I love walking and I have a great stride, honed from years of trying to keep up with my tall dad as a child.
A daily walk is nearly non-negotiable for me. It keeps me relatively fit and I can almost feel smug about not doing any other exercise.
The benefits of walking are well-known. Just 30 minutes a day can:
- increase cardiovascular fitness
- strengthen bones
- reduce excess body fat
- boost muscle strength
- reduce your risk of developing chronic disease
- increase energy
- improve your mood, cognition, memory and sleep
- help your balance and coordination
- Strengthen your immune system
- reduce stress and tension
All great health benefits. But there are also creative ones too.
Creatives often cite walking and taking a shower as the time when ideas come together. The brain has time to connect the dots and come up with a solution when you’re not actively thinking about the problem.
In her book, The Secret Life of You, Kerri Sackville makes the case for finding more time to be alone with your thoughts. Walking is one such activity to do this, and she said it helped with her anxiety, stress levels, and overall wellbeing.
I don’t drive often so walking is my space to listen to podcasts. I basically have to go for a walk to keep up with the weekly episodes. It’s a good motivator but I know I should walk without the noise sometimes too – I’m sure my creativity would benefit.
In recent years I’ve leveled up my walking thanks to a passionate hiking friend and have embarked on some multi-day hikes. Almost 20 years since I hiked in Milford Sound, I tackled the Overland Track in Tasmania last year with seven other women.
I still crave getting those five days of phone-free time back and I’m sure my poor brain does too.
Last month I walked a section of the Grampians Peaks Trail with my passionate hiking friend and another mate.
It was only three days and two nights, but it was tough. I was recovering from a bad sprain six weeks previously and so was a bit tentative on the diagonal rock trails. The views mostly made it worthwhile, as did the sheer beauty of the bushland.
The camping sites at Gar and Werdug are well set out, with tent platforms and an enclosed kitchen and seating area where you can keep a little warmer before seeking warmth in your sleeping bag.
In August the same group will take on the Larapinta Trail – well, a five night section of it anyway from Brinkley Bluff Campground to Junction Campground.
First up though, I have to walk 30km for the Coastrek Mornington Peninsula, raising money for the Heart Foundation to close the gender gap in heart disease.
Almost every hour of every day, an Australian woman loses her life to heart disease. On average that is around 20 women a day. More research is needed into women-specific factors to support the elimination of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in Australian communities.
You can find my team’s fundraising page here – our goal is $2k!