As the weeks move beyond Thanksgiving, those of us here in New England will be steadily entering both the darkest and coldest time of the year.
And with that, many folks will find themselves feeling increasingly less than ideal.
And while this can be for several reasons, the lack sufficient sunlight in any given day being likely the top one, there is a close second that I find tends to have a significant impact.
And it has to do with walking.
More specifically, a profound lack of it, both in its overall volume as well as in its regularity.
And while this drop off of steps that often occurs is understandable given the lack of daylight, cramped Holiday schedules and even a lack of reliable walking paths as the ice comes and snow falls, its impact still remains.
Essentially, when we do not walk enough, we are not well.
The reason for this is that walking is not only a quintessential part of being human, but it is also an essential way in which we help regulate multiple bodily systems.
How so?
Well, when it comes to that human being part, it is good to note that there exists no other species that we are aware of that is able to stand comfortably upright, freeing their head and hands in order to move about, interact and create.
Literally, we are the only ones that seem to be able to do this.
As for the regulation part, well the proof is in the pudding.
What this means is that the existing scientific literature is quite clear that when we both walk regularly and enough, we are able to…
Feel better…
Think better…
Rest better…
Digest better…
Exist thinner…
Hurt less…
Defecate with regularity…
And even live longer.
Essentially, in our lifetime walking and wellbeing seem to go hand and hand.
Now while I could provide multiple links for scholarly articles for all of the above, I have chosen to avoid such a thing for the sake of keeping this article concise. If you are curious though, I can attest that some simple google searches will bring you to those reliable sources.
Now, even with the above all mapped out it is likely that you would still wondering…
WHY IS WALKING SUCH AN IMPACTFUL ACTIVITY?
It probably comes down to the fact that we seem to be both built to do it and do it a lot.
You see, as a species we are generally symmetrical on the outside, however internally we are not.
On our inside our organs are lopsided, with our heart on the left side of our torso and a fairly heavy liver on the right. To make room for heart our right lung is larger than our left, having three lobes whereas our left only has two. When you combine this with the right side of our diaphragm is measurably larger than the left, what results is a consistent pull to our right side via the weight of our offset organs, and the contraction of our diaphragm each and every breath we take.
If you would like an audio-visual demonstration of this, click HERE.
Regardless, what this means is that we are biased internally to center to our right sides, and no amount of resisting that pull is going to overcome it.
Instead, we have to work with it.
This bias to center more easily to our right is why we only compete in a track related event moving in a counterclockwise direction, as well as why the armed forces favor calling out the left leg when guiding a group to march in formation.
To understand a bit more about this I encourage you to click HERE.
Now, to understand how to work with this bias to our right sides we must keep in mind that this asymmetry is in no way a flaw or mistake of evolution.
Instead, it is a gift.
You see, we are lopsided internally in order to allow us to stand upright and move. Literally this offset allows us to produce torque throughout our body, giving us the ability to walk and run in a forwards direction with both ease and endurance.
In order words, our anatomy is designed for movement… not for being still.
And while there is a great deal to be gained from having a daily practice of stillness, it is good to keep mind that we are built to move, and in order to be well we must each and every day.
That said, due to our evolutionary bias, walking seems to be a particular movement that cannot be substituted by any other endeavor.
Again, walking and wellbeing seem to go hand in hand.
IS THERE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF WALKING THAT IS IDEAL?
Yes, there is.
While there seems to be an evolving understanding as to how much walking on any given day is ideal, there are some numbers that tend to be consistently cited and commonly recommended.
Namely, that it is ideal to get in an average of 10,000 steps a day. This number has been thrown about quite a bit, and in general it seems to come from the observation that healthy adults will typically take in between 4,000 and 18,000 steps a day.
So, know that there is a target, but there is also a range that seems to be more than acceptable.
After all, it is an average.
That said, what I have observed to matter more than anything else is the frequency.
Essentially, over the last 15 years of being in practice I have witnessed the folks that tend to walk each and every day both look and feel far better than the folks that do not.
Because of this, I have found taking on the habit of walking on a daily basis to be a necessary component for anyone to both get and keep themselves in a place of being both generally comfortable and capable.
Essentially if you want to be well, you need to walk each and every day.
If that sits as a daunting thing to take on, then I recommend you simply compare this conundrum to that of maintaining ones hygiene.
You see, regardless of how busy life may get, just about all of us will make time for a shower each and every day.
After all, even a short shower is better than no shower at all.
So, when cramped for time, or confronted with the cold and darkness that is winter at this latitude… favor a short walk over no walk at all.
Even a half a mile will have an impact.
IS THERE A PACE OF WALKING THAT IS IDEAL?
In general I would say that it really depends on the situation and what you are trying to achieve.
That said if you goal is simply to check all the boxes of wellbeing that have been mapped out above, and perhaps get yourself some light exercise in the process, then yes there does seem to be an ideal pace.
Essentially it is best understood not by a number, but a description… coined by one of the researchers that studied it.
And that description reads as… “Walk at a pace where you are not running late, but you are running on time”.
Said another way… Unhurried, however you do have a place to be.
It is good to note this varies heavily from the more uptight hustle that “power walking” tends to inhabit. The tragic comedy is that if that very same individual that is taking on power walking for the sake of their fitness would just loosen up a bit, they would actually both burn plenty of calories from the endeavor, alongside reaping far more of the benefits listed out above.
Just like more is not always better, when it comes to walking… faster is not always the best choice.
IS THERE A WAY OF WALKING THAT IS IDEAL?
Yes, there the is… and it comes down to both the surfaces that you walk on, as well as the manner in which you actually walk.
When it comes to the ideal surface, this simply comes back to the ground.
A treadmill just will not cut it, despite the convenience it may provide when the weather becomes difficult.
Why I am so adamant to advise against treadmills comes down to the fact that we evolved to transport ourselves forward on and through our environments, and the physical and psychological benefits of doing this on a daily basis are well documented.
If you are curious about this feel free to take a deeper dive both HERE and HERE.
When it comes down to the manner in which any of us will do best to walk, it can be simplified to meeting at least three basic components…
One…Your gaze and face is aimed generally forward, and/or out on the horizon and the world around you.
Two…Your arms should move as much as your legs, and in an opposite arm and leg manner.
Three…Your feet should move in a rolling heel to toe manner.
That arms moving part tends to really shock some folks when they first hear it, and I am sure you and I have talked about it. If for whatever reason you still are feeling on the fence about the above, just remember that 25 years ago they made a Seinfeld episode about a lady that did not swing her arms when she walked.
What is now common, was considered comedy then.
If you are curious, you can watch portions of that episode by CLICKING HERE.
Truly though, the three components I list above are just the tip of the iceberg, and if you would like to know more about this then I recommend you watch a video where I go deeper into it HERE.
In it I not only go into greater detail about these components, but I also provide ways in which to both monitor and adjust your gait in real time without the risk of being neurotically rigid.
Additionally I cover a simple exercise to practice the components of mature, healthy adult human gait. This exercise is one that can be taken on by most folks, requires no equipment, and while it will not end world hunger it most certainly will teach most folks how to walk with greater fluidity and ease in a very short period of time.
Regardless, I hope you find the above helpful, and I hope you are comfortable, able and well.