In a previous article, 5 Tips To Increase Daily Walking, I revealed that the popular 10,000 steps per day recommendation originated from marketing hype instead of science, and that every step you take is valuable and beneficial for your health. Short movement breaks during work are helpful to boost energy and rejuvenate brain function, and longer walks are great to experience nature, enjoy social connection or solo reflective time, and give the mind a break from hyperconnectivity of mobile devices. Walking in Peluvas is especially beneficial, because it’s a way to safely and naturally strengthen your feet that have been damaged, atrophied and even misshapen by wearing restrictive shoes for decades.
Walking is low impact, so injury risk is minimal even if you are new to Peluvas. Furthermore, unlike the original barefoot shoes of decades ago, Peluvas have an appropriate amount of cushion to allow you to comfortably navigate hard manmade modern indoor and outdoor surfaces. With many fitness and longevity experts now contending that simply increasing your daily step count (and all other forms of general everyday movement) being the most critical and beneficial health practice, it’s time to make a concerted effort to increase your daily walking. The previous article recommended morning walks, dog walks, orchestrated walking opportunities (making yourself walk somewhere when you don’t need to), short walking breaks during the workday, and walking for recovery from illness or injury. Following are four more ideas to help you further emphasize walking in everyday life:
Injury rehab: Even acute injuries that have been traditionally treated with rest and immobilization are now treated with walking and mobility exercises. Forward-thinking physical therapy and rehabilitation experts, including Dr. Kelly Starrett of TheReadyState.com, have departed from the long-standing acute injury treatment protocol of RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) in favor of ECM (Elevate, Compress, Move). Elevation and compression enhance the function of the circulatory and lymphatic systems to remove waste products and keep the inflammatory response under control, while movement increases blood flow, oxygen delivery, and mobility of injured joints and tissue. Obviously, walking on a sprained ankle can feel unpleasant, but this type of light activity can often speed healing and prevent atrophy in comparison to total rest.
Stress management: Try walking as a therapeutic practice when you are experiencing an emotional disturbance of any kind. The research is conclusive that walking will spur an instant change in blood chemistry to make you feel calmer, less stressed, less emotional, and more energized. These benefits are especially impactful when you walk in nature. Granted, you will probably not have the urge to take a stroll when you are experiencing a negative emotional charge, so this is another situation where making a deliberate choice is essential. You’re still allowed to be angry, sad, or frustrated, just do it on the move.
After-dinner stroll: Research shows that a short, comfortably-paced walk after meals can have a profound impact on glucose regulation. Even during gentle movement, the muscles will pull glucose out of the bloodstream that might otherwise linger there and prompt an insulin spike. The postprandial (after-meal) glucose spike typically peaks around one hour after eating, so be sure to get moving within that one-hour time window. Research from New Zealand suggests that effects are most prominent after the evening meal, as this is when people typically become inactive. Even a 10-minute after-dinner stroll has been shown to lower blood glucose by 22 percent among diabetics. Keep the effort light, as vigorous exercise after a meal can interfere with the digestive process, whereas casual walking aids digestion by stimulating peristalsis, the movement of material through the digestive system.
Evening stroll: Consider making a brief stroll part of your evening wind-down ritual before going to bed. Perhaps you can establish a rule to walk immediately after you finish your screen engagement for the evening? Getting outdoors into fresh evening air, cooler temperatures, and a dark environment supports important hormonal processes that promote sleepiness and a smooth transition into a good night’s sleep. The same is true for a canine, so grab that leash and take at least a short stroll no matter what!