Embrace This Joyous Activity for Your Long-Term Health

Walking is foundational for full health and abundant longevity. Moving and staying active is a choice, one that I make for my self-care every day. Walking is a primal, integrated, and joyous form of movement. If our ability to walk becomes impaired, a long list of health problems may follow as other bodily systems don’t get the benefit of this basic and most natural movement.

A few months ago I went for a long walk with our dog Lola in Hyde Park, London. It was my first outdoor walk of autumn, after a long summer in a somewhat rural environment where I relied on a car to get around. I took this walk at a fairly brisk pace, 120 steps per minute, for about an hour and fifteen minutes. While I felt fine, and the walking was a wonderful tonic, I also felt a bit more tired toward the end than I remember feeling on previous outdoor walks.

I did not say to myself, “I’m getting older and have less endurance.” I knew from recent gym workouts and HRV (heart rate variability) readings that my stamina was very good. In fact, I had done a hard gym workout two days before, which could have been a factor. I was also probably not conditioned for this type of walking, because I hadn’t done it for a while. Once winter arrives, I am outdoors in cities more and on this kind of walk more often. I also resolved to do a walking HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) session within the next few days. (Click to learn more about the benefits of HIIT.)

When We Can’t Walk

A chapter in my book, A Life Yet to Live: Finding Health, Vitality and Joy after 60, tells the story of my very close call with not being able to walk normally, with strength and balance. As I explain in this chapter, I was desperate to find a solution to problems I was having with my right leg and hip. I consulted many doctors and practitioners and eventually came up with solutions that still serve me today. I knew that if I lost my ability to walk at Zone 2 speed my journey of later-life health would be severely compromised.

If you find your walking compromised by any problem, pay attention to it and get it healed. Otherwise, the problem will only grow and get worse. As Dr. Kelly Starrett says in his wonderful book, Becoming a Supple Leopard: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance, “If it doesn’t move, move it.”

Walking is the Foundation of Longevity: Our Unique Heritage

Walking moves every aspect of the body inside and out. Everything from head to toe gets flooded with circulation when we walk briskly. It’s not just our muscles. Our brains, heart, and organs benefit as well. Without this basic movement, which is unique to us humans, our history as a species would not have been possible.

Of all the myriad movements that are vital to our existence, walking literally stands on its own. It is our unique evolutionary heritage, marking the beginning of what made us human. Think about it. Movement is essential to life. When you lose the ability to walk, you lose the ability to live as fully as possible. Walking works on everything from bad moods to heart health. And the joy and wonder of walking is infinite!

Other Forms of Exercise Don’t Compare to Walking

Over the winter I was on a ski trip with my daughters. Skiing is a wonderful way to stay fit and exercise muscles we don’t use every day, especially core, leg, and hip muscles and joints. But skiing as your exclusive exercise over a period of time can lead to imbalance and overdevelopment and reliance on the “ski” muscles with a lack of overall muscular coordination and integration.  It also doesn’t operate in the same sustained Zone 2 levels that movement like walking does.

After our trip, I felt stiff and awkward from overusing these specific muscles and not using others. Getting enough exercise wasn’t the problem. My body was missing daily walking, which you don’t do very much of in a snowy mountain town.

The Wonder of a Walk

When I arrived home from that ski trip, one of the first things I did was take a long walk. I started early, just before sunrise. I walked for about an hour without concern for specific fitness goals. It was that wonderful all-over feeling that I was after. I moved at an energetically relaxed, but not a strenuous pace, which is considered Zone 2 cardio training.

By the end of that walk, all my stiffness was gone. My head was clear and full of new ideas for my work. The feeling of blood flowing through my body that I had missed was restored. The rising sun filled the park with light and shadows. I felt rebalanced. Upon returning home, I did a few yoga poses to stretch and reengage even more muscles.

Walking, My Foundation for Longevity

I encourage you to walk often – daily if possible (unless your doctor says otherwise). Here are my personal thoughts and recommendations to get the most out of your walks:

1. Most important of all is to enjoy yourself! Walking is not only for exercise but for the joy of moving. Allow yourself to feel the freedom and energy that walking promotes.

2. Be aware of all your body parts. I swing my arms, twist my torso, and propel with my legs and hips to get more propulsion and stay aware of all the parts moving together.

3. Stand as tall as you can. Walking upright reinforces back, hip, and neck alignment.

4. I consciously think of my feet connected to the ground, grounded to the earth that I am walking on. Shoes that support the proper pronation for your feet and body type are important. 

5. I am aware of the intensity of my walking and my heart rate. You can do this with a heart-rate monitor and can learn to gauge steps per minute and heart rate.

6. I walk with my hips and gluteal muscles as well as my legs.

Walking is primal, joyous movement. It is the foundation of fully functional health and longevity for every human being. Walking boosts overall circulation, stimulates the immune system, exercises our hearts, and relaxes our minds. It brings us inspiration. Enjoy it for what it is – a celebration of being alive!