I talk a lot about walking. It not only is a great exercise but it is an
incredible way to improve your overall well being. As you may already be aware, stress
is a huge contributor to being over weight. A simple walk is often enough for
me to clear my head and prepare me to better deal with the stresses of my life.
Do I have stresses? Just a few. The difference is how I handle them. When I
walk, kayak, rock climb or engage in any other of my various actions, I
meditate. It allows me time to first calm my mind which prepares me to better anticipate and work out the problems of
my day and, ultimately my life. I feel better both physically and mentally. Moving the body has long been a prescription to fight depression.
For me, it is a prescription for success as well.
Walking can also be healing to relationships. For instance, you may not know this but teenagers
can be difficult. I have two. Are they difficult? Sometimes. Although they are nearly adults now, when they were younger,
we had some rough moments. No matter how unsettled things became with them and no matter how angry we got at each
other, we made it a point to take our family walk. When we got back, the problems seemed to be
less. This simple walk allowed us the time to consider each other’s point of
view. Those walks always lead to healing and understanding. I believe that we
became better parents and our children have been able to accomplish more
because of some simple strolls.
Whether you are looking to be a better parent or a better life partner. One of the best things you can do for your relationship is to get off the couch, go outside and take a walk. As it turns out, while moving your body is important to mental and physical wellbeing, doing out of doors brings even more impact to the activity. To learn even more about the healing effects of being outside, check out my Long Island Paddle Blog Post:
