed to cut a few slices that were unblemished. And, what do you know? It was one of the best tasting apples I’ve ever had.
And I think, at the end of the day, that’s really what walking is all about for me: it’s about exploration and discovery, inspiration and reflection. There are few other activities that are so simple and yet so powerful. All you really need is a good pair of shoes and the motivation to get outside, regardless of weather. And whether your terrain is urban or rural, there will always be new routes to sniff out and new places to explore. Walk on and rock on!
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