January 9th Challenge: Take a Walk

Now that I busted your chops with Tuesday's heavy consider-mortality challenge, I thought we'd better do some self-soothing.

Today's challenge is easy*:  take a walk.
It would be great if you can take a real long ramble.  But it's hump day, so do what you can.  Park a little further away than usual.  Or walk to work, or lunch, or down the hall to speak to a coworker rather than instant-messaging or emailing them.

The benefits of walking are multitude:  environmental, psychological, physical.  Walking soothes the soul; note how animals in a zoo and humans in a stressful situation pace. The alternating movements of the limbs encourages cross-communication in the brain and is, in a way, like being rocked.

We can see more when we walk, especially if we put away the mobile devices.  We have a chance to interact with people, nature, and the human environment.

Let me know what happens for you.
Jana
 *p.s.  There are some people I know who can't walk.  Rolling works.  Or dance in your bed.  If nothing else, dream a walk with your beautiful brain.

From a 2010 blog

Above all, do not lose your desire to walk.  Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and 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.  --Soren Kierkegaard

Ten good reasons to walk, by Wendy Bumgardner.  Live longer, lose weight, prevent diabetes, and more.  "

When you have worn out your shoes, the strength of the shoe leather has passed into the fiber of your body.  I measure your health by the number of shoes and hats and clothes you have worn out".  --Ralph Waldo Emerson

And there's also

1.  Time to think.  "Thoughts come clearly while one walks".  --Thomas Mann

2.  Savings in time and money:  See the math here.  

3.  Carbon load reduction: Each gallon of gas used equals 19.5 lbs of carbon dioxide emissions according to US Department of Energy.

4.  A chance to observe things you would otherwise never see.  "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."  --John Muir

5.  Community building:  chat up your neighbors, get to know your town.

 See you 'round the block--