When I first met Autumn, my Osteopathic Manual Mentor, she recommended walking to help me use her work better and more quickly overcome my knee and foot pain. She explained that a 45-minute walk resets every joint like a Chiropractic appointment. I knew it had taken me more than that much time to drive to and wait for my Chiropractors, so I took her up on the suggestion. I found the most recent news iteration of the benefits of walking to be true. This month the Albany Herald reports the Top 10 Benefits. I absolutely claim these benefits as mine each time I walk. Life just feels more valuable and vibrant. Hint: change up your walking destination or direction to get the full brain/body benefits and avoid the tuning out in the brain's habit zone.
Social Science studies, published in Richard Wiseman's book 59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change A Lot, report that because movement increases the heart rate, people link that physical excitement and endorphins to their walking partner. My marriage improved with the addition of this practice to our family culture a few times a week.
During one of last year's Osteopathic trainings, a 20-minute walk was recommended after a meal to help the Duodenum code food proteins effectively for the Pancreas to better regulate Insulin and Glucose levels. With all the benefits listed by the Albany Herald and many other sources, walking is a great nutritional support.
Walking is now one of the tools in my toolbox, rather than an assignment or a daily lifestyle for me. When I choose it to support digestion, I've just set a 10-minute timer and headed off one direction--returning home to feel more comfortable and confident.
Because we mark walking as such a big maturation step in children, crawling was absolutely counter-intuitive to me until I tried it. Part of the motivation has been the reduced time cost compared to walking--sometimes life gets busy and this tool fits into my schedule a few times a week nicely. The investment of these 10 minutes has both prepared me for physical work and relieved the stress of an active day. The Mayo Clinic's research and the Explore Health Website's reports only reinforced the benefits of this life practice:
In reality, our past can influence our character and certainly defines our experience, however, it is the choice that we have now, the direction that we choose, that has the greatest power and impact. Both walking and crawling will energize and strengthen your strides forward.
