Let’s Talk Walking
One of the reasons I moved to NYC was that it is a walking culture. Keep reading to see why that’s important.
I live in New York City. It’s a given that I’m a walker. Well, I’m a runner, but that is another post altogether. One of the reasons I moved here was for the lifestyle change that it offered from Southern California. A self-proclaimed car culture, you can barely go anywhere on public transportation or on foot, and after 15 years of it, I was done. Now, to be perfectly transparent, I also love to drive, and my BMW 330Ci was my BABY. IYKYK. However, she was just one entry on the Pros list as a reason to stay in SoCal, and the Pros list for NYC was much longer. So I ditched car culture for Manhattan’s urban landscape and have been smitten ever since.
Scott and I have differing opinions about why we live in NYC. He will say it’s for the world-class restaurants and museums and the fact that he fell in love with a girl who loves The City. That last point I won’t argue. But a big part of the reason I love it here so much is the lifestyle. The culture, the diversity, the change of seasons, the energy, and yes, the walking. I walk everywhere. I walk in Central Park in the mornings, entertained by all the dogs frolicking with their friends and their owners sipping coffee and chatting with each other. I used to walk along the Hudson River when I lived in the West Village, soaking in the cotton candy skies as the sun set over New Jersey. I would walk around the tip of Manhattan, gazing out at Lady Liberty standing proud in the New York Bay. When the weather was cooperative, I would “commute” from my studio in Midtown home to my apartment in FiDi, an easy 3.5-mile walk while chatting with one of my parents. I walk to the gym, to get my groceries, to dinner, to the movies, and to my chiropractor. In snow and rain and sweltering summer days. I walk when the first hint of Spring teases that winter is coming to an end and when that glorious whisper of fall signals crisp days ahead.
I know you’re asking, why so much walking? Well, for one, the subways aren’t always running promptly and can be ghastly in the summer. Crowded, hot, and, let’s be honest, a bit fragrant. I’ve become a huge fan of the bus system in recent years, but they can be slow with traffic. If I plan well, I’d rather walk. It gets me some fresh air, a kiss of sunshine on my skin, and some blood pumping through my veins. Walking is so good for your body. It can improve your heart health, strengthen your bones, help regulate blood sugar, improve your mood, reduce stress and anxiety, help you sleep, increase your energy and focus, and keep your digestive system moving. My question would be, WHY not walk? Even just 10 minutes of walking has great health benefits. It’s low impact, high return, and it’s FREE.
I’ve been struggling with my blood sugars for the last few months. I noticed my A1C had started to creep up over the last few years, which can indicate pre-diabetes. Now, y’all know my aversion to needles, so I’ve always said getting Diabetes would be like hell on earth for me. After the Waldorf adventure, I got on a protocol to repair my gut from the weeks of antibiotics, and one of the measures was weekly tracking my blood sugar. Yes, I’ve pricked my finger 5 times every Monday for the last 9 months. I have not been happy about it, but I am even less happy about what the numbers have indicated. I’m teetering on Metabolic dysfunction, but I’m also of the mindset that if you know, you can take measures to change. One of those measures is to take a quick ten-minute walk after meals. Walking helps your muscle cells use insulin more effectively to take up glucose so your pancreas doesn’t need to produce as much insulin to manage blood sugars. Walking also uses the sugar you consume at meals as energy for your muscles and can prevent sugar from spiking too high, keeping insulin levels more stable. In the summer, Scott and I would take a long, leisurely walk around the Park after dinner. It would help our blood sugars and give us time to connect and talk. What a win, win. Now, with it getting dark so early and chillier as we move into winter, we take a shorter walk around the Museum or through the neighborhood, but I notice a big difference when we don’t get that walk in so it’s been a priority.
I know not everyone has 843 acres of well-maintained walking paths at their disposal or safe streets robust with people and endless entertainment to get out for a walk. But if I could encourage you to do anything, it would be to move more. My parents live on a very steep hill in North Carolina, and I know that will pose a challenge. My other parents live out in the middle of nowhere Texas on a dirt road with wild boar and rattlesnakes. Also a challenge. But we can all start somewhere. Our bodies are built for the challenge, and they respond to it by getting stronger and growing in endurance. After my surgery last January, I was ONLY allowed to walk for the first few weeks. No lifting, no running, no jumping. It was a forced slowdown, but what a gift. When I’m running, I’m focused on running. When I’m walking, I can focus on the birdsong dancing among the treetops, the sweet fragrance of jasmine tickling my nose, the air filling my lungs, the smile of the neighbors on the Upper West Side, the sneak peek inside glowing windows of other people’s apartments. I’m more present. That’s a gift in this frenetic, distracting City.
