Rediscovering the Joy of Wandering Aimlessly
What is the purpose of walking?
Walking is more and more being boiled down to two categories: functional, point A –> point B style walking and walking as a health aid. With the advent of wearable fitness devices, we can now track our steps and compete against friends to see who walked furthest and fastest. But this can miss the heart of walking completely- what you see along the way is just as important as the activity itself. Being bipedal is a blessing that we take for granted; many of us walk fast to get it over with- to get to our destinations and sit down. But why? Rediscovering the joy of simply walking could be an integral way to rediscover fitness. Below we have brainstormed ways why walking can make a significant impact on your life.
The importance of walking
- Walking gives you time to think: in fact, it is a favorite past-time of some of the world’s greatest thinkers and novelists.
- It gets you places on your own power and this is profound: while commuting by car is an indelible part of the American lifestyle, it is a key source of daily stress. Walking generally influences calm.
- Walking without the phone: texting changes the way we walk for the worse. Text neck is contributing to the earlier onset of debilitating spinal conditions in our population.
- Walking is good for the body: it alleviates stagnation and muscle tension, refreshes your circulation and releases the feel-good chemicals in your brain.
What does walking mean to you?
Rather than making the health benefit (though important) the primary motive for walking, it can help spur your love for walking if you choose other reasons to walk and let health be the side-effect. Birds, flowers, bugs and trees abound in our parks, while interesting alleyways and people-watching await you on the streets; if only you choose to look up! Walking is only pleasant if you are not experiencing pain. If chronic muscle tightness, headaching or spinal dysfunction has you ailing and dreading each step, give our office in Fremont a call. We can help find the true source of your pain and get you on the road to recovery so you can start rediscovering the joy of walking today!
Dr. Francis Scorca, D.C.