Wonder. Wander. Repeat

I love walking. There is something very positive about getting to a destination on foot. Not only is foot power better for the environment it is good for your body. Walking has so many health benefits and it is a good form of exercise because almost everyone can manage it, no matter what speed you go or at what incline it is good for your legs and for your heart. I have been walking to and from work every day this week so far. It is 2 miles each way and although my place of work is on top of a hill and I have been arriving to work rather flushed and tired, it has been very enjoyable. The fresh air in the morning has been very welcome and has worked wonders in waking up my body and energising me. Usually I go from my bed to the shower, from the shower to my mirror, stand there for half an hour preening and applying makeup and then I get changed and go from my home, to my car, to my desk were I spend the majority of the day sat down. I rarely give my body chance to stretch out and limber up for the day ahead. Easter holidays give me the gift of time because I can start work a bit later and don't have to dress as smartly so I have time to walk.

"With each stride, I push myself further up the hill faster through the air. My breath keeping in time to the beat of my feet on the concrete. Huff, step, puff, huff, step, puff."

- Blue Sky

There is a lot to be said with regards to walking and how therapeutic it can be. The peace that can be found when you walk on your own and the head space you gain is wonderful. I get some of my best ideas when I am walking as it is time for me to think and be at one with my own thought processes. I can even find peace when walking in busy areas as my mind blocks out the traffic and the hustle and bustle and I really focus in on my thoughts. In a way I suppose walking is a type of meditation.

"And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul."

- John Muir

And when it comes to quotes on life there are a fair few that mention 'walking away' and make reference to different paths in your life that you can walk. I feel that this reflects well on walking as a process and how it can make such drastic changes to the way you live and as a process when making decisions.

"I am learning to love the sound of my feet walking away from things not meant for me."

-AG

Walking for me can also help improve my mood. With each breath I feel more relaxed as the fresh air fills my lungs and makes my nostrils tingle. Studies show that you can in fact walk yourself out of a bad mood.  A 10 minute walk immediately boosts brain chemistry to increase happiness. Walking as an activity is also classed as self care. Something that you can do for yourself to improve how you feel, to cheer you up or to give you time and space for yourself when needed. Something as simple as a walk in nature will do just the trick.

"May you never forget how far you have come and the miles it took just to get to this place."

-Morgan Harper Nichols

Unlike many sports and methods of exercise where practise makes you better at it, you are already good at walking. It was one of the first things you learnt to do and you already know the method. Just one foot in front of the other is all it takes to get you from a bad mood to a good mood, from no ideas to plenty of ideas, from unfit to fit, from unhealthy to healthy, from stressed to peaceful and from so many negatives to so many positives.

I have loved my half our walk in the morning and my half hour walk in the afternoon this week and hope that when my normal working pattern resumes I can still make the effort to make time to walk, even if it is just for 10 minutes a day to stretch my legs.

"I don't know where I'm going, But I'm going. Are you coming with me?"

Love

Blue Sky

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