As most of you know, I love to walk. Whether around my neighborhood, along the lakefront, in a park or nearby forest preserve, walking does wonders for me. Mostly, I walk with Lewis, my nine-year-old Australian Shepherd dog, and family or friends, sometimes talking on the phone, listening to a podcast, or quietly letting my mind wander. Walking is something I do all year long, often at the start and end of my day.
Walking is one of the best forms of exercise you can do. It offers amazing health benefits for people of all ages and fitness levels. Walking will:
Burn calories
Strengthen your heart
Lower blood sugar
Ease joint pain
Support immune function
Boost energy
Reduce stress
Improve your mood
Improve balance and coordination
Strengthen bones and muscles
Prevent or manage various conditions, including heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis
Plus, walking can be done practically anywhere, you can make it as hard or as easy as you want, it’s mind-clearing, stress-reducing, and it's inexpensive. It’s easy to fit walking into your daily routine. All you need to start walking is a sturdy pair of walking shoes.
I invite you to try out the Swan Wellness 30 for 30 Walking Challenge and (re) discover the joys and benefits of walking. It's a simple but extremely effective strategy for improving your overall health. So let's get going!
(As a safety reminder, I recommend that you seek physician clearance before beginning any new exercise regimen. Please be safe and check with your doctor first.)
The challenge is to walk for 30 minutes for 30 days between now and Thanksgiving on November 26th. There are 39 days between now and then, so plenty of chances for rest days or to skip bad weather days if you don’t like walking in the rain. It doesn’t matter how fast or how far you walk, whether you walk indoors on a treadmill or outside in nature, the important thing is just to get walking for 30 minutes. You can use an app like Map My Walk or Strava, or device like a Fitbit or Apple Watch to track and record your walk or simply put a check mark in an old-fashioned calendar. You can also download this printable calendar (link) and circle the days that you walk.
By the time Thanksgiving comes around, along with the success of meeting the challenge, you’ll have established a habit of regular fitness, which is no doubt the most important result. And walking will become something that you don’t want to go without. It’s life-changing! So keep it going. As a reward for completing the challenge, get yourself some colder weather walking gear to continue walking outside if you live where winter is rapidly approaching, or download a new audiobook to listen while you walk inside on a treadmill.
Taking the challenge and want some support from other Swan Wellness followers who have decided to Walk 30 for 30 too? Join our group forum on Facebook to share your experiences, ask your questions, or show a fellow Swan Wellness walker some love!