Reasons to Walk

There are countless things to love about walking! Here are just some of the reasons we love to walk.

What's not to love about walking? If you want to you can just spill out of your front door and get to it. And it's not just about the exercise. I don't get much head space to think without distractions so it's a great time to ponder everything from what you need from Woollies to what's first on life's wishlist - piano lessons or write that book. And when I walk in the evenings around Coogee beach I just love to see life 'going on' - people playing volleyball and those outside restaurants sipping Sav Blanc. Which is what I'm looking forward to when I get home. Well, I've done some exercise - I deserve it!
Sue Wheeler, Editor-in-Chief

I love walking because I can be part of the landscape, the world or my neighbourhood while I exercise. I love it in all weather conditions (Gore-tex is my friend), and at all distances. My perfect weekend involves never getting in a car, but walking to do all the things I need to do. The most wonderful holiday for me is to walk from pub to pub, or coast to coast, or museum to museum. My ideal house would have large entry hall lined with hooks where I could have to hand everything I might need for the different kinds of walk I take; my dog's lead, my son's favourite sun-screening hat, hats allsorts really; a soccer ball; my rainproof jacket which has been all over the world with me; a shopping bag; a pouch with small change and big notes; sunnies; a towel for walking to the beach ... because another thing I love about walking is that you can just walk out the door and you're doing it—so the well-stocked hall would make that even more possible. I could get out more quickly, to feel the breeze on my skin, see what's happening on the hills and lanes of my suburb. Walking lets my family and I go where cars can't follow. We talk more when we walk. It has the sense both of freedom and connectedness. I could go on and on and then a few steps further ...
Natalie Filatoff, Editor

With walking, I feel where my muscles are working, and where they aren't. I can control the intensity a lot easier than running. When I run, it’s slam, slam, slam on the concrete, with little idea of my posture, and whether I am doing it right—or actually causing more harm than good. Walking, I can fit in anytime, anywhere, with kids and the dogs, and have more time to enjoy the beautiful beach where I live, and still manage to work up a sweat.
Amanda Goff, Beauty Editor

Walking is a perfect way to fit regular exercise into my week. I try to use it as a means of transport as often as possible and take long weekend walks when I can. Just plan a route, plug in your iPod and pound the pavement.
Karen Burge, Health Editor

I love that walking can involve a good friend or family member and a catch-up at the same time. I used to do long walks with my mother in South Africa and we would often find ourselves still solving the world's problems, having walked for ages without even realising it. I also love walking on my own to get out, get moving, and get grounded. It brings me back down to earth - in all senses!
Nikki Price, Art Director

I love that walking it so easy, social, uplifting and accessible—just grab your shoes, open the front door and wham! You're moving! I grew up in Canberra, the 'bush capital', so walking to shake off stress, catch up with my mum at the end of the day, or just to escape for 20 minutes was a part of my everyday (the bush was 5 minutes from my house). Now that I live in Sydney, I seek out parks and interesting walks around my suburb. The bird life is what really makes a good walk great—it's that connection with nature and the feeling that you're opening your lungs and breathing in your surrounds.
Jennifer Pinkerton, Features Editor

What I love about walking is taking in the sights and sounds around me, whether it's in my neighbourhood where I notice new things everyday, or in the bush in beautiful surroundings.
Tammy White, Digital Prepress Operator

I use walking as a reset button for my mood. I recently heard that its steady left-right-left-right motion has a positive effect on the brain, and it certainly works for me. If a problem is nagging at me, I'll go for a walk and actively not think or worry about it. But the solution often comes to me after the walk, without prompting. I know it's been said before, but it's true—you never feel worse after a walk.
Charlotte Fish, Copy Editor

There's a lot I love about walking. I walk my 7-year-old Shih Tzu three times a day, so it's a chance to spend some quiet quality time with him. I walk to and from the train every day, which gives me some nice time to think and ease into the workday in the morning and to decompress after a busy, work-filled day in the evening. Walking does indeed provide my productive-thinking time; running, with its constant foot pounding, doesn't allow me to get into the same relaxed headspace. Finally, being relatively new to Australia, walking introduces me to so much of the beautiful scenery and sights my new country has to offer. And the people watching is fun, too!
Kasey Clark, Chief Copy Editor

Walking is the pace at which we were meant to view life. Anything faster is just a blur. When people say "you need to slow down" (which I hear a lot), I walk. On the beach, around the block, in the bush, across England—wherever my life lets me. I breathe deeper, and tension leaves my body and enters the earth through my feet. Whenever my life is off-balance, I walk out the wiggles.
Sam Gibbs, Fitness/Walking Editor

What do you love about walking? Leave a comment below or go to the message boards to let us know.