I love walking. It’s free, I don’t have to get changed into workout clothes to get moving, and it helps me spend time outdoors. For the past two years, I’ve been walking for 90 minutes every morning, which has been a great way to start my day slowly and improve my health.
I tend to take the same routes, but I keep it interesting by adding in short walks and trying mindful walking, where I pay attention to my surroundings. I wear a fitness tracker, but rather than aiming for 10,000 steps, I focus on spending time outdoors.
Just over two years ago, I wrote about how I incorporated 90 minutes of walking every day for a month. Exactlyand it was such a big change that I decided to continue with the challenge. But as I went from 4 weeks of walking to 24 months of walking, a lot changed.
Finding time for long walks isn’t always easy, but I’ve learned to be flexible and take advantage of opportunities as they arise throughout the day. Here’s what happened to me as I continued to pursue my passion for outdoor, low-impact exercise.
More time spent outdoors
I love being outside. Whether it’s cold and rainy or warm and sunny, I love getting out of the house, feeling the breeze on my skin, and taking in deep breaths of the (relatively) fresh air. But finding the motivation to get out of the house isn’t always easy.
Knowing that walks were part of my daily routine helped me stick to them, even if it meant setting my alarm early in the morning to get out before a long day. When I first started going for walks regularly, I felt much calmer and less stressed overall than on days when I didn’t get outside.
This has made walking a habit for me. I am lucky to live in a big city where it is relatively easy to walk to the stores and office, so I almost always walk when possible. This has allowed me to explore my local area and get to know the city better.
I became more aware of nature
I’ve been meditating for almost 10 years, usually practicing seated with my eyes closed, and in recent months I’ve been experimenting with different mindfulness exercises aimed at being aware of my surroundings, like focused mindful walks and walking meditations.
I almost always carry workout headphones with me to listen to music or podcasts and block out outside noise, but there’s something so soothing about hearing the birds chirping and the trees rustling in the wind.
This is a big change because I usually carry workout headphones with me to listen to music or podcasts and block out the outside world, but I’m trying to break that habit a little, and hearing the birds chirping and the trees rustling is so soothing.
I spend a lot of time in parks, away from the hustle and bustle of cars, shops, and commuters, where it’s easy to have these experiences, but I’ve also noticed the resilience of nature, with plants growing out of cracks in the sidewalk and mushrooms popping up in damp urban spaces.
It has also helped that many local governments have recently adopted a “no mowing in May” policy, allowing large areas of green space to flourish and take on a more wild appearance – a practice that is not universally accepted, but which is welcome to see butterflies and birds returning to the area.
I stopped counting my walks
As a fitness editor, I test a lot of fitness trackers and sports watches, which are a great way to motivate you to exercise and track your progress, but I’ve had a complicated history with the 10,000 step goal that comes default on most of these wearables.
For a while, I got into the habit of walking around the house before bed to ensure I hit my goals. Now, I achieve most of my goals with a 90-minute walk in the morning, but I’ve also found that ignoring my goals actually works best for me.
The tracker I chose was Withings Scan Watch 2is a hybrid smartwatch with an analogue face and small black and white LEDs that show key metrics, but you can still see the time without activating the digital display, making it easier for the numbers to blend into the background.
The data still syncs to the companion app so you can see long-term trends, but I like to enjoy the moment while I walk. It’s a big change, but it’s great for my health. Plus, at the end of the day, I don’t really need to walk 10,000 steps a day.
