Five Reasons why walking is essential for living a healthy life.

I talk about going for walks a lot on social media. I think people must be pretty bored by now. But there is a good reason. I find walking one of the best forms of exercise which also offers countless other benefits for boosting goof health and positive mood. 

Like most people who like the outdoors, I find a real sense of action when I choose to go out. I am not a meanderer, a casual walker or a potterer; I walk with purpose and strength to get my body heat up and get me breathing lung-filling breaths. I have always been a fast walker but I don't go out to just walk fast. This obviously benefits me exercise wise as my pace means I hit high heart rate zones on every walk meaning that my body is in workout mode. But that is not my focus, that is just a great side effect from putting my effort into going for a good walk. 

With it being a great exercise it has become vital in keeping me balanced in life. Not only physically but mentally because walking as an exercise helps the release of endorphins; a chemical in your body that makes you feel good. You have got to walk strong though to get your heart rate up and make your body feel like it is working towards something. A slow pace means a slow heart rate and the chance for chemical change is reduced. But that is not a problem if you want to use walking differently to me. 

Walking is also a great way to relax, to be away from noise and stress. Going for a walk somewhere can bring inspiration and clarity. It can calm you and remove anxiety. Walking at any pace can install comfort and purpose, a simple challenge of getting from A to B can be accomplished. 

Walking can be done solo or with a friend. I find that walking with someone means you don't walk as fast but you walk and talk which can be more important for your mood. Being able to talk about problems whilst walking always makes be feel like I have walked my worries away. Almost like once you have said them out loud, the wind takes them off and they can be less of a burden. 

Walking always makes me feel like I have done something, and since I have stopped going to a gym as I felt that it was a stagnant way to train, I have found walks that make me vitalised and fresh in a way the gym didn't.

I also can't get over how much more I enjoy nature and just how the day works: morning walk, midday walks or even evening walks all have something wonderful to offer views wise, and each walk always makes me glad that I just gave a bit of my time to see it. 

If you started the couch to 5k run app this January and have found it uninspiring, too hard, or too pressurised, why don't you try walking 5k 3 times a week first for a month and see how your relationship with walking for fitness changes you. I know for me, it makes a huge difference. and it is something I do to help me keep balanced.

5 reasons why walking is essential to healthy living:

It gives you balance

It gives you clarity and calm

It is a form of exercise when paced well

It helps provide a positive mood boost

It helps you appreciate nature (which is a prescribed form of medicine in some Asian countries now!)

Time to let in the light

And just like that we are in a new year and already in the second month. My January ended up being an extended break. I always have such a keenness to write with ideas at the ready but somehow they never made it to here. I used to be so obsessed with timelines and writing but now I find it always flows best when I am ready to share. 

January was probably one of my most favourite Januaries yet. Not because anything particularly spectacular happened, but because I feel like we were totally blessed here in Lincolnshire with absolutely glorious weather. I can count on one hand how many times it felt like it rained, but in all honesty, it felt like we just had sunshine for days. We seemed to be blessed with really wintry mornings of frost and sunlight and then cold afternoons with a low sun and clear skies. I have been out on countless walks and been able to enjoy lots of Zumba sessions outdoors with the private club I dance with. Dancing outside really is a special thing!  

I penned this post to be sharing my love for always walking where the light shines but I feel like I am always talking about that on my Instagram and I am starting to feel repetitive. So I thought I would share something that always gets a ridiculous amount of love that uses pure sunlight to make it work.

During the Christmas lockdown 2020, I purchased a couple of really cheap mirror balls. It was when we were told that Christmas was cancelled and that we pretty much just had to put up with it. These were an absolute whim purchase but one that I have been so pleased with. January 2021 really showed me how perfect these Mirror balls were as I hung them from the lamp in our living area right by the window, and as that winter sun shone lower that usual it hit them with almighty power and those mirror balls dazzled the room. Since then Rob has fitted a mini motor to the lamp as that seems to be optimum hanging point and we get sunlight on winter's days in the most spectacular way. 

What I like more than just the perfect reflections of these mirror balls is that it gives me the biggest positive mood boost. It honestly changes my day, just for a few hours I get to have the set of Strictly Come Dancing in my own living room and it can change everything. Light has always been a really important feature in my life and in our home we work hard at creating a certain atmosphere using light simply because it can really make you feel comfortable. This light though, the fun that comes from natural sunlight pouring in through the window, is just so perfect. 

So, if you have a window that gets sun during a period of the day when you are there to enjoy, hang up one of these joy makers and really feel the benefits of letting in the light. 

Mirror Ball + hanging motor = A lot of joy!

If you want to see what my home looks like when the Mirror Balls are going CLICK HERE!