Walk 89. Different walks

Walking with a friend is different from walking while listening to music is different from walking alone with my thoughts. I know it's obvious...but I mean it's really different. My walking challenge moved beyond "exercise" within the first 2 weeks. I started seeing there were so many other wonderful reasons to walk besides cardio it's almost silly to label walking just a "low impact workout."

Walking with a friend can create or strengthen friendships and gives me the opportunity to talk it out. So valuable.

Walking while listening to music lets me zone out and enjoy the scenery while really hearing the music (not just having it on in the background). Music makes me so happy it's nice to focus on it alone and it makes some walks better.

Walking alone (in the right frame of mind) is the best. JW sent me an article today that walking increases creativity and taking an hour to let my mind wander brings me to new ideas (this challenge was thought up on the first walk!). It's so nice to be in the moment, to be outside and feel it, to hear my breath and feel my body move. 

Anyway, I walked GL with Jenny again. It's been fun and so different to have the same friend join my walks this week. I think it's actually been a blessing. Maybe I needed a little something to jolt me out of my routine and make me remember how I felt about walking at the beginning of the challenge. Maybe this is normal 3 months in.... like any good challenge there will be ups and downs, it will be fun or boring, easy or difficult.

I feel like I've turned a corner. Since the funeral and then E's surgery it didn't feel like there was room to focus on walks when the rest of my life was so serious and filled with possibly life-changing worry. I'm grateful walks have become inspiring again.

3 miles.