4 unexpected benefits of walking 10k steps a day
Since January of this year, I set a goal for myself to walk 10,000 steps a day.
It all started when my friend (who is a weight loss coach) told me one of the easiest ways to lean out is to just walk 7000-10000 steps a day. That’s easy, I thought. I walk my dog everyday. I must be getting at least that!
Until I looked at the step count app on my phone. And realized it was MUCH lower than that lol.
Here are 4 surprising things that happened when I became intentional about getting 10k steps per day:
1) It gave me structure to my day
No matter how much or how little I got done out of my planned to-do list, there was always one thing I knew I could count on, and that was my steps. I loved that having made this one promise to myself made sure I got up from my desk. It can be so easy to just get lost and distracted in front of a screen. And by being able to stick to this one promise, it increased my confidence and trust that I would show up for myself consistently in other areas too such as staying sober.
2) My mental health improved
Stepping outside gave me space on whatever was clouding my mind that day. My mind has a tendency to look for something to “fix”. Being outside, especially amongst trees that have been around for a lot longer than I have, helped me realize how small my “problems” were. How temporary. And simply by walking, my mind would calm down, my body would stop feeling so tense, and when I came back from my walk, it was like whatever had seemed like a dead end before had found a through road. I was able to see things from a broader perspective, probably because I’d literally changed my focus and gaze from a narrow screen or the confines of a small building to a vast, limitless world.
3) I felt more connected, inside and out
Walking helped me feel my body - my beating heart, my breath, the temperature of the air on my skin, my legs and feet getting tired by the end of the walk. It made me realize how much I take my body for granted. Sometimes I could even forget it was there, being so wrapped up in the experience of my mind, my thoughts and feelings about any random thing. It provided me a chance to remember all that I already have, right now. It gave me a new appreciation for the changing of the seasons. I even noticed how my judgment of the weather was something I’d created in the mind. Walking rain or shine, I realized it was never that bad once I was outside, which then helped me see this is applicable to really most things in life. The dread I create for myself is most often much worse than the actual thing itself.
4) It gave me more time
Time seems to slow down on a walk. Which, when days seem to go quicker and quicker as I age, is a welcome change of pace. This past winter, I noticed the Christmas lights in the neighborhood for the first time in the 15 years I’ve lived here. I noticed how my thoughts slowed when I gave myself time just to look at what's around me. How rested I felt coming back from a walk. How connected I felt if I had gone on a walk with a friend (and how much more fulfilling it was than going for drinks like in past years). And maybe because I was breaking up my day with something that I was doing for me, I felt I was giving myself more time, which then helped me feel refreshed and ready to come back to whatever task that required me to give others my time.
What is your one commitment to yourself every day that helps you? I’d love to know your thoughts and comments.
With love,
Vera
