Why I Walk and You Should Too

When I tell people I walk long distances as a hobby, form of release, pleasure, etc. it is often met with confused looks. What’s even more interesting is the reply I get when I tell them the number of kilometres I do in a regular walk. “Holy shit!” is a comment I hear on the regular. Why do I walk, you ask? For starters, few things in life are as invigorating or cathartic as getting semi lost, finishing (see: crawling through) your last km of the journey, watching the sun come up in Port Credit and waiting for Sunset Grill to open so I can have 6 am pancakes and home fries and reflect on what just occurred (sometimes even I ask, "Did you really need to do that ol' girl?"). Yes, when you are a walking enthusiast, this is bless. Sheer, unadulterated bless. Without further ado, why I walk and perhaps why you should too. 

1. It clears your mind, reprograms your internal energy and balances your mood.
 
If you know me personally I think you will agree that I very seldom stay in a bad mood (although when I do its one for the books but that's a different blog post altogether). The only difference between me and somebody who is consistently in a bad mood is that I walk off my bad moods. Walking has and remains the most inexpensive, healthiest and best form of medicine/therapy I have ever found and believe me, I’ve dabbled. A drink to ease my anxiety about work. Result: Still waking up feeling unbalanced the next morning and the worst part, I am too hungover to be productive. A line to make me forget him. Result: still going to sleep thinking of him. A 4 hour walk along Lakeshore with me, myself and Woods of Ypres? Always does the trick. I'm not saying walks solve problems but do I find myself more clear-headed and ready to deal with issues after a long walk? You betcha.

2. It’s a form of exercise.
 
I’ll admit it, long-distance walking started off as a vain quest for tight glutes (one can dream) but is now something that benefits me on many levels. After a long walk my head feels undeniably less cluttered, I am refocused and I can eat a whole slice of Amico's Pizza homemade cheesecake the next day without a snippet of guilt. One should never feel guilty about eating cheesecake but be honest, how much will you enjoy that decadent and fluffy slice of heaven if you walked 25 KM the day before?

Did you also know that the good people at Harvard Men's Health Watch correlated 30 minutes of daily brisk walking to adding several years to one's life? Walking, you just cant go wrong.

3. You get to see Toronto in a way you never have before.
 
I’m a late night walker as in my walking time of choice is 8 pm to 6 am. With that said, the feeling of walking on a typically busy street and not running into a single person nor seeing a passing car for hours is kinda indescribable and unheard of in this city during the day. Besides, discovering a new neighbourhood by foot is more interesting than by car or public transportation.

Not a soul in sight...

4. You get to know you, yourself and I.

To be completely alone with your own thoughts (Lana Del Rey on repeat singing in my headphones does not count) really puts things in perspective. When was the last time you spent a good 7 hours with no texts (sending or receiving), no Facebook but just your own thoughts, the motion of you walking and your home city as your only companion? It’s been a while? Better get to walking. 

5. Bragging rights, out of the ordinary Facebook statuses and unique sunset/sunrise pictures.
 
I don’t walk for any of those three reasons but I will not deny that they come as perks with being a walking enthusiast. Besides, why do mundane things? Why walk an average amount? Why not push yourself (body and mind) to the fullest? 

139 Lakeshore Road East, Mississauga; watching the sun come up after a 23 KM walk from Yonge and Bloor. May 2014.

 

Arriving somewhere surreal after a 25 KM walk, January 2012.

The reason I walk is because I simply cannot not walk. I need to, for my sanity, for my health and for those new pair of short shorts I bought while being delusional about an upcoming milestone birthday.

Port Credit Lighthouse, May 2014.

Above all though, if (long distance) walking as a hobby is something that is of interest to you then the time to get started, to get moving, to get walking is today. If you have rolled your eyes several times throughout this piece and still keep thinking, “Why would I walk? That’s why we have cars and public transportation, so we don’t have to walk. Sounds like a lot of wasted time”, to you I say: on some level you are right but you have not experienced exploring the city all by your lonesome, have not heard a single passing car for 2 hours, came home with aching hamstrings and couldn’t wait to do it all over again. Make no mistake though, I’m not advocating for you to start with a goal of walking 20 KM right from the get go. Years ago 5 KM was an achievement for me. Listen to your body, do what feels comfortable to you but also push yourself. If you won’t, who else will?