[HN Gopher] Don't Underestimate the Power of a Walk
___________________________________________________________________
Don't Underestimate the Power of a Walk
Author : tdmckinlay
Score : 191 points
Date : 2021-02-08 16:09 UTC (6 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (hbr.org)
(TXT) w3m dump (hbr.org)
| wolfhumble wrote:
| "Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. Everyday, I walk
| myself into a state of well-being & walk away from every illness.
| I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no
| thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it. But by
| sitting still, & the more one sits still, the closer one comes to
| feeling ill. Thus if one just keeps on walking, everything will
| be all right." -- Soren Kierkegaard
|
| http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/336809-above-all-do-not-lose...
| the-dude wrote:
| He died 42 yrs old, and collapsed on one of his walks.
|
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%B8ren_Kierkegaard
| dundarious wrote:
| Quite funny in a way, but for balance, according to
| Wikipedia, the cause of death may well have been from
| complications from an old physical injury, or from an
| infection that's often lethal without medicine that was
| unavailable in his day.
|
| Kierkegaard died in Frederiks Hospital after over a month,
| possibly from complications from a fall from a tree in his
| youth. It has been suggested by professor Kaare Weismann and
| literature scientist Jens Staubrand that Kierkegaard died
| from Pott disease, a form of tuberculosis.
| the-dude wrote:
| Well, your balance is all speculation and obviously the
| walking did not help.
| Jtsummers wrote:
| It's also not clear that it _hurt_. He could 've
| collapsed standing at a kitchen counter that same day if
| he hadn't gone on the same walk. It's all speculation.
| the-dude wrote:
| Look, dude claimed everything would be a-o.k. if you just
| walked. Well, apparently not.
| cousin_it wrote:
| I think part of the appeal of walking is that you're away from
| screens. You're in action (even if it's as simple as putting one
| foot in front of the other), not just passively receiving sensory
| data.
|
| As Baudrillard put it: _" Travel was once a means of being
| elsewhere, or of being nowhere. Today it is the only way we have
| of feeling that we are somewhere. At home, surrounded by
| information, by screens, I am no longer anywhere, but rather
| everywhere in the world at once, in the midst of a universal
| banality - a banality that is the same in every country. To
| arrive in a new city, or in a new language, is suddenly to find
| oneself here and nowhere else. The body rediscovers how to look.
| Delivered from images, it rediscovers the imagination."_
| unethical_ban wrote:
| That is a great observation. I have realized that I enjoy bike
| rides and driving because it forces me to be off my phone,
| unlike even walking, or of course sitting at home.
| imbnwa wrote:
| "No great idea was ever conceived sitting down" - Nietzsche...
| probably
| waynesonfire wrote:
| Everyday, twice day, 13.5 years and counting.
| tuckerpo wrote:
| Lindy.
| callumprentice wrote:
| I love walking for multiple reasons including health benefits,
| exploring my neighborhood, having some alone time to think about
| things - the list goes on - but during the pandemic, I find
| myself just too despondent at all the people I see not wearing
| masks or social distancing where there are crowds.
|
| I realize of course that it's in my power to just ignore it and
| get on with my own business - believe me I've tried - but
| inevitably now when I return home, I have an overwhelming sadness
| that spoils everything.
|
| It's clear no one is going to change their behavior and I have
| explored ways for me to get past it but so far, nothing has
| worked.
| alyx wrote:
| I go for a 3 to 4 mile walk every day before work. Start off
| sleepy, end up excited to get to work. Much of the same benefits
| without the sweat of running.
| OnACoffeeBreak wrote:
| "William Wordsworth was said to have walked 180,000 miles in his
| lifetime. Charles Dickens captured the ecstasy of near-madness
| and insomnia in the essay "Night Walks" and once said, "The sum
| of the whole is this: Walk and be happy; Walk and be healthy."
| Robert Louis Stevenson wrote of "the great fellowship of the Open
| Road" and the "brief but priceless meetings which only trampers
| know." Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche said, "Only those thoughts
| that come by walking have any value." More recently, writers who
| knew the benefits of striking out excoriated the apathetic
| public, over and over again, for its laziness. "Of course, people
| still walk," wrote a journalist in Saturday Night magazine in
| 1912. "That is, they shuffle along on their own pins from the
| door to the street car or taxi-cab.... But real walking ... is as
| extinct as the dodo." "They say they haven't time to walk--and
| wait fifteen minutes for a bus to carry them an eighth of a
| mile," wrote Edmund Lester Pearson in 1925. "They pretend that
| they are rushed, very busy, very energetic; the fact is, they are
| lazy. A few quaint persons--boys chiefly--ride bicycles."
|
| - Ben Montgomery, Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of
| the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail
|
| This was one of the best books I've read in 2019 while attempting
| a thruhike of the Pacific Crest trail consumed by doubt, fear,
| excitement, anticipation, boredom, peace and stories of others
| wondering the trail.
| LeSaucy wrote:
| At the beginning of the pandemic I picked up a laptop stand for
| my treadmill. I find its much easier to get 2-3 miles of walking
| in per day when I am deep in thought on a tough problem, or even
| just while "sitting" in meetings over Teams. Surprisingly my
| noise cancelling headphones don't pick up any background noise
| from walking 2.5mph and nobody is the wiser on calls.
| tehjoker wrote:
| Who knew HBR was like the Style section of the NYT?
| martian wrote:
| This reminds me: One of the best books about a long walk is
| Patrick Leigh Fermor's "Time of Gifts" (and the subsequent
| books). Memoirs of his time before WW2 literally walking from one
| side of Europe to the other.
|
| His cultural insights, historical perspective, and witty language
| are all exquisite.
| pjc50 wrote:
| This is an amazing book and I can't recommend it enough.
| coyotespike wrote:
| Completely agree. Paddy Fermor wrote beautifully, and with a
| vocabulary informed by his polyglot abilities (he knew, at
| least, Greek, Latin, several dialects of German, and French,
| with smatterings of a few more).
|
| Because he took Greek at school (high school), he was sent to
| a Greek isle during WW2 where he wound up kidnapping a German
| general and spiriting him across the mountains to Allied
| control. He is perhaps best known for this exploit.
| [deleted]
| neilv wrote:
| Quick tip to anyone inspired to walk today, but not very familiar
| with it: if it's snowy/icy where you are, watch out for surprise
| slick ice spots, especially on pavement.
|
| I've been a city committee for pedestrian issues (coincidentally,
| where the article was published), and winter ice slip hazards
| seemed the single biggest problem. They're a way that, in an
| instant, a habit of walking can turn life-changing in an
| _undesirable_ way.
|
| When conditions are snowy/icy, I usually use some of those tiny
| carbide tip traction aids that strap onto of my shoes. Other
| people have found other measures that seem to work for them.
|
| Definitely walk, but be aware that surprise slick spots are a
| thing, and you can do something about it.
| samdixon wrote:
| One other important thing when walking in snow/ice is that even
| the smallest slip can potentially strain/pull a muscle just due
| to the rapid movement.
| luigibosco wrote:
| Cold weather people can checkout something like yaktrax -
| have found the ones with chains hold up longer, the ones with
| straps across the top of the foot stay on (if you lose one
| you will walk in circles!). No shame in using poles,
| coldweather facemasks either.
|
| Dogs are a great motivator and pretty good companions if you
| like them/can swing that...
| ghaff wrote:
| Yaktraks themselves are not great (at least the older ones
| don't really have spikes). Microspikes are probably the
| best compromise for general use. They're spiky enough to
| work even on glare ice so long as it's not too steep.
| (There are more aggressive ones but they're probably
| overkill for city streets.)
|
| A pole by itself is pretty useful though for occasional
| ice. It gives you that extra purchase and balance even if
| you're just in shoes.
| mordechai9000 wrote:
| Yaktrax have been adequate for me on compact snow and
| ice. I also have kahtoolie brand microspikes that I use
| when hiking, where yaktrax wouldn't be adequate and
| crampons would be overkill, but they wouldn't be
| comfortable for walking around on icy roads and
| sidewalks.
| tokamak-teapot wrote:
| I have yaktrax without spikes - they have 'springs' on
| rubber. I have used them for years. They give me great
| traction when it's slippery outside and I use them for
| walking and even running in snow/ice/slush.
|
| When I'm wearing them I never slip and just carry on as
| if there was nothing slippery underfoot.
|
| The only thing you have to watch out for is remembering
| to take them off if you go inside where there's a hard
| floor such as tiles or wood, otherwise you're going to
| fall over immediately. Coming in from a walk I'm taking
| my shoes off anyway, so it's hard to forget.
| ghaff wrote:
| Fair enough. I live in the country and I mostly need
| traction for hiking so need something more substantial
| (and of course even microspikes aren't enough for some
| situations).
| vsareto wrote:
| I hit one of these getting my mail late at night. Pretty
| sobering knowing I'd have been dead in 30 minutes due to the
| temperature and no one would have likely been by to check
| because it was late. They can stick around even after most of
| the snow/ice has melted because of shadows that never allow
| sunlight to hit a particular spot.
| aero142 wrote:
| I would hate to see someone not go for a walk because they are
| scared of falling on the sidewalk. Perhaps you live in more
| unforgiving place than most, or are thinking of older
| population, but living an unhealthy life controlled by fear
| seems like more of a concern than the risks of going for a
| walk.
| nicoburns wrote:
| The context may be the UK where it rarely snows (typically <5
| snow days per year), but has been snowing/icy over the last
| few days. In that context it may make sense to avoid the one
| icy week of the year if you are planning to take up walking
| when you haven't before.
| dundarious wrote:
| From his website, OP is in an area with yearly cold snowy
| winters. I live in an area with similar winters and walking
| unprepared is no fun at all. I nearly broke my tailbone in
| a fall once, and I'm healthy and generally careful, but
| maybe if I had read what OP said, "Definitely walk, but be
| aware that surprise slick spots are a thing, and you can do
| something about it," I could have avoided the fall.
| codyb wrote:
| Have you fallen on the concrete or ice lately?
|
| I can tell you, it really really sucks.
|
| There's been a lot of snow lately, I think you don't
| necessarily have to be living a life of fear to not want to
| slip on the ice.
|
| For the record, I'm a 30 year old, in good shape, and love to
| walk. But walking outside these last few days in NYC has been
| a lot of tepid steps with the slush because it is indeed
| slick. I caught myself when I slipped on something metal and
| slick the other day, but it was close.
|
| And as a sibling commenter said, even the jerky movements can
| end up causing issues.
|
| It's been very pretty out, but I don't think lately has been
| the kind of walking conditions I usually associate with the
| sorts of walks that are described in the post despite those
| moments of appreciation for winter wonderland.
| jiofih wrote:
| And it was better 100 years ago?
| Jtsummers wrote:
| Terrain can make a difference. If given the choice, I'd
| walk over ice that was on top of grass, gravel, or
| smaller stones (that is, most are in the 1-3" diameter
| range) over concrete or asphalt. That ice generally gives
| way under you and provides you a chance to get traction
| without specialty footgear. The ice that forms on
| pavement is often much slicker, and the pavement doesn't
| give so the ice doesn't break underfoot.
|
| Concrete and asphalt also promote the development of ice
| in a way that other surfaces do not, because they retain
| heat from the sun hitting them. That's the principle
| issue here, even when it's 10-20F, the pavement is easily
| above freezing on a sunny day, and when the snow falls in
| the afternoon it quickly melts and refreeze creating
| hazardous conditions until the next day when it thaws
| (assuming it's not a deep snow) as the sun hits it again.
| t-writescode wrote:
| Or walk on the snow rather than the ice.
|
| How common were perfectly manicured sidewalks back then?
| Jtsummers wrote:
| Our snow is not very deep here, normally. At least not in
| the winters I've been in. But yes, prefer snow to icy
| patches if it's an option.
| [deleted]
| kileywm wrote:
| I heartily recommend proper winter boots for anyone that is
| worried about slipping. Not all boots are created equally, but
| the tread and rubber compound used for most winter boots can
| make a dramatic difference in grip while walking.
|
| For those who have never owned transportation in a cold
| climate: winter tires on vehicles make a big difference in
| traction. They channel and grip to snow and ice much better
| than the tread and rubber compound of a standard all-season
| tire. The same concept applies for winter footwear.
| buzzdenver wrote:
| No boot will help you over smooth ice, sorry. You can wear
| something like Yaktrax, over your shoes, or look out for a
| thin layer of ice on the pavement.
| noja wrote:
| I wear these when walking over smooth ice down my local
| shopping street:
| https://www.aliexpress.com/i/32968862306.html
| Yajirobe wrote:
| Slipping on ice - life-changing?
| EvanAnderson wrote:
| Absolutely. Early 30's co-worker, in good health and fit,
| slipped on a sidewalk and sustained a spiral fracture of her
| right humerus near her elbow while trying to catch herself.
| Spent a long time in cast, a longer time in a brace, and
| still has range of motion issues. I think about her
| experience and take extra care when I walk on ice / snow.
| inglor_cz wrote:
| Not the slip itself, rather the consequences of the
| subsequent fall.
|
| Brain concussion, spinal injury etc., depends on what you hit
| on your way down and how hard it is; fences, kerbs etc. may
| be very unforgiving.
|
| I once slipped on ice on a pavement with enough energy that I
| almost ended up in the street next to it where cars were
| going their normal 40-50 kph. (The street had quite a slope,
| Prague has a lot of hilly neighbourhoods.) I caught myself on
| a street lamp before drifting out to the danger zone, though.
| eigenschwarz wrote:
| In medical school my wife had a classmate who was actually a
| year ahead but was re-taking anatomy because he slipped on
| some ice, hit his head, and was going blind. He wanted to
| relearn anatomy by feel in anticipation of total vision loss.
|
| I have a friend who slipped on some ice and broke his femur!
| This was 5 years ago, he was an avid cyclist but he still has
| issues today that affect how much he can ride.
|
| Unexpectedly slipping on ice is no joke! That being said, if
| I can't xc ski I go for long runs all the time with
| microspikes and trekking poles. So the gear to be safe (with
| common sense and knowing ones limits) does exist.
| Jtsummers wrote:
| My cousin is periodically confined to a wheel chair due to
| a bad leg break from a fall that never healed properly. Ice
| is no joke.
| ghaff wrote:
| Microspikes are really great development which I assume
| were enabled by materials work that enables the bendable
| stretchy silicone you see in all sorts of things. The
| alternatives before were Yaktraks which, at best, gave you
| a bit of extra traction on your way to pick up the mail or
| you had to go full-on mountaineering crampons which
| obviously were way overkill or not even usable in many
| situations.
|
| I have mountaineering gear but, to be honest, both myself
| and most of the people I usually hike with just use
| microspikes a lot of the time. (Also _much_ more practical
| for beginner instructional trips.)
| pjc50 wrote:
| Yes. In the "you now have random ankle pain for the rest of
| your life" kind of way, mostly.
| sherr wrote:
| In 2010 I slipped on ice in London and broke my leg. I was
| out of action for a few weeks. Because it was hard living
| alone and being on crutches, I moved in with my Mum for quite
| a while. I was lucky it was just a leg but it definitely
| changed the course of my life (health-wise, for the better).
| serial_dev wrote:
| I just turned 30 and I fell on ice and it really hurt for two
| weeks. The ice was super hard and I fell directly on my ass.
| It might have looked funny from the outside, but the pain was
| really bad. I couldn't really sit or move my hips as usual.
|
| I don't want to overdramatize the fall as I feel better now,
| but I can see how it could be worse for older / taller people
| in a slightly less fortunate fall: one might fall in front of
| a car, bicycle, one could fall and break a leg or arms, roll
| down a little hill right into a forest, lose a tooth or two,
| punch or pull someone else as they fall etc...
| mordechai9000 wrote:
| I took a fall on the ice and banged my knee pretty good a
| few years ago. It was a minor thing, but it really opened
| my eyes to how fast a fall occur, and how little control I
| might have when it happens. I am in decent shape, I have
| good reflexes and range of motion, and I thought I knew how
| to fall and how to avoid injury. That day I learned that's
| not always the case. One moment I was moving along at a
| brisk pace, and in the blink of an eye I was on the ground
| rolling in agony. It took a moment to even process what
| happened.
| decafninja wrote:
| Voice of dissent, but I hate walking - it's just so tedious. If
| I'm walking to explore somewhere new, it's great. If I'm just
| walking as part of my commute or to get groceries, or just for
| the sake of exercise, etc. I can't stand the tedium.
|
| I don't like running for the same reason - the boredom and mental
| tedium overcomes me earlier than the physical exhaustion. But at
| least running doesn't take too long to get the exercise benefits.
|
| I live next to the river with an amazing view of the NYC skyline,
| but even that gets old after the n'th time.
|
| Somewhat better: walking (or running) on a treadmill watching
| Netflix on my iPad.
| deathlight wrote:
| I always have headphones of some kind when I walk. The bone
| conduction ones are nice if you want to be able to hear your
| surroundings. I'm full weeks worth of listen time behind on my
| podcast collection so I love every time I get to go on a walk
| and catch up a bit.
|
| Back in college we had a decent sized arboretum next to campus
| that I never got bored of walking through, and nearby inter
| urban trails as well. I was never a hiker but some of my
| friends were and there were lots of places to go hiking within
| a short drive away. Maybe the proximity to nature influences
| how enjoyable it is?
| dageshi wrote:
| Listen to podcasts? Or audiobooks?
| decafninja wrote:
| Tried both (as well as music of course). Doesn't seem to work
| for me. I guess I am a lot more geared towards visual
| stimuli, since Netflix + treadmill does work better for me
| than audio + outdoor scenery.
| ghaff wrote:
| I'm pretty much the opposite. I find exercise equipment
| tedious. I don't run but I do like walking. And, sure, variety
| is good but the past many months I've been fine with mostly
| taking the same forest/river trail that's next to my house
| because there's hardly anyone there.
| decafninja wrote:
| It's not like I enjoy the treadmill itself :). It's the
| Netflix (or Amazon Prime, or etc.) that really lets me get
| through the session.
|
| Plus I don't really have much time to consume movie/TVs these
| days, so it does let me combine both (exercise &
| entertainment).
| ghaff wrote:
| When I use my rowing machine I do put something up on the
| TV which makes it more tolerable. But I'd honestly rather
| go outside for a walk if the weather is at all decent.
| the_only_law wrote:
| I really haven't cared for most of the places I've lived, but
| they all have their positives and negatives. Overall I didn't
| care for the last city I lived in, however one thing I miss was a
| river walk they had right outside downtown along with another
| park adjacent to the river a quick walk to downtown. I would
| often go there in the evening and just walk for several hours and
| think. The scenery of the river and the surrounding nature was
| very nice and enjoyable. After the sun went down and it was dark,
| it was a brief walk into town where I could grab something to eat
| and do whatever I want. I haven't been happy or even content in
| many years, but those walks brought some sort of peace to my
| mind.
|
| Unfortunately there's nothing really like that where I am now, at
| least nothing close enough for a casual afternoon trip. There's a
| good bit of sidewalk around the neighborhood, but it really
| doesn't feel the same. It's in primarily residential area just
| off a busy road and the sound of cars zipping past you ,sirens
| from the nearby hospital along with the dim streetlight
| interrupted by shopping strips, etc. don't exactly bring the same
| tranquility. Despite the parks from the city I used to live in
| being very close to urban areas, the river and more forested
| stretches gave a tranquil feeling and even the more open parts
| had a pleasant setting.
| throwaway81523 wrote:
| Nobody else has trouble walking strenuously with a face mask on?
| I'm fine with the mask while standing around or short periods of
| not too vigorous walking, but with any sustained exertion it gets
| stifling, and after a little while it gets wet inside, and I've
| gotten sick from that all by itself.
| ssully wrote:
| Only thing I've learned is to brush my teeth before taking the
| dogs on their morning walk.
|
| Also my wife has to wear a mask all day at work and gets her
| 10,000+ steps in before she gets home. No problems in regards
| to feeling sick.
| throwaway81523 wrote:
| Interesting, I might make sure to brush teeth and gargle
| before going out in a mask. When I say I've gotten sick from
| walking with a mask, I don't mean "felt sick", I mean I've
| literally gotten respiratory infections, which I'd figured
| were from rebreathing exhalations with their germs. I was
| wearing surgical masks then but wear N95's now and there is
| still difficulty.
| bittercynic wrote:
| I think it depends on the mask. I agree with you for the tight-
| fitting cloth masks, but I take strenuous walks and even bike
| rides in a surgical mask and it doesn't bother me at all.
| Probably provides less protection, though.
| [deleted]
| sandworm101 wrote:
| Air outside is -40. Windchill brings that to -57. My work is
| shutting down all activities that require being outside for more
| than a couple minutes. Forget the health benefits, until it warms
| up I am not going to walk anywhere other than to my car. Even
| that can be dangerous at these temperatures.
|
| https://weather.gc.ca/warnings/index_e.html
| [deleted]
| myself248 wrote:
| But the Segway will revolutionize human transport! Because
| everyone lives where the weather is always nice!
|
| But cars are evil, because we should ride our bikes more!
| Because everyone lives where it's always nice!
|
| How dare you inhabit a piece of the planet other than southern
| California? The audacity! The hubris! The reality intruding on
| my bullshit platitudes!
| mikestew wrote:
| Yes, g-d forbid the rest of us ride scooters to work because
| a few people live in Whitehorse. One need not live in SoCal
| to avoid the use of a car in winter. I lived in Indiana and
| managed it. Hell, people in Whitehorse manage it, for that
| matter. (EDIT: well, there ya go:
| https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26067682)
| sandworm101 wrote:
| If you look outside my office you will see 200+ cars in the
| parking lots. Each one of them has a cord plugging them into
| a dedicated outlet. But not one of them is _charging_. There
| is probably more electricity going into our parking lot
| outlets than to all of our computers and lights inside.
| kristiandupont wrote:
| I ride my bike here in Copenhagen like so many others and
| it's pretty far from SoCal temperatures.
| ZeroGravitas wrote:
| Weather isn't the biggest determinant of cycling usage (and
| that probably applies to walking too):
|
| "Why Canadians can't bike in the winter but Finnish people
| can"
|
| https://youtu.be/Uhx-26GfCBU
|
| The scene with the line of tiny bikes parked outside the
| school in the middle of winter is particularly striking.
|
| I've biked through all weathers but even for me that seems
| like something that wouldn't be possible, but apparently is
| with a bit of organisation.
| Ottolay wrote:
| I grew up biking to elementary school in Sweden year around
| and it did not seem like a big deal. Just make sure to
| dress for the weather. I remember wearing overalls or ski
| pants when it got real cold. Snow days were also not a
| thing. I don't remember a single weather cancellation.
|
| The funny thing is I live further south now and when I go
| back to visit in the winter, it feels ridiculously cold.
| burkaman wrote:
| This reads as if you yourself have never been outside SoCal,
| and don't realize that people bike everywhere in the world.
| cambalache wrote:
| Yeah, Southern California, the only place in the world with
| nice weather. Aren't you forgetting tropical Netherlands and
| Denmark? That's why they bike so much.
| unethical_ban wrote:
| This kind of bitter, sarcastic tone is annoying enough on HN,
| and you aren't even challenging the parent, but agreeing with
| him by setting up strawmen of the opposing side.
| tnorthcutt wrote:
| Sure, you can always find exceptions.
|
| But 1000 of 1200 kids ride their bikes to this school in
| Finland, in -17C weather:
| https://unofficialnetworks.com/2019/11/20/kids-in-finland-
| ri...
|
| The people advocating for more biking aren't saying everyone
| everywhere at every time should ride bikes. They're saying
| more people, in more places, at more times, should.
| coyotespike wrote:
| Agree. And at the higher end of the temperature spectrum,
| I've commuted on my bike all through the summer in Austin,
| Texas, when the temps are routinely 40-43C. Not for
| everyone, as I had a place to shower and change when I got
| sweaty, but more <6 mile trips could be made by bike.
| kehrin wrote:
| >But cars are evil, because we should ride our bikes more!
| Because everyone lives where it's always nice!
|
| I thought so as well until I saw this video about cycling in
| Finland. Looks super doable. Rain on the other hand ...
|
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhx-26GfCBU
| d33lio wrote:
| During my time in SV people seemed to always apologize when
| the weather wasn't perfect. They apologized when it was too
| "hot" barely breaking 80F and too cold when it got below 50F.
| Personally, "perfect" weather was depressing as all hell
| because seasons are actually awesome and help you keep track
| of time passing by. I'll never forget how much people on the
| east coast (especially boston) treasure the few summer months
| where you can be outside.
| upofadown wrote:
| It is still doable if you want to take the time to figure out
| the clothing. Modern clothing technology means you can even be
| comfortable when doing so. I live in one of the scary red areas
| on that map (-31C) and spent a fairly nice couple of hours out
| walking around this morning. ... and yes, there was significant
| windchill... which mostly made for some weirdness with ice on
| my eyelashes.
|
| Running is different in that you might manage to freeze your
| respiratory passages and then have a cough. Walking is pretty
| much hazard free.
| JoeAltmaier wrote:
| There's still the significant risk of being stranded, or
| equipment failure. Your life literally depends on those boots
| and gloves. Most folks do not value a walk enough to take
| that risk?
| alphabettsy wrote:
| I regularly ski without backup gear and with quality gear
| even falls haven't been an issue. I'm not sure what kind of
| failure could occur within a short walk of home that would
| be life threatening.
|
| Maybe I'm not being imaginative enough.
| upofadown wrote:
| What sort of failure mode could a boot or glove have to
| leave you in serious trouble? It is not something that
| anyone ever has to worry about. Most people don't walk out
| of reasonable range of civilization. It takes a fairly long
| time to actually freeze to death.
|
| People that do somehow walk out of range of civilization on
| a casual walk will usually be in range of a cell tower.
| budlightvirus wrote:
| Lots of cell phone batteries stop working when they get
| cold enough; if you're going to rely on your cell to keep
| you safe it's a good idea to test it in the cold before
| doing so.
| ghaff wrote:
| The one thing I'd probably recommend to someone going out
| in the woods or certainly climbing a hill/mountain where
| they might be exposed to wind is to carry a spare pair of
| mittens/shells in cold weather. They're warmer if their
| hands get cold and they're backup if a glove manages to
| blow away or get wet.
| bobthepanda wrote:
| Slip, fall, break/sprain/tear something or crack your
| head due to lack of traction.
|
| Unexpected falling is a fairly quick way to sustain a
| heavy impact long-term injury, and you can even die.
| Fricken wrote:
| Wiping out is a skill. Learn it so you don't have to life
| your life in fear of something as basic as walking.
| ghaff wrote:
| As noted in another comment, get microspikes or something
| like that and use a pole and you're plenty safe. I mean,
| you could fall down a flight of steps at home too. It
| definitely takes a bit more effort to head out if there's
| a bunch of snow and/or ice on the ground--which has led
| to me being a bit lazy since the last snowfall--but it's
| really not dangerous if you're properly dressed (though I
| would probably draw the line at current northern Midwest
| temperatures for a few days--though I have the gear for
| it).
| bobthepanda wrote:
| This is maybe practical if you're walking as a dedicated
| activity, but how many people are going to be using that
| kind of gear for, say, a trip to the corner store? Slip
| and fall danger is quite great, and can strike you in
| places you least expect it, like say a patch of black ice
| on your standard dark asphalt parking lot. It would be
| quite odd for me to bring a walking pole on my 30 minute
| walking commute to work.
|
| This reminds me of comments that pedestrians should wear
| high-vis clothing if they don't want to be hit by cars,
| as if high-vis clothing isn't an explicit step outside of
| norms regarding clothing.
| ghaff wrote:
| It's stuff I keep in my car in the winter and I'll use it
| if conditions warrant. Now it's true that, if you live in
| a city or are just walking someplace from your car in a
| parking lot, you probably won't and you're just careful.
| (Though I would absolutely use a pole if sidewalks were
| bad enough.) And, yes, people do sometimes slip and fall
| on ice and they sometimes break bones, etc. But I'm not
| sure what the alternative here is. If you need to go to
| the corner store or walk to work, you need to go to the
| corner store or walk to work. You can't hibernate all
| winter.
| bobthepanda wrote:
| You can certainly limit your exposure. I switch my walk
| to work to a bus on overly cold days. The first comment
| in this thread literally describes doing this:
|
| > Forget the health benefits, until it warms up I am not
| going to walk anywhere other than to my car. Even that
| can be dangerous at these temperatures.
|
| If you need special equipment, you are not getting people
| to do long walks in winter conditions.
|
| > You can't hibernate all winter.
|
| People reduce all kinds of outdoor activity in winter,
| and depending on where you live you may have spent an
| entire year limiting what you do outside.
| sandworm101 wrote:
| How about the boot sole hardening and then splitting,
| exposing the bottom of the foot with each step? I had
| that happen to a ski boot once.
| JoeAltmaier wrote:
| Anecdata: my sister got off the bus with her 7-yo son as
| rain began to fall. In seconds it was impossible to walk
| on the sidewalk. They resorted to walking on grass lawns,
| then at each driveway she would get her son to crouch and
| she would push him sliding across then run and glide. It
| took an hour to go 2 blocks.
|
| A failure in a traction device (she didn't have any) can
| leave you seriously stranded. Yak trax are very popular,
| but they fail routinely. I carry a spare set in my truck.
|
| The weather is more unpredictable than we can imagine.
| ghaff wrote:
| A few years ago, I got into Montreal just as a light
| freezing drizzle was starting. And something similar. A
| bit later that evening, you could barely walk on the
| sidewalk. And unfortunately neither of us had brought our
| microspikes.
|
| >A failure in a traction device
|
| I have had a microspike fail--fortunately just out my
| door. But it's mostly not the end of the world.
| Especially if you also have a pole you can manage pretty
| well with traction just on one foot under most
| circumstances.
| sandworm101 wrote:
| You might be fine when walking at -31, but much below that a
| fall can be lethal. The snow is different at -40, stiffer and
| more slippery. Slip and knock your head, or simply roll an
| ankle, and the 300 yards to the next door will seem like
| miles. They have cancelled schools. They don't want the kids
| outside waiting for busses.
| upofadown wrote:
| That's not right. At these temperatures even glare ice is
| quite grippy. The snow gets stiff. The only real downside
| si that the snow squeaks when you step on it. It can be
| sort of loud.
| sandworm101 wrote:
| Tell that to my boots. The snow is rock solid. Thier
| treds dont cut in. Whereas a week ago i could walk, now i
| am sliding between biuldings. I walked about 500m between
| biuldings at -42 today. My boots were hardening. By the
| end it felt like walking in ski boots. Very slippery.
| u678u wrote:
| Thats why Canada has so many malls. :)
| slothtrop wrote:
| Bought a treadmill for this reason.
| grecy wrote:
| I lived in Whitehorse, Yukon for 4 years.
|
| Every single day of the year I rode my bike to work, but more
| importantly I took a walk at midday to get sun on my face and
| some fresh air.
|
| The few days I didn't get sun on my face in the winter I
| noticed how grumpy I was later in the day and how horrible I
| felt by the time I got home.
|
| Even at -44C (before wind chill) I loved walking along the
| river, watching the ice twist and turn and eventually breakup.
| I loved having the library as a destination - it was about a
| 10-15 minute walk, then I could hangout inside for 20 minutes
| to checkout books and warm up before the walk back to the
| office.
|
| You'll be fine, just wear the right gear.
| jasonpeacock wrote:
| Ditto. I grew up in Fairbanks, AK, and it was no big deal.
| You just put on the appropriate clothing and kept doing your
| thing.
| throwaway123x2 wrote:
| Good luck trying to muster the courage up to walk in the midwest
| winters I live in. Summer is so amazing here and winter has got
| to be from the pits of hell. No wonder most people have seasonal
| affective disorder.
| qq4 wrote:
| I grew up in the midwest and I always have enjoyed running and
| cycling during frigid weather. No one else is out and usually
| on the coldest days the sun is shining.
| CodeGlitch wrote:
| I'm dreading when the pandemic is over. Having to drive 2 hours a
| day for the commute, being too tired to do anything when I get
| home. Working from home is utter bliss for me. Get to walk once
| or twice a day with my family, whilst still getting in 7-8 hours
| of work.
| d33lio wrote:
| It's incredible to me how much of a difference in incentive to
| walk, even as someone who loves walking, between living in a
| place like Austin and New York City. Sure, climate is a part of
| it, but in New York I never minded taking a walk on a refreshing
| cold day. However, since Austin is so hot all the time and most
| sidewalks are either covered in homeless people or just in
| neighborhoods with far less going on I found that going for a
| drive replaced going for a walk (especially on 100F + days). The
| health implications of this are also pretty interesting. Keep on
| walking folks!
| coyotespike wrote:
| Yeah, depending where you are here in Austin, I feel you.
|
| I'm fortunate to live next to a park, which is nice to walk in.
| I cycle into town rather than walk the 5 miles, though.
|
| This summer I'll try to get out and go for a walk before 8am,
| because like you I don't want to walk after that.
| gkop wrote:
| Get a dog, be happy and healthy.
| torcete wrote:
| This is maybe not the place for an out-of-my-chest comment, but
| some years ago I went trough a painful breakup, and I remember
| that walking was one of the few things that could alleviate the
| emotional pain.
| JoeyJoJoJr wrote:
| This was the same for me during my first serious breakup. The
| only thing that made me feel marginally better was walking
| through my neighbourhood. If it weren't for the hot Australian
| summer and risk of severe sunburn or heatstroke, I probably
| would have just walked nonstop every day.
| em-bee wrote:
| i think this is absolutely the place for your comment. as the
| article suggests, perspective is one of the things you can get
| while walking. that's related to reflection and meditation.
|
| i am sorry for what you had to go through, but i am glad you
| found a way to deal with it and have the courage to share it
| here.
| carabiner wrote:
| Walk the Pacific Crest Trail.
| 11thEarlOfMar wrote:
| My grandfather used to tell the story of getting bored in
| Valparaiso, Indiana one day during the depression and deciding to
| walk to Calgary. Alberta. Canada.
|
| He stopped at farm houses to ask for work, sometimes working for
| shoes. It took him most of a year to get there. Regrettably, I
| neglected to ask how he ever got back to Valparaiso.
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