There are many ways to be a routine walker when you choose this moderate form of cardio exercise as a good weapon against stroke. What matters is not who you think you are: not fit nor athletic (yet), but why you are doing it: walking to become a better you and lower your risk for diseases like stroke. If your reason for walking is for health, then this is good for getting you out of your bed half an hour earlier than you must and holding yourself accountable. Walking for health such as a lower risk for stroke can motivate you. It can help you to stick to it. When you’re not sure if it’s working or just plain don’t want to do it because you’re tired, hungry, and angry, or just lazy and feeling like the snooze button and your comfy bed are your best friends, your reasons for walking can help you overcome your reasons for not walking.
Think of the endorphins in these dark moments of your soul. Go to sleep in your workout clothes with your walking shoes and socks on the floor next to your bed. This way makes getting ready to go take less time and helps eliminate empty excuses.
Put your rise and shine alarm far away from your easy grasp in the bedroom so you need to get out of bed to turn it off, making hitting snooze more challenging and sleeping through your walking wake time harder.
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Now you’re ready to take it to the streets, hit the trail, or climb onto the treadmill in your basement or at the gym. If you can, choose to be outside, unless it’s just too dangerous. Fresh air, environmental stimuli from birdsong to sunshine, and the scenery that surrounds you make the outdoor walk my favorite.
Outdoor walking takes it to the next level especially if you leave your musical device of choice and your playlist at home. To get the most out of exercising outside, opt for less of a soundtrack that scripts every moment of your life in favor of “green noise”. With outdoor walking, you can encounter Mother Nature.
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You can walk in sunshine, snow, or rain with the right gear. You can use the time to collect your thoughts, make your to-do list, refine your grocery list, or any other mental distraction. You can also pray for people, practice gratitude, meditate, be mindful, or examine your conscience, too. Or you can just be. Nature can have that effect on people.
Mornings are prime time for walking. You can fit in your walking time before anything crowds it out. Otherwise, if you wait until later, the day has started without you.
Feeling left behind and overwhelmed with the demands of the day crashing through your bedroom window can be another sort of exercise pain: one that comes from failing to do it.
For the price of a thirty-minute delay in getting up and about, the same amount of time you could have spent walking, you missed an opportunity to do something for your lifespan and your health span.
Don’t lose heart, however. Thirty minutes is manageable. Ten minutes before or after each meal makes thirty, for example (no one ever said you had to do it all at once).
If you’re returning to exercise, you don’t want to get hurt because you pushed yourself too hard too soon. Break it up into smaller spurts or do it all together. The choice is yours. Just make sure that you choose to walk almost every day to head off a stroke.
It may not be too late. Think of this as a call to action. It’s only too late when you no longer have the chance to take corrective steps. Negative health sometimes comes with early choices that let you act not react.
Walking may stop a stroke from happening to you. With thirty minutes of this type of daily moderate exercise, you can make the best out of who you are and start to take control of your health.
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What’s the takeaway? Do this for you…long term. Not for how much weight you could lose. Not for how much better your numbers will look in the three months or years from now when you see your doctor again. Invest in yourself this time and every day going forward. You’re worth it. So, why not make the time?
Walking will pay off in staving off the bothersome conditions that can accompany stroke. Obesity—crushing it. Cholesterol—within a good range. Type 2 diabetes --- A1C’s under control. Work-related, blood pressure-raising stress ---a healthy outlet. It’s also a matter of pride in yourself. You can set goals or just want to be better. You can become healthy and fit. Walking for health can be a huge benefit not just for you but also for your loved ones who matter to you and to whom you matter. Know this: it gets easier. Walking as a healthy habit will help you help yourself.
