Oh the good a simple walk can do.

As we celebrate National Walking Day 2021, I think about those times where a good walk has kept me from literally going over the edge. One such memory takes me back to a terrible argument I had with my mom. I was around 11 or 12 years old. You know at that tender age, emotions are running on high. On top of that, I’ve always been a highly emotional person.

Like most girls, I scream at my mother that I’m running away and never coming back. I laugh when I think about it; where am I going? I don’t have any money.

Instead, I walk. I walk pass all the homes on my block and wonder what evenings are like behind those doors. Are mothers and daughters arguing? Brothers and sisters fighting? Or is there perfect peace inside the apartments that pepper my neighborhood. I make my way towards the main street, Church Avenue and I wonder what life looks like beyond these Brooklyn streets. Before I know it, it’s been about an hour and I find that I’ve walked all the way back home and guess what? The anger’s gone and my spirit feels light again.

Through the years, walking has been my place of sanity through relationship troubles, uncertainty with my finances and any other problem you can imagine.

A good walk has always been for me, a way to recalibrate my emotions and find my peace.

Benefits of Walking

National Walking Day is one that encourages us to embrace the healthy habit of walking. The health benefits of walking include:

• Improved circulation – Walking helps to reduce risk of heart disease, brings up the heart rate lowers blood pressure and overall strengthens the heart.

• Increased life span – Research finds that people, particularly those in their 50’s and 60’s, who regularly walk are likely to live longer than their non-exercising counterparts.

• Mood lifting – Walking releases endorphins and endorphins are natural pain killers that make you happy.

• Weight loss – Regular brisk walks in combination with a low fat diet will help you shed pounds.

• Improves sleep – For those struggling with insomnia, studies show that people who walked alleviated their symptoms as opposed to those who did not walk.

• Slows down mental decline – Walking keeps the mind alert. Studies who that age related mind decline was lower in those who walk.

Let’s honor this year’s National Walking Day by taking a 30 minute walk. Get around your neighborhood. Take a nice hike. Enjoy a walk on the beach! Whatever you do, find your sense of peace through a nice walk. Oh, and don’t forget your fitness tracker!

Blissfully single, walking and yours,