[HN Gopher] How to Walk (12 miles a day)
___________________________________________________________________
How to Walk (12 miles a day)
Author : detcader
Score : 217 points
Date : 2022-05-03 16:07 UTC (6 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (walkingtheworld.substack.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (walkingtheworld.substack.com)
| subroutine wrote:
| I know it's not really the point of this missive, but I average
| right around 12 miles per day at my treadmill desk. So for anyone
| who'd like to multitask their walking and work, I'd highly
| recommend trying it. After about a month the walking bit really
| becomes second nature.
| lacrosse_tannin wrote:
| Can the treadmill go backwards?
| subroutine wrote:
| It can if your standing desk is shaped like a donut; then it
| can go forwards, backwards, and sideways ;)
| rootusrootus wrote:
| I recommend trying a decently long slow walk first. The
| mechanics of walking slowly are not the same as walking at a
| normal pace. Some people get sore, some do not, better to find
| out before spending real money on the walking desk. Or be like
| me, know already from experience walking with slow people that
| I can't walk that slow and not hurt, buy the treadmill desk
| anyway, sell it six months later after giving up.
| subroutine wrote:
| To counter, try standing for a few hours vs. walking slowly
| and you will be surprised that walking is actually easier.
| Humans anatomy seems to prefer walking over standing. It's
| particularly obvious after those long moments where you are
| deep into woking through some code, where you totally forget
| to move for about 20 min. The treadmill takes care of that.
| So if you already bought that standing desk...
|
| https://www.lifespanfitness.com/products/tr1200-dt3-under-
| de...
| rootusrootus wrote:
| I don't disagree at all. I can walk many miles at 3mph. At
| 1.5mph I'll be in pain pretty quickly. But if I _really_
| want to suffer, I 'll stand for a couple hours.
|
| So I don't have a standing desk, either. I primarily sit
| when working at the computer. But every 30-45 minutes I get
| up and go for a stroll, even if just around the yard.
| subroutine wrote:
| Yeah I gotcha. Don't get me wrong, nothing beats sitting
| down to work. It's the best. But with kids I don't have
| time for the gym, and a stroll in the yard wasn't helping
| my growing waistline.
|
| fwiw my walking desk is set to 2.4mph, which seems to be
| the sweet spot between my natural walking speed and a
| pace that I can still comfortably read and type. Pretty
| much a linear ramp up from 1.0mph to 2.4mph over 1 year
| period.
| mrtweetyhack wrote:
| chasd00 wrote:
| i walk a lot, not 12 miles a day, but an above average amount.
| Good shoes and good socks go a long way in keeping your feet
| happy. Also, i have pretty bad posture so i have to make it a
| point to not slouch while walking or else my back or shoulders
| eventually start to ache so be mindful of your posture when
| walking more than 2 or so hrs at a time.
| runjake wrote:
| Based on the author's advice, I downloaded that Overdrive app and
| signed in with my library card.
|
| So far, _every single audiobook_ I want to check out is reserved
| at least 6 months out and more commonly a year out.
|
| Is there some other scheme for borrowing audiobooks? I used to
| subscribe to Audible but it wasn't a very good deal.
| dionidium wrote:
| > _I will end by saying, as a guy, I have never had any problems
| from other people. In all my years walking all over. But that it
| is sadly very very different for women._
|
| He's either only walking in exceptionally safe areas, he's very
| large, or I have a particularly punchable face. I biked every
| road in St. Louis a few years ago, which required biking every
| street in some high-crime neighborhoods. I was frequently made to
| feel uncomfortable. I was never attacked or anything like that,
| but multiple times it was made clear to me that I was where I
| didn't belong. And I was on a bike and could quickly ride away. I
| think I would have had a lot more trouble on foot.
|
| I remember being in a bar once and some guy started trouble with
| me for _no reason_ and my buddy, who is 6 '3'' and 250 pounds did
| not believe that detail, because "nobody would start trouble with
| you for _no_ reason. " To paraphrase Don Draper, "no, nobody
| would start trouble with _you_ for no reason. "
| perardi wrote:
| I am a huge advocate for walking, and I walk a lot, but there
| is a certain biased assumption of safety.
|
| I live in Chicago. I live in a...oh...let's say a gentrifying
| area of Chicago.
|
| I can imagine it would be intimidating to walk around some of
| the areas near me if I was a woman, or presenting as
| female/non-binary, or even a smaller man. _(The non-binary bit
| is not some empty bit of woke, it is also a very LGBT-heavy
| area of town.)_ It's easy to advocate walking, and perhaps easy
| to shrug off alarmism about crime, when you're not likely to be
| the target of harassment or criminality.
|
| Fortunately for me, I am easily the most terrifying creature on
| the street at 4am, and can blithely walk 2 miles to get home
| when Uber prices spike to $40. https://imgur.com/a/QoTzQr6
| devoutsalsa wrote:
| I'm a large man and rarely get harassed. But even I can get
| mugged by the cops in Mexico. When in doubt, stick to well lit
| paths.
| lupire wrote:
| Bike gets a stronger reaction than walking, especially on roads
| without bike lanes.
|
| Bars have aggressive drunks.
| aerostable_slug wrote:
| I would invert your statement and posit you were riding in very
| dangerous areas. Most of the US is very safe compared to St.
| Louis, Chicago, Oakland, Richmond (CA), Detroit, Atlanta, etc.
|
| Don't go to stupid places filled with stupid people doing
| stupid things and you'll likely be okay -- and this includes
| bars after midnight just about anywhere. Nothing good happens
| after midnight, but I digress.
|
| I agree with you that it was a good thing you were on a bike
| and I'm glad you're here to post about it!
| gautamcgoel wrote:
| I'm from Atlanta, and it's interesting to see ATL on this
| list. Does ATL have a reputation as a "rough" city? Not
| offended, just curious.
| exhilaration wrote:
| _Don 't go to stupid places filled with stupid people doing
| stupid things and you'll likely be okay -- and this includes
| bars after midnight just about anywhere. Nothing good happens
| after midnight, but I digress._
|
| I see we both watch the same YouTube channel!
| gautamcgoel wrote:
| Which channel is that?
| ensignavenger wrote:
| I've done a lot of urban walking in a variety of towns. One
| time in a town much smaller and lower crime than St. Louis, I
| had a guy approach me and say "thanks for finding my phone--
| give me my phone!" I was holding my own phone, and I ignored
| the comment and kept walking- at a brisker pace, and watching
| their actions very carefully. I am 90% sure I could have
| defended myself if he had attacked me. I'm a very average sized
| person, if I had been smaller who know what he would have done?
|
| Any way, I agree, its best to always be alert and aware no
| matter where you are and be smart about where you walk, no
| matter what your gender presentation is. There are some crazy
| people in this world.
| kendallpark wrote:
| I had a conversation with a cyclist who grew up in one of those
| "high crime neighborhoods" in St. Louis. He said that he
| received strange looks and comments when he visited his old
| neighborhood with a road bike attached to his car. He belonged;
| the bike did not. I suspect that more-than-casual cycling is a
| cultural oddity in some areas. I'm not sure that walking would
| garner the same reaction.
| cortesoft wrote:
| > I biked every road in St. Louis a few years ago, which
| required biking every street in some high-crime neighborhoods.
|
| He is likely avoiding high-crime neighborhoods. There is a big
| gap between 'exceptionally safe' and 'high-crime'
| neighborhoods. Your average and even below average
| neighborhoods are likely safe for most walkers.
| lnwlebjel wrote:
| > My rule of thumb is to try and aim for consistency, and never
| try to change my total miles walked in a week more than roughly
| 30% a week
|
| I've read suggestions to keep it at about 10% per week to prevent
| injury. And more generally to increase in one dimension only
| (intensity, frequency or duration). Important to know as you get
| older ...
| kendallpark wrote:
| I've gained an appreciation for walking through very roundabout
| means.
|
| For the longest time I found walking even short distances
| insufferably slow and boring. I ride my bike--a lot. The
| distances and durations I cover have grown each year to the point
| that centuries (metric or imperial) are a regular weekend event.
| Boredom is always an issue when you're out for 5+ hours, but
| you'd be surprised at how much your sense of time can change if
| you normalize riding long distances. Interestingly, my mind's
| time-condensation for cycling never translated to walking.
|
| This year I branched out into winter ultra fat biking, which, as
| it turns out, can involve a significant amount of walking. In bad
| snow conditions one can end up pushing a heavy bike for hours at
| a time. The two races I did this winter had their respective all
| time worst course conditions. So, I did a lot of walking.
|
| This spring I've found myself opting walk to the gym and office,
| leaving the bike at home. My mind doesn't count the minutes the
| way it used to. I actually have no sense of how long it takes me
| to get to these places. I suspect the exaggerated stimulus of
| pushing a bike for hours through snow drifts has adapted my
| perception of everyday walking. I would hypothesize that the
| author's 20-mile weekend walks makes their long daily walks more
| doable. If you want to enjoy short regular walks, perhaps it
| would help to go out for a very long and hard walk from time to
| time.
| werber wrote:
| This has been my norm for most of adult life, and I recently
| discovered Chaclas which kinda feel like a cross between
| Birkenstocks and Teva and are a breeze to walk 15 to 20 miles in.
| Highly recommend checking out their sandals
| hombre_fatal wrote:
| Can you link to the sandals you're talking about? Only thing
| that comes up for me are the misspelling of chanclas, the
| generic word for sandals in spanish.
| kingaillas wrote:
| Not the OP, but maybe they meant chacos?
| (https://www.chacos.com/)
|
| I have a pair and as an avid hiker and trail runner... I'm
| not sure I'd walk 15-20 miles in them. I have other better-
| suited footwear for that!
| Qub3d wrote:
| My family is a bit of a Chaco cult. We've climbed 14'ers in
| Colorado in them, my sister wore Chacos under her wedding
| dress, and I unintentionally ended up living and working
| close to the HQ.
|
| I personally have walked 10 miles in a pair, but it was
| pretty casual walking.
|
| Get them on sale, and send them in to get refurbished from
| time-to-time. They are fantastic.
| js2 wrote:
| 12 miles = 19.3 km.
|
| I've been following Tom Turich on Facebook for years now. He's
| just about to finish up his 7 year walk around the world with his
| dog Savannah. I think he was walking around 15-20 miles (24-32
| km) a day, somedays upwards of 30 miles (48 km).
|
| http://theworldwalk.com/
|
| Most updates are on FB, not his web site:
|
| https://www.facebook.com/TheWorldWalk/
|
| Some AMAs he's done over the years:
|
| https://old.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/3m7erz/i_am_tom_turci...
|
| https://old.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/4sheeq/i_am_tom_turci...
|
| https://old.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/al1elx/i_am_tom_turci...
|
| https://old.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/szksev/i_will_soon_be...
|
| The most miles I've done (walking and running) in a day is 105
| (169 km). It was a lot. The world record is 192.252 miles (309.4
| km). Okay, that involved some running.
| pbhjpbhj wrote:
| How many hours walking did you do to go 105mi? I'm finding that
| hard to believe.
|
| 200mi in a day, wow, but what's the record for walking, yours
| has to be close?
| js2 wrote:
| I was a little ambiguous there. It was a 24 hour race around
| a 1.5 mi loop. I completed 105 miles in a combination of
| walking/running, probably about a 50/50 split between the
| two. Stopped only to use the restroom and for shoe/sock
| changes. The race supplied food and drink.
|
| I've also completed 12 hour races (I get to around 62
| miles/100 km), and I've done distance races of 50 miles and
| 100 miles. My best time for 100 miles is 23 hours, but folks
| complete this distance much faster, say 14:23:13:
|
| http://umstead100.org/index.html
|
| http://www.devonyanko.com/news/2022/4/8/umstead-100-race-
| rep...
|
| I don't know if there are 24-hour racewalking competitions,
| but 100 mile racewalks are a thing:
|
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centurion_(racewalking)
| AlbertCory wrote:
| Look up the word _flaneur_ (or _flaneur_ if the accent is a
| problem).
|
| Nessim Nicholas Taleb describes himself as one.
| bmj wrote:
| I highly recommend Rebecca Solnit's book _Wanderlust_. She
| dives into the history of walking, and she spends a chapter on
| notable flaneurs.
| nsxwolf wrote:
| We have a guy in Chicago named Joseph Kromelis. He's been
| walking the city day in and day out since the early 1970s at
| least. All day, every day. Not homeless or mentally ill or
| anything, just likes to walk.
| oneepic wrote:
| I think this article could use a bit more info about protecting
| against injury. For example, I'm sure a podiatrist or physical
| therapist would have a number of things to add about finding a
| good shoe, or insoles/orthotics, or muscles/fascia/IT band/etc
| parts to stretch.
| ArtWomb wrote:
| I'd love to have this freedom. As well as a nice cabin up in the
| Green Mountains of Vermont to explore. But 12mi a day, and you're
| basically a professional hiker for a living when you include prep
| time and post prandial hot tub soaks for recovery ;)
| ajuc wrote:
| There's no prep time for walking.
| ketanmaheshwari wrote:
| Hey I understand the spirit of your message but you don't
| really have to be a professional hiker. The OP says it takes
| three and a half hours to walk 12 miles but could be easily
| squeezed to 3 hours. Then, it could be split. Half of this
| could be done in the morning and the other half in the evening.
|
| I would kindly urge you to consider this and give walking a
| fair try. It made a lot of positive change in my life. Best
| wishes.
| rootusrootus wrote:
| > could be easily squeezed to 3 hours
|
| The fraction of the population that can sustain a 4 mph pace
| comfortably for three hours is probably small. That's a
| pretty good clip. 2.5 to 3 mph is much more realistic.
| mordechai9000 wrote:
| I'm a pretty fast hiker most of the time, and I find that
| my pace almost always works out to 2 mph once I figure in
| breaks and miscellaneous stops or delays. Like fishing out
| sunglasses, taking bio breaks, removing or adding layers,
| or enjoying the view for a few minutes. (Granted we're not
| necessarily talking about hiking.)
| rootusrootus wrote:
| On an unrelated note, this is the one detail that always
| bothered me about the Long Walk. It doesn't seem plausible.
| 2 mph I could believe.
| phendrenad2 wrote:
| Yes. I've been walking for a LONG time and 12 miles takes
| me about 4 hours. That's a lot of time out of your day,
| plus you likely won't have a lot of energy left for errands
| or whatever else needs to be done afterwards.
| windowsrookie wrote:
| You're already talking yourself out of walking and you haven't
| even started. ;)
|
| 12 miles is totally doable, but start with less because you'll
| injure yourself if you don't walk at all now. Even just 15
| minutes of walking is great.
|
| I am more of a bicyclist and luckily there are many trails
| around me. (I don't like riding on the streets) On a nice
| summer day I can easily spend 3 hours riding. If you work a
| full time 9-5, there is still plenty of time in the morning or
| evening to get a few hours of exercise in . (I should take my
| own advice here!)
| comprev wrote:
| I'm a cyclist too and in the recent good weather I've
| averaged about 50km per day (split into morning/evening
| rides) during the week and usually a 70-80km ride one weekend
| day. Making the most of the weather while it lasts!
| daenz wrote:
| I got a portable treadmill in June 2021. I put it under my
| standing desk and walk at a slow/medium most of the day while I
| work. I'm at 723 miles so far.
| SamBam wrote:
| For creative inspirations, or even just thinking through a
| project in your head, a walk outside can be amazing.
|
| What's best is if you can take a full hour-long or more walk, and
| let your mind wander for the majority of it. You don't need to be
| actively thinking the whole time, that can actually defeat the
| purpose of it.
|
| But don't let the great be the enemy of the good, if all you can
| take is 15 minutes, and you need to be thinking the whole time,
| do that instead.
| balaji1 wrote:
| Great article hashing out the details of implementing regular
| long walks as a habit.
|
| However, it would be cool if there was a way to get paid for
| walking. That would motivate a lot more people, even if it is
| minimal pay. Walk-to-earn crypto game anyone?
| onemoresoop wrote:
| Walking is great for your general health, so in a way you're
| getting paid in health credits.
| darrenf wrote:
| Sweatcoin are launching a token later this year.
| https://sweatco.in/
| mr_november wrote:
| Check out https://www.stepn.com/
| dinkleberg wrote:
| What service does you walking generate for others that they
| should pay you to do it?
|
| As a daily walker, I have to say it is its own reward.
| balaji1 wrote:
| agree that walking is a reward in itself. I should have
| phrased it as - "more people would walk more if they were
| rewarded more tangibly". Friendly competition might
| incentivize more people to walk. Just some thoughts since the
| article is trying to encourage more people to walk.
| nradov wrote:
| Some fitness tracker apps and websites such as Garmin
| Connect have monthly challenges for walking steps or
| distance. They allow you to challenge your friends and
| track progress.
| dinkleberg wrote:
| I wasn't very charitable with my interpretation there,
| you're right incentivizing more people to walk is
| definitely a good a thing.
|
| I think a lot of the smartwatches have done a decent job at
| that, though there of course is the overhead to buy and
| wear one of them.
|
| But even as someone who has been getting daily exercise for
| at least a decade now and doesn't need encouragement, the
| little awards my Apple Watch gives me for hitting my
| targets feels good.
| tailsdog wrote:
| > However, it would be cool if there was a way to get paid for
| walking.
|
| Dog walker
| rootusrootus wrote:
| Figure out how to convince coworkers to schedule all meetings
| during a specific 3 hour window each day, perhaps.
|
| On my walks I regularly see a guy who seems to either be doing
| exactly that, or he just has meetings all day. I've never gone
| past him when he wasn't chatting away on a phone meeting.
| balaji1 wrote:
| that's smart. We always had 1:1s where we would just step out
| and walk. In a way, it forced 1:1s to be 30 mins long. Now
| 1:1s have become "you can have 15 mins back in your day" lol.
| 1:1s can definitely be done walking, even if some of the
| other meetings can't be.
| wmeredith wrote:
| Not outright payment, but there have been many efforts over the
| years to capture walking energy. One example I found after a
| quick search: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-
| environment-30816255
| stevesearer wrote:
| After walking to and from work for 5 years along the same route,
| I found that I prefer walking without listening to anything on
| headphones.
|
| Just thinking increases awareness of my surroundings, allows me
| time to process existing thoughts as opposed to consuming more
| inputs, and connects me to the people I would inevitably see on a
| semi-regular basis.
|
| Personally, I have found that 1 hour + is a good threshold to aim
| for for some really quality thinking. After about an hour I've
| already processed normal stuff about family or work and have
| moved on to deeper topics.
| danielvaughn wrote:
| When I lived in NYC, my commute was about 45 minutes. As much
| as everyone hates long commutes, I found that to be a very
| ideal amount of time to decompress from work. It's different
| when you don't have to drive; standing or sitting on a train is
| much more relaxing.
| agumonkey wrote:
| Driving is very stressful, and inherently risky (most people
| a cramped up in their car). Also, 45 minutes of walk is near
| ideal to get endorphins (AFAIK).
|
| I try to double fork my commute, either explore some new path
| or do some groceries so the 45minutes are not just
| walk/train.
|
| Right now I do bike - train - bike (but, surprisingly, trains
| are unreliable this month .. they're the one making me late
| :)
| mrtweetyhack wrote:
| SnowHill9902 wrote:
| It's a mental interregno.
| FpUser wrote:
| I do 2 hours of activity per day (cycling, walking, swimming,
| etc). More in a summer. Since in winter it is more or less
| routine I just work when I do it. Usually solve some design /
| programming / planning task which I will implement later when
| at my desk. Over many years it has become a habit. Sometimes
| when I come back home for a walk I can't remember a thing about
| outside because my legs were doing on work and the brain was
| busy with the other.
| munificent wrote:
| _> allows me time to process existing thoughts as opposed to
| consuming more inputs_
|
| This can't be stressed enough.
|
| With phones and the Internet today, most of us consume way more
| information than we have time to really process, organize, and
| reflect on. It's like we do a shopping spree every single day
| and never spend any time in our house unpacking any of the
| grocery bags. Our minds are a chaotic mess of piled up worries,
| news, unmade decisions, etc.
|
| Walking (without audiobooks or other media) is the single best
| solution I've found to give my brain the idle time it needs to
| run a defrag and work through that backlog.
| flybrand wrote:
| I've gotten to this same point recently too. Cut down on the
| bonus time - get more music, more silence.
| balaji1 wrote:
| There is a benefit of re-listening to certain audiobooks,
| lectures or podcasts. If there was a sophisticated way to
| just have content on-repeat, that would be cool. New content
| all the time is over-consumption, while repeating could be
| used for learning.
|
| Also if walking alone, people should try calling friends and
| family. It's a great way to reconnect and stay connected with
| friends. Handsfree, heads up, it's good fun. I also feel much
| more chatty when on a walk.
|
| Anyway, walking commutes are the best.
| [deleted]
| serial_dev wrote:
| What I like to do sometimes is spend the first 10-ish minutes
| listening to a book or podcast to plant some ideas, then let
| these ideas percolate, let my mind wander, and if I get to
| somewhere interesting and actionable, I take a note.
| mmmpop wrote:
| Same. I start with a book/podcast and if my mind likes it,
| I keep it on. But often my mind wanders (may it be a
| distraction or inspiration from whatever it is in my
| headphones) and I'll go ahead and operate sans audio.
| mgfist wrote:
| I just do whatever I feel like on that particular walk. I'd
| say 40/20/40 on whether I want to listen to a
| podcast/audiobook, listen to music or walk in silence.
| farleykr wrote:
| This is an excellent articulation. I've read dozens of books
| and articles about the cons of using technology too much and
| it's never quite clicked like it did when I read your
| shopping analogy. Maybe it has something to do with the fact
| that you're a stranger on the internet and I don't have any
| underlying worries about your stance being motivated by
| selling books or building an audience on social media.
| dkersten wrote:
| I agree completely.
|
| I used to listen to music and stuff a lot while walking or even
| commuting but a few years ago I decided to give up on most idle
| listening, preferring to listen to music or podcasts with
| intent now: eg to enjoy some music, not just passively.
|
| I used to walk a lot (I still walk a good bit but because I
| work from home I don't walk to work each day anymore) and I
| found the quiet time to be the best time to come up with
| solutions to problems, to reflect on my life or day, to just
| wind down and switch off, to enjoy nature (when I walk to walk,
| as opposed to walking to reaching a destination, I typically
| walk along a river near my home). I think we are overstimulated
| far far too much and some quiet time and boredom is good for
| the brain and certainly it's good for creativity.
| lupire wrote:
| > > process existing thoughts as opposed to consuming more
| inputs
|
| > I agree completely.
|
| > preferring to listen to music or podcasts with intent now:
| eg to enjoy some music, not just passively.
|
| That's the opposite of what parent suggested.
| stevesearer wrote:
| How I read what they wrote is that instead of mindlessly
| listening to anything just to listen to something as the
| default, they prefer to instead be selective if they decide
| to listen to something.
| stevesearer wrote:
| When you set out do you have a mental agenda or do you find
| that your mind gravitates toward worthwhile topics once
| you're walking?
|
| I'm more a mind wanderer, though for a season I tried to
| mentally prepare myself for the transition from being at a
| controlled work environment to walking into a house with two
| young kids at the end of the day.
| bradlys wrote:
| > Personally, I have found that 1 hour + is a good threshold to
| aim for for some really quality thinking. After about an hour
| I've already processed normal stuff about family or work and
| have moved on to deeper topics.
|
| I find this kinda pointless for myself. Most of the time I just
| revisit the same subjects over and over and come to the same
| conclusions no matter how I try to solve it. Once I'm done with
| the menial tasks - the "deeper" topics just make me upset to
| think about because they make me realize how hopelessly fucked
| I am. I'd rather not focus on that and instead do a bit of
| hedonism while I can.
| stonewashed wrote:
| This, very much. I need to keep myself distracted, otherwise
| I get very upset.
| TedDoesntTalk wrote:
| Look up "walking mediation" and try it.
| stevesearer wrote:
| Interesting, the way I think I think while walking/hiking is
| much less wrestling one specific topic to come to a
| conclusion and more bouncing around between many things.
| Maybe I don't even really conclude things but instead just
| move an idea along.
| uuyi wrote:
| Been hiking for a long time and do really long hikes.
| Eventually an epiphany or moment of self realisation will
| appear out of the blue. I had one at the weekend which was
| somewhat life changing.
| squidbot wrote:
| I used to be an avid walker, at least an hour a day back and
| forth to work, and long walks with the dogs around my home (lucky
| to live in a beautiful area in the PNW with close beaches and
| lots of trees, so plenty to enjoy.) I've been walking since I was
| a kid, as it was the only way to get back and forth to school and
| town growing up in the Berkeley hills. Though I resented it as a
| kid, I grew in to loving walks.
|
| I've been developing severe osteoarthritis in my knees over the
| last decade since I hit my 40's, and now it's so bad, I'm unable
| to walk more than about 10 minutes. It's had a tremendous
| negative impact on my physical and mental health, especially as
| it was coincident with the pandemic. I've "replaced it" with
| biking, but for some reason, it just doesn't do as much for me as
| walking did. I've gained about 30 pounds, I'm tired all the time,
| and for the first time ever, feeling a little blue now and then
| and not doing other things I used to enjoy (very mild though, my
| wife has major depression and mine is a blip comparatively.) I
| guess I'm a living testament to how important walking is.
|
| I like the timing of this article for myself. On the bright side,
| I'm getting one of my knees replaced next week, and the other
| hopefully in 6 months if recovery goes well. I am really looking
| forward to daily walks again and getting back to that healthy
| place I was in for so long!
| golemiprague wrote:
| bubblecheck wrote:
| I've walked about 12-15 miles a day for >2 months now, while
| homeless. I found myself unable to perform manual labor on top of
| the walking for any sustained amount of time. Extended fatigue
| takes over.
|
| For a sedentary/desk job, I suspect that maintaining this
| quantity of walking daily would be feasible, and beneficial, long
| term.
| volforix wrote:
| I have roughly the same routine. However, I have been lucky to
| have two additional components on many occasions: * Super
| interesting conversations with my walking comrades. * LSD /
| mushrooms / MDMA. Apart from doing garbage collection on my
| subconscious psychedelics make thinking and talking much more
| fulfilling and satisfactory.
| [deleted]
| kevingadd wrote:
| During my time as a producer at a game studio, the office was
| located in a little business park surrounded by grass and rivers
| and small lakes, with lots of wildlife and some hiking trails. We
| had a tradition of going out on walks every day before/after
| lunch, usually a couple loops around the park. I made a point of
| going every time because I found that lots of conversations would
| happen naturally during the walk and some of them helped me
| identify process issues that weren't being addressed or discussed
| yet - the sorts of things that people were afraid to complain
| about in meetings because it would make them seem like a whiner.
| woliveirajr wrote:
| Sometimes getting out of the loop and going to a coffee, to a
| walk, or anything that just makes you leave the building but
| keep talking with coleagues can make wonders for productivity.
| KineticLensman wrote:
| > I found that lots of conversations would happen naturally
| during the walk and some of them helped me identify process
| issues that weren't being addressed or discussed yet
|
| I stepped up to a line manager role (to cover someone for
| maternity leave) so that I was suddenly line-managing my peers.
| We had always gone for walks at lunchtime and we very quickly
| evolved the convention that conservations during the walk were
| with 'old me' vs those in the office that were with 'manager-
| me'. This allowed me to vent as well, given that we all a
| fairly cynical non-corporate bunch.
| ajuc wrote:
| I started walking regularly (averages to about 9km a day) over a
| year ago. It transformed my life.
|
| I was walking a little bit before, but not regularly. Since I
| started doing it every day I lost 35 kg and got much happier. I
| just can't continue to be angry about anything after walking for
| 1 hour with a good book on the headphones.
|
| Now I'm usually doing about 5-10 km on work days and 20-35 km on
| free days. I skip if the weather is bad but it's rare.
|
| I agree that sometimes it's better not to listen to anything -
| you can recognize these days by the fact you don't actually
| listen to the stuff on the headphones. Then I just turn it off or
| put some instrumental music instead.
| TrevorJ wrote:
| Taking walks with friends or colleagues is a vastly underrated
| activity and leads to some great conversations.
| layer8 wrote:
| I always have the problem that I can either focus on the
| conversation or on the environment, but not both. When I
| concentrate on the conversation, I completely blind out my
| surroundings. Trying to repeatedly switch between both is
| exhausting.
| stevesearer wrote:
| It is interesting how much more natural a side-by-side walking
| conversation feels than a sit-across-the-table coffee shop
| conversation.
| zdragnar wrote:
| I had a manager who (back when we were office workers) liked
| to do outdoor walking 1-on-1 meetings. TBH, I really disliked
| it, but not enough to ask to stay indoors. I found the noise
| and sights rather distracting.
| vladvasiliu wrote:
| It's true, but in a busy city environment, you're pretty much
| forced to form pairs. Because of the noise, it's very hard to
| hear what the person on the other side is saying.
| TrevorJ wrote:
| It definitely makes the situation feel a lot lower pressure
| to me. After all, the chief activity is taking a hike/walk,
| so if the conversation lulls it never feels awkward and
| there's always something new to see and remark on.
| ChrisMarshallNY wrote:
| I walk 3 miles, each morning (takes about 50 min).
|
| Here's a useful tool, for planning routes. A friend wrote it:
| https://apps.apple.com/us/app/easyroute/id605127860
| theuri wrote:
| It's also easy to hit this goal with a treadmill desk ;)
| at_a_remove wrote:
| I was thinking of taking up walking again, despite getting
| stopped by police more than I would really like.
|
| But I considered getting some kind of MP3 player and have gone
| down the bizarre rabbit hole of trying to find out if those even
| exist now, do they use .m3u playlists, and so forth. I haven't
| had as much time to listen to my music and I am not a user of
| streaming services (I want to listen to what I want to listen to,
| rather than some kind of firehose of what someone else decides
| via algorithm), so this would be a nice time to do it.
| twodave wrote:
| If you don't mind going with Bluetooth headphones, there are
| many watches out there that'll store mp3s and playlists on
| them. Kill several birds with one stone and get a nice Garmin
| that'll also track vitals, map your hike, and measure your pace
| along with being able to play music and listen to audiobooks ;)
| otikik wrote:
| They make it more difficult than they should, but you can
| totally copy mp3 files in your Android or iphone and use a
| regular mp3 player app to listen to your own music. Most phones
| these days have space to spare.
| winrid wrote:
| Advice: Get out and walk at least once a day, and try to look at
| things far away once in a while. Otherwise, if you're just
| staying inside as a resulting habbit of Covid, you can give
| yourself pseudomyopia (temporary near-sightedness) which can be
| scary (source: happened to me recently).
| markus_zhang wrote:
| I used to ride bicycle with my friend a few times every week 10
| years ago. Now it's a distant dream. Both of us have families and
| full time job so barely getting enough sleep. Weekends are
| usually spent on chores or personal projects that never get
| finished.
|
| Those were the good days.
| kjs3 wrote:
| Amen brother. I walk about an hour a day, most every day, and
| do some light weights. It's the perfect amount of clear-your-
| head-and-think time for me, and makes me feel tons better. But
| it's a tradeoff about what doesn't get done (or that I push off
| on my wife & family) because I do it. The theme some folks in
| this thread are pushing that "oh, just take 3-4 hours a
| day...no big deal anyone can do that...you have nothing more
| important to do" is seriously defective.
| markus_zhang wrote:
| Exactly. It's always trade off. I actually don't spend a lot
| of time on my kid because my parents are helping a lot. That
| will change in a year or so and I'd have even less time. Just
| hope he can sleep throughout the night without waking up so
| that we can grab more sleep.
| Mikeb85 wrote:
| I'm a big fan of walking (or hiking). So much that I moved to a
| mountain town.
|
| For one, creative inspiration often comes to me while walking.
| Second, it beats sitting on a couch. If you need added
| stimulation, go with a walking partner or listen to a podcast.
| Plus health benefits (not going to say it's an amazing workout
| depending on intensity but it's better than being sedentary) and
| it's fun.
|
| Yes, it takes time. Sometimes you don't have time. That's ok. It
| doesn't have to be _every_ day. But it 's something you can do
| with kids, parents, colleagues, by yourself, etc...
| tibbar wrote:
| I also love taking long walks on the weekends! I've ramped up
| over time to around 35 mile walks. I always take the same route,
| over the Golden Gate bridge and back. With this distance there is
| a heightened risk of repetitive stress injury, but you can help
| by increasing distance slowly and doing simple foot/ankle
| exercises during the week. Besides the potential for listening to
| music/podcasts, it's also a great time to call friends who may
| live in other places.
|
| Unlike the author, I do wear a backpack. I really like having all
| the stuff I might want with me, from snacks to Gatorade to
| jackets, etc.
|
| It can be very meditative as well. If you walk quietly for
| several hours, just focusing on breathing and walking, you can be
| in (almost) another state of consciousness by the time you get
| back.
| mseidl wrote:
| Get a dog! I have a high energy dog, we're out for 3x a day for
| 45-60 minutes.
| icpmacdo wrote:
| I walked 100km in one day(22 hours) around Vancouver last month
| for fun, its feels strange have walking develop into a deep
| hobby.
| throwpp034578 wrote:
| I would like to read instructions on how to walk -- on the act
| itself.
|
| Sure I have been walking for most of my life, but how do I make
| sure that I walk with a good posture, without slouching, without
| _looking_ weird /with confidence/grace/poise/or whatever
| adjective is appropriate.
|
| I'm sure there are people who walk better than me and I'd like to
| learn how to do so.
| entropie wrote:
| Easy to accomplish (at least for me). One word: Dog. I walk daily
| 90 minutes at least. There was a time (and another dog, but thats
| not the reason) where it was more like 120-200 minutes a day
| outside. I live in a fairly populated town in east Germany. We
| have a solid forest and lots of lakes around. Its great and like
| 20 years+ later I know most of them, but not all.
|
| My coworker and I worked like a year together at my place. He
| came around, we drank a coffee together and started working. Like
| 3-4 hours later, depending on schedule, we took a good 60
| minutes+ walk with my dog. We talked project related things
| sometimes, but it felt never like "we have to talk about work",
| We were kind of friends so we had lots of other topics. Then back
| at my place we continued for 2,3 or even 5 hours. We had no
| issues stopping after 2 hours, but did often way more. We were
| _very_ productive.
|
| We were a good match, but those breaks outside enjoying life
| (forced by my habits to go at least 60minutes outside with the
| dog) helped a lot not burning out and making room in the brain.
| rhodysurf wrote:
| I am similar and walk my dog for about an hour before and
| another hour after work every day. It's amazing how much you
| can think through with dedicated time and space to do so, not
| to mention physical health benefits
| perardi wrote:
| A dog is also great for motivating you to get outside during
| bad weather.
|
| Well. I suppose not _all_ dogs. But get yourself some retriever
| mutt monster, and strap on those snow boots.
|
| https://imgur.com/a/E8bPE5h
| abyssin wrote:
| Such a lovely story. Thanks for sharing!
| mleonhard wrote:
| I walk about 3 miles a day. I'm interested in trying sandals +
| socks. I'm concerned about exposure to MOAH substances in
| Vaseline. Is there a good alternative to vaseline? Shea butter?
|
| Do the Teva XLT2 sandals provide enough shock absorption for
| walking on concrete?
| metadat wrote:
| Thanks, I'd never heard of MOAH (mineral-oil saturated /
| aromatic hydrocarbons). Scary stuff..
| lkrubner wrote:
| Most days I walk home from work. I'm up on 98th st, Upper West
| Side, work is down in Soho. It's about 8 kilometers direct, or I
| can go up the east side, then wander across Central Park, and
| make it 9 kilometers, or even 10 kilometers.
| shimonabi wrote:
| I walk 2 km a day with my dog through a golf course, usually at
| dusk. I sell the golf balls for coffee money.
| ijustwanttovote wrote:
| Instead of walking, I bike.
| layer8 wrote:
| > Now that I am close to sixty, this is a really big deal, and
| partly why I walk. It is the least injury-prone exercise.
|
| I'd say biking is (in the right environment). It's certainly
| easier on the knees than walking.
| Johnny555 wrote:
| Though biking for older people is probably more risky in the
| event of a fall.
|
| Also, walking is weight bearing exercise, which is supposed to
| be better for bone strength.
| pluc wrote:
| Get a dog that requires exercise to not be an asshole. I have two
| Weimaraners, for example.
| timerol wrote:
| I find the anti-backpack mindset interesting, because I started
| urban walking after getting wilderness backpacking experience. I
| can't imagine walking around without a daypack, and I often bring
| it with me even when it's empty. On my morning commute today it
| held a Kindle, a spare set of headphones, and a plastic bag for
| when I buy more groceries than can fit in the pack. I'm probably
| not going to use any of those before I get home, though.
|
| Backpacks are magic for longer trips. Food, water, coffee, all go
| in. Unsure about the weather? Layers layers layers, all in the
| pack. I also use LL Bean's PrimaLoft Packaway (I own two, one
| black and one orange), and have a shell for rainy/snowy weather.
| Unless it's both cold and rainy, one of the two goes in the
| backpack.
|
| I've also never worried much about pocket preferences on my
| shorts and pants. I instead care about pockets on my packs. My
| current big pack is an Osprey Exos 58 (but the newer version
| doesn't have hip belt pockets or a shoulder strap pocket), and my
| daypack is an REI Flash 22 (with easily accessible side pockets,
| and a top pocket that you can reach with an awkward shoulder
| movement).
|
| Edit: The big floppy hat comment was absolutely spot-on
| saiya-jin wrote:
| I am coming from same path as you describe - hiker to the core.
| Be it 2 hours or 3 weeks in himalaya. That's my past 14 years
| of life described (with some climbing, ski touring and few
| other sports on top, but this is the solid base).
|
| I have 2 small kids now, and they are really not in best shape
| for long hikes or anything more extreme. Son on baby backpack
| would be 20 kilos without any further equipment/food required.
|
| So I switched to long evening walks during work week after they
| go sleep. 2-3h, up to 10km. Luckily there are some nice options
| around me, so I try to variate things a bit every time, join
| things in loops and so on. Often music in the ears, very dark,
| walking in the forests where path surface is not really
| visible, rather than just very weak line and I trust my feet
| (and know the surface is not really tricky since I walked it
| 100x already).
|
| Walking fast, as fast as my legs allow it for prolonged time
| (one gets this sense after some time spent doing it, pushing
| oneself too much is very bad idea). Also not fan of backpacks
| for this, rather stuffing pockets of jacket with everything
| required.
|
| Its magical, clears head, tons of ideas come to me, for family,
| work, anything. Sometimes I struggle to write it all down and
| not forget anything. Sometimes smoking a bit of weed which
| makes this process more smooth. One activity that keeps such
| previously-active person as me still sane, even if kids
| sometimes try hard to push me the other way.
| mikepurvis wrote:
| My bike commute to work used to be this time for me, though
| it was pretty short by the clock (25mins each way), and
| obviously was lost with the pandemic/WFH. In the last few
| months I've reclaimed that space somewhat with recreational
| evening walks, and that's been really great-- sometimes with
| a friend, often on my own, usually in silence. Currently
| these are around 40-60mins, but your post is for sure
| inspiring me to step that up.
|
| I'm a fan of the small backpack when I'm out with my kids,
| particularly for a water bottle, tubs of snacks, a place to
| put that pinecone they found, etc. But just me? A wallet and
| phone in my pants pockets is more than enough.
| bmj wrote:
| I cannot deal when a backpack when the temperature is above 65
| degrees Fahrenheit, for the very reason Arnade gives -- a
| sweaty back. I've been using a Nittany Mountain Works fanny
| pack on bike rides recently (the larger model will carry A5
| notebooks, which is plenty big for my non-work commuting since
| I'm remote full time now). I guess I will still deal with a
| sweaty lower back, but that's better than my entire back.
|
| That said, I agree with you -- I could imagine walking (or
| riding) with stuff in my pockets.
| skrtskrt wrote:
| Cross body bags are a nice midpoint between a backpack size
| and a fanny pack size and they don't sit on your back causing
| sweat - I got an adidas one for like $30 and I can easily fit
| a 32oz water bottle a folded light jacket plus other small
| things.
| hombre_fatal wrote:
| That's the cocaine dealer uniform where I live.
| jasonhansel wrote:
| In my experience, when you go on very long (10-20mi) walks in
| hot weather, you need a backpack even more, since you have to
| carry around large amounts of water (either in water bottles
| or in one of those hydration pack things).
|
| Biking is different, of course--you're not outside for as
| long (at least for a given number of miles), and you can
| store your water bottles on the bike itself.
| cheeze wrote:
| Getting a good hiking pack designed to sit off of your back a
| bit was a godsend to me. I'm with you that I won't carry one
| if it's hot out, but I'll gladly carry a smaller pack all the
| time otherwise.
|
| Fanny packs are sweet, except the part where you're wearing a
| fanny pack.
| lupire wrote:
| Spin it around so it's not on your fanny (or is, pending
| what side of the pond you are on) and it will be less
| offensive to bigots.
| bmj wrote:
| _Fanny packs are sweet, except the part where you 're
| wearing a fanny pack._
|
| Yes, my teenagers were shocked and appalled when they saw
| it, and made me promise I would only wear it while on the
| bike.
| brimble wrote:
| > Fanny packs are sweet, except the part where you're
| wearing a fanny pack.
|
| Hear me out:
|
| Sport coats. (edit: and blazers)
|
| Very light linen ones for hot days, which keep sun off your
| skin without really making you hotter. Cooler days, break
| out the wool.
|
| All those extra pockets are wonderful. Grab some thin old
| mass-market genre paperbacks and discover why they made
| them that size :-)
|
| They're like purses for men, that you can wear instead of
| carry, and that make you look better. Similar storage
| capacity to a fanny pack, I'd say. Maybe a little more.
| codazoda wrote:
| I'm so tempted to try this. I never wear a sport coat.
| Well, unless I'm in a suit, which is a couple times a
| year if I'm unlucky.
|
| I wear a short sleeve polyester t-shirt in black. I own a
| dozen of them, all identical, and wear them most days. My
| wife hates it.
|
| The black is not good on very hot days. It's surprising
| how much difference a light color makes. But, I can't
| seem to keep light stuff clean.
|
| I don't know if I could stand my arms in a sport coat,
| but I guess it's no different from a regular jacket in
| the winter.
| billfruit wrote:
| May be a drawstring shoe bag could work, but usually they
| have lesser carrying capacity than a full backpack.
| technofiend wrote:
| >I can't imagine walking around without a daypack
|
| Depends on how hot and humid it is outside. Even in breathable
| clothing like Nike Dryfit or any of the thousand knockoffs, in
| 90+ degrees, high humidity weather, a backpack blocks
| perspiration evaporating off. It literally becomes a hot spot
| on your back. He did have one tip I don't entirely agree with
| to use Vaseline, but instead I use Glide just because I don't
| care for the consistency of petroleum jelly. Although he
| mentions long sleeves shirts and a hat with neck guard, he said
| nothing explicitly about skin or eye protection; people in the
| sun day after day should be wearing polarizing lenses and high
| SPF clothing along with sun screen.
| [deleted]
| mleonhard wrote:
| Clear safety glasses block UV as well as tinted & polarizing
| sunglasses.
| technofiend wrote:
| Nice! Good tip. Anything to prevent the advance of macular
| degeneration and cataracts. [1] Maybe that's not settled
| science - not sure - but it's a cheap preventative. And
| it's settled enough at least that good sunglasses can be
| purchased through some FSA/HSAs.
|
| [1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21617534/
| clumsysmurf wrote:
| Even during monsoon season in AZ, I still find an all-mesh
| marathon vest like Ultimate Direction Marathon Vest V2 plenty
| comfortable. I put my phone, flashlight, ID, hand sanitizer,
| tweezers (for cactus thorns) and keys in it. If I need to I
| can also put something like a Patagonia Houdini in it for
| windy / light precip.
| nahmean wrote:
| Perhaps an odd thing to ask, but what are you packing in your
| backpack for coffee? That sounds lovely, but between the need
| for hot water, the subpar quality of most powdered coffees,
| etc, it has seemed out of reach.
| timerol wrote:
| For day trips I brew coffee at home and carry it in a vacuum
| insulated bottle. The bottle smells like coffee even after
| cleaning, so I have one that I always use for the task.
|
| For multi-day trips I already have a small camping stove (MSR
| PocketRocket or an alcohol stove), and I pack instant coffee.
| I heavily prioritize saving weight on longer trips, so I
| generally drink my coffee out of the same light plastic bowl
| that I just ate oatmeal out of, which doubles as a decent way
| to clean the bowl.
| exhilaration wrote:
| Not the OP but I take every opportunity to brag about my
| Zojirushi SM-KHE insulated mug. I use mine every day -- cold
| coffee and tea are a thing of the past.
|
| I have several friends that really like their Fellow Carter
| Everywhere mugs if you want an alternative.
| tobylane wrote:
| Is the spare set of headphones in addition to another on you,
| or secondary to the ones left at home?
| timerol wrote:
| In addition to the ones I had in my ears. It's not a normal
| thing for me to carry. I had thought I lost a pair of
| earbuds. I keep an extra set of cheap headphones at home, so
| I put them in my backpack. And then it turned out my main
| earbuds were in my jacket pocket, so now I'm carrying two
| pairs until I get home tonight.
| eternalban wrote:
| I take my backpack [1] on my daily 1.5+ walk. Typically, with
| just an iPad, and a water bottle, but when I get to the
| destination in SoHo (Manhattan) it gets stuffed with fresh
| baked Bagguete, and some other minor daily grocery etc.
|
| [1]: https://projektco.com/products/gravy-silverado (can't
| recommend this high enough.)
| astrobe_ wrote:
| As for safety, always look left and right when you cross, just
| like how your were probably taught as a child, _really_. Because
| of today 's rise of mostly silent electric vehicles, and because
| of drivers distracted by phones sometimes, you should not cross
| "by hear", if it ever was a good idea (I used to do that), _even
| if you have the green light_. Be extra cautious if a large truck
| or bus blocks your view. Remove your headset /earphones in high
| traffic environments.
|
| The author mentions other (hostile) people as a potential
| problem, one could also mention wild animals or straight dogs in
| urban environments. I had a couple of encounters with lost dogs
| myself, thankfully they were not hostile. Advice on how to behave
| from "pros" would be welcome.
| swayvil wrote:
| Gay dogs, otoh, are generally friendly.
| imoverclocked wrote:
| Strike another win for auto-corrupt.
| _Algernon_ wrote:
| What's corrupt about happy dogs?
| aaaaaaaaaaab wrote:
| >As for safety, always look left and right when you cross
|
| * or right and left, if you're in the UK
| nicky0 wrote:
| or Ireland, Australia, NZ, South Africa, Malta, Cyprus,
| Kenya...
| hanoz wrote:
| Or as we were taught, by Batman, _" Look right, look left,
| look right again"_.
|
| https://youtu.be/_awciO_uFdc
| stevesearer wrote:
| Another benefit of regular walking is that you grow more
| attentive and courteous to pedestrians when you are driving.
| imoverclocked wrote:
| So much this; It's really easy to be upset at others for not
| conforming to your expectations in a car. Stepping into
| another mode of transportation (walking/cycling/even a
| different kind of motor-vehicle) can do a lot to expand your
| awareness of others constraints.
| chasd00 wrote:
| watch the freaking turning lane like a hawk too. I got hit by a
| police car, of all things, once because he was turning and just
| didn't see me. I had to do the whole ninja roll across the hood
| and off the other side. I wasn't injured too bad, just a sprung
| wrist.
| ketanmaheshwari wrote:
| I would add that absolutely do not cross if a car has stopped
| at a stop sign UNLESS you have an explicit signal from the
| driver. Most drivers have an almost instinctual stop & go at
| such stop signs and not in response to seeing a pedestrian.
| Always wait for the driver to see you and have a nod with them
| so you are sure they have stopped for you.
| Zircom wrote:
| My girlfriend used to smirk and roll her eyes at me when I
| would stop and stare at drivers and wave to them when we
| would cross in front of them at crosswalks and stop signs and
| wait for them to wave back, until someone almost ran us over
| the one time I didn't. Now she's a waver like me.
| ensignavenger wrote:
| And even then, you have to be careful of the cars behind
| them. Was crossing at a cross walk once- the first car
| stopped to let me cross- the car behind them swerved around
| them and blew through the cross walk- at about the time I
| would have been there, had I not been paying close attention
| and stopped!
| stjohnswarts wrote:
| I always do this anyway. I figure if they're stopped I can be
| decent and let them go, I'm usually not in any hurry when I'm
| out walking, no reason to hold up the person in the car and
| like you said it's much safer.
| smm11 wrote:
| Put one foot in front of the other.
| sophacles wrote:
| Pretty sure thats a good way to trip and fall. Need some
| variation on the other axes too.
| gandalfff wrote:
| I've thought about incorporating such long walks into my
| lifestyle but I'm not certain the benefits add up. Definitely a
| fun idea though!
| sleepdreamy wrote:
| Elaborate on 'I'm not certain the benefits add up'
| rootusrootus wrote:
| My interpretation is that GP is observing that the benefits
| do not scale linearly. Most of the exercise benefit happens
| after a relatively short walk. The extra two hours a day for
| a long walk is expensive in time, but doesn't multiply the
| benefits 3x.
| gandalfff wrote:
| Exactly this! Thank you for explaining this better than I
| did.
| e_y_ wrote:
| Walking is nice in that it's low-impact, although it's
| probably much more time-efficient to do a shorter, higher
| intensity exercise like running. (Saying this as someone
| who primarily walks and never runs)
| paulcole wrote:
| He wants to have done it but needs an excuse to keep from
| doing it.
| iso1631 wrote:
| Do you do any exercise at all?
| gandalfff wrote:
| Yes, I walk/run, but not this far.
| pugworthy wrote:
| Last year I used the CityStrides website to track and walk
| every street in my town. All told about 385 miles or so.
|
| Some changes I've noticed since doing this are listed below.
| Not that they are earth shattering, but just a few things I've
| observed.
|
| * My resting heart rate fell by about 5 BPM.
|
| * I can now run and walk in my dreams and rarely have the "legs
| in molasses" thing (if you know what I mean).
|
| * I now wear trail running shoes all the time - a total shift
| from the old Birkenstock and whatever shoes I wore for years
| before.
|
| * My town has a number of fun, curious little sidewalk
| shortcuts between neighborhoods that I did not know about. They
| aren't secret, just not obvious at all.
| BiteCode_dev wrote:
| 5bpm is earth shattering for longevity and general health.
| gandalfff wrote:
| These are good reasons! Thank you for the motivation.
| stevesearer wrote:
| Getting to know the area you live is a great reason to start
| walking.
|
| One of my favorite things to find in Santa Barbara are old
| concrete stamps marking which company/contractor poured that
| section of sidewalk. Often these are 100+ years old. I've
| currently found ~25-30 different ones.
| mwint wrote:
| > I can now run and walk in my dreams and rarely have the
| "legs in molasses" thing
|
| I know exactly what you mean. That's fascinating that it went
| away with more walking; maybe the brain is now better able to
| "simulate" walking?
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