WALKING OUTSIDE: BRINGING BACK THIS HABIT HAS HELPED THE OL’ BRAIN & HAPPILY – THE BUNS.
Hello All :)
I want to set the tone for this post about walking in nature, by starting out with this quirky, super-cheerful song by Yael Naim. This song is the epitome of the vibe I’m in as I write this week, and watching the video - the setting she’s in after she pushes the walls down reminds me so much of the settings I often find myself in, here in Scotland. Also, I’m writing about getting out of the box of your house and getting outside and she is literally pushing the walls down to get outside - and the lyrics are good and the tune just makes me happy! Give it a listen if you care to, and read on.
Walking. Over the years this simple exercise has helped me feel like a God-honest better human being whenever I incorporate it into my regular routine. The simple act of putting on a pair of walking shoes and leaving the safe haven of my house, of stepping into the great big natural world outside has made my head space, and a happy bonus, gotten my buns in a much better state.
I’ve dipped in and out of this habit my entire life, and whenever I get back into it, I am like WHY-OH-WHY have you not done this for so long? Fifty steps into a walk, and I’m feeling the tension fall away, I’m breathing easier, and the thoughts in my head that have started turning into mottled little rain clouds- and indeed - rolling black storm clouds - begin to dissipate. My thoughts begin morphing into sparkling rays of hope, belief, even personal empowerment. And the ideas flooooow. So many ideas. I get all this creative inspiration and motivation, and I feel like “Fu*ck YEAH I can do anything!!!!!” THIS FEELS GOOD. Hence the post.
My favorite hill(och) on the outskirts of our village. I like to think of it as a fairy kingdom :)
My earliest memories about going on walks were of walking with my Nana, Bettina, the vintage beauty inspiration whom I dedicated my first blog post to. We would visit her and our grandfather every Summer, staying for a few weeks. Nana would get up every morning to meditate, and when she was done she’d wake us, throw some cereal and berries our way, and then she would promptly get us out to a local nature trail for a walk before the morning turned into a scorcher of a day.
They lived in Northern California which can get sooooooooo unbelievably hot, and soooooooo unbelievably dry, so it was this battle to get us up and out for a walk before we all melted. Like it was so hot that you really and truly could have fried eggs on the sidewalk, if you wanted to. Not an exaggeration.
I should mention that our reward later in the day was often frozen yogurt. Oh how I miss frozen yogurt on a hot day. I should also admit that we did NOT appreciate getting out of bed for a nature walk. We wanted to be lazy kids, sleeping in on our Summer break. But eventually we’d succumb to our daily regimen, and I clearly remember that we enjoyed ourselves once we were out of the house and on the actual walk. Then the visit would end, and we’d head back home to forget all about walking until our visit the following Summer.
So I must say that I recall Nana debating with my Father about walking vs. running, and I think she was all about the health and well-being aspect of walking in nature, even though I don’t think terms like well-being were being used at the time. The debates between these two could get a bit heated, often leaving Dad rather exasperated. I don’t think he ever walked away from one of their walking vs. running debates feeling like he won.
Nana felt that running was bad for the joints – too hard on them – especially running on hard surfaces like asphalt – which he did a lot of. She thought that the running was doing more damage than good. I think Dad just liked to run, and he probably felt young and invincible at the time, and that his joints would be just fine. He can’t run any longer – his joints and cartilage and muscles simply don’t allow it.
Nana on the other hand, was walking regularly until just before she passed away at 83 years old. This facet of her was even mentioned at her memorial service. A walking buddy of hers was sharing some seriously cute stories about her requiring a “bear claw” donut as her reward after doing so many loops around the local mall. I think she needed to retire her early morning woodland adventures in her final years, but she pivoted them into those loops around the mall followed by allowing herself that bear claw in the name of self-appreciation.
For those of you interested in hearing about the huge range of benefits of simply walking for 30 minutes a day, here is a fabulously informative video by an M.D. named Dr. Mike Evans. He gives you all the reasons why walking is fabulous for your health on like every level, and how it is the greatest preventative medicine. This video is to put it simply, good information. It isn’t wildly entertaining with all sorts of bells and whistles, but the doctor has a good informative speaking voice that I can listen to no problem, and he gives some really useful facts to know about walking, and why you should make a regular habit of it. If you’re reading this, thank you for pointing him out Nadja ;)
So, once the Summer visits to the grandparents up north became a thing of the past, in my teen years it became all about being a typical girl living in Southern California stuff. It was the beach, and swimming pools, and boys, and looking cute in a bathing suit, and so it was about exercise to look a certain way, not the actual enjoyment of being out of the house, of feet hitting the ground, of nature all around, birdsong and butterflies, these types of things.
I just remember wanting to be thin, maybe with a hint of muscle. I remember that for a spell, my sister and I would visit the (Upland) High School Track with our Dad, and as he raced circles around us for long periods of time, we would dart around the track as many times as our legs would allow. My sister was pretty good. She was fast like my Dad. She totally ran circles around me too.
I myself mixed in some walking when I became exhausted. Running felt kind of exhilarating, but I couldn’t ever sustain it for long, and I think I always had Nana’s thoughts about running floating around in my subconscious. “Thou Shalt Not Run.” Also, walking FELT BETTER, and I could walk for ages. I was outside, my blood was pumping, and with my favourite tunes blasting in my ears from whatever cassette tapes I could get my hands on (Stacey Q, Madonna, Banana-Rama, Wham, Beastie Boys – you get the idea), I felt good in my skin. Even though I wasnt thinking about walking for well-being, I felt content. I remember this vividly.
Fast forward a few years later, and I became a Mom late in my teen years. When my daughter was quite small, I would often take her out on strolls around the local Botanical Gardens, just to get us out of the house without spending any money, and to show her some pretty flowers and water fountains and things like hummingbird nests.
Below, please see Mini me at the Botanical Gardens in Claremont, California over twenty years ago, shown next her walking around with me this past weekend. Look at that happy little face. God help me if she sees this. Love you Mini Me :)
“Mini Me” in the wild. She IS gonna kill me ;)
The whole photograph. L.O.L.
Same tree. Same outfit. Different day. And this time it was POURING cats and dogs outside. My legs and feet were sopping wet after repeatedly brushing up against wet leaves and branches. Notice I’m still smiling. Walking makes you smile :)
In closing, walking is the BEST, and I obviously keep returning to it for some reason. I had to write about it, and tell y’all if you aren’t already getting out there, to please try it out. I think you will feel so great about this. If you are a person that loves it and hasnt for a while, yeah, I am talking to you too.
I think it’s really easy to fall out of the habit; to forget that you really love something. Things get on top of you, you feel like you have no time, and sometimes you really don’t, and you stop even attempting to make time because you really do forget that sense of how good being outside, getting the blood pumping and being outside amongst trees and the wind and the clouds and the flowers and the butterflies and the rain, and the occasional rainbow, and the bugs that want to bite your ass through your clothes - feels. This last part - the bugs - ***HEAVY SIGH*** I am ever so thankful that one of my friends at Tir na nOg makes an all natural “Magic Midge Spray” which she now sells in the shop, or my ass would be completely covered in “Midge” and especially “Clegg” bites.
I never did become a morning person that can just roll out of bed and go. Maybe late morning. Sometimes. With lots of caffeine. But the evening walks have been a habit that I have returned to time and time again. Even though I’ve returned to walking for varying reasons throughout my life, one thing has always been the same: it has always made me feel good, and it has always made a difference mentally as well as physically.
If you want to get walking,get yourself some of these things if you dont have them already:
A good pair of walking shoes preferably with ankle support. If you are in a locale that has lots of rain, go for water-proof, or “Gore-tex”.
If you are in a seriously hot locale and you want to do longer walks, go for one of the backpacks that holds a water bladder, and has a straw like device so you dont get dehydrated.
Good comfortable water wicking and/or cotton socks - your choice.
Depending on your locale, a lightweight, breathable water-proof o Gore-Tex windbreaker.
Comfy earbuds if you need music or want to listen to Audible books or podcasts while walking.
Tank tops or comfy tee-shirts.
If you have a baby you’re taking with you, aim for a fabulous stroller with fabulous wheels, and bring all their snacks and you’ll know what you need for the little one. It has been more than twenty years since I had a baby so I am trying to remember all the stuff.
Oh! I almost forgot! WEAR SUNSCREEN!!!! - Go for at least SPF-40 and put it on about 30 minutes before you go out. This one is especially important for super-sunny hot locales.
Basically, just get your walking “uniform” sorted, and you are good to go. Or you can just start, and it will become clear to you exactly what you will need for your own walking experience.
Two content cuties in the hood.
A hidden gem in the neighbourhood.
Bumblebee doing his thing in the wild.
Really though. Get out there.
Okay, thanks for stopping by, and have a great day or night wherever in the world you might be.
Tara xx