Walking with my iPod

A few years ago, I discovered the joys of walking. I had done hardcore running for years, but, between that and all the basketball I play, I found that my knees were starting to hate me terribly for all the abuse. Since I didn't want to give up basketball, I decided to give walking a try, and I fell in love! Ok, so it seems you have to walk twice as long to gain the same benefits as running, but studies show that walking does indeed provide almost as good a positive cardiovascular effect for the body, as well as MUCH less wear and tear on the joints and spinal cord. Plus, there is something to be said for being able to really sit and experience one's environment while walking that goes by much too fast when running! For instance, how this time of year there are so many baby squirrels, birds and geese in my neighborhood, as well as all the new flowers and leaves blooming. It is a constant reminder of how amazing Mother Nature can be! To that end, I walk daily, sometimes multiple times a day, probably putting in a good 4-6 miles a day. Recently, I have begun to seek out trails and hiking paths in my area, and my future goals are to plan my vacations around various hiking paths throughout the country.

The thing I love to do when I walk is just put my iPod in my ears and go!!! Its amazing how much inner peace I can achieve while walking with just the right music. I get a lot of thinking done, and have always been able to use my walks to help calm the demons that sometimes plaque my mind...whether it be problems at work or home or just about anything in my life. But what probably amazes me most of all is when I am in a mood that I cannot seem to find the right music to play. This always frustrates me considering I have almost 3000 tunes on my iPod from almost every type of music (ok...admittedly heavier on the Beatles and the Grateful Dead...long live Jerry!!). It seems like just as I find the right song, my walk is over (it has happened more than once!!).

So...if you ever want to experience a nice, healthy, low stress form of exercise, I highly recommend walking. Not only for the health benefit, but for the peace of mind a nice, leisurely walk can sometimes bring. And while you are walking, don't forget to experience the world around you!