Before the coronavirus pandemic shuttered New York in March, I had a pretty good exercise routine going: I walked briskly in New York City every day and attended spin classes at the gym three or four times a week.
But after my gym closed and I started working from home, my activity level slumped. While everyone on my Instagram feed was taking exercise classes in their living room, I just wasn't interested. I started to feel lethargic and it was getting harder to fall asleep.
The US Department of Health and Human Services recommends adults complete at least 150 minutes of "moderate-intensity aerobic activity" a week. Doing so can lead to health benefits including reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes, anxiety, depression, and dementia.
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The faster you walk, the more benefits you'll see, but I maintained a consistent, brisk pace without overly exerting myself or getting too out of breath. I knew I couldn't punish myself on these walks if I wanted to keep them up.
At first, I anticipated walking before work. I'm an early riser so a 6 a.m. or 6:30 a.m. start felt feasible. I loved how quiet the streets were, and I liked the feeling that I'd already achieved my goal when I sat down to start work for the day. Some days, I even took a flask of coffee with me.
But a week later, I woke up and the thought of taking a walk made me groan. That was exactly what I didn't want: to be put off when I'd barely begun. So I loosened up my strict schedule and started walking after work instead. At weekends, I'd simply take a walk whenever I felt like it. If the weather was particularly bad, I could work around that, too.
This relaxed attitude to scheduling meant I didn't feel guilty for not waking up early enough or stressed about when I was going to fit it in during my day. It remained something enjoyable that I didn't dread or resent.
After I had completed about two weeks of daily walks, I suddenly realized something: I felt so much better, physically. There had been no sudden increases to my resting heart rate, and my physical health felt strong and consistent. For me, this feeling was incredibly significant. It was both something I could have assumed yet really didn't expect to feel so accutely.
I weighed myself before I started my daily walks and again after a month, just in case there was a change, but there wasn't. That said, weight loss was never my goal: feeling healthy and committing to staying active was.
Like everyone else, I have upped my snack intake since working from home, so while I haven't lost weight from walking, it has perhaps allowed me to maintain my weight while eating whatever is in my cupboards.
Walking has also been found to have significant impacts on mental health. A study by Harvard University and other institutions showed that three hours of exercise a week could decrease the risks of depression. This risk decreased a further 17% with each added 30 minutes or so of daily activity.
While I do not have depression, I can experience anxiety, which also affects my sleep. For me, separating my home life from my non-home life is essential, but that has been hard in lockdown.
My reading hasn't suffered, either. Rather than reading a book, I've listened to them on headphones thanks to free audiobooks from my library.
Some evenings and weekends, I've driven somewhere new for my walks. I've taken (socially distant) strolls on my local beach's boardwalk, around a lake at a nearby state park, and through the woods. These walks have gotten me away from the environs of my home during the lockdown a welcome change.
A wealth of studies has shown contact with nature is linked to psychological well-being and has positive impact on memory, attention, imagination, and a feeling of purpose, among other things. One 2019 study found that people who spend at least two hours in nature each week "are significantly more likely to report good health and higher psychological well-being" than those who do not.
One thing that organizations such as the American Heart Association indicate is that walking will lead to a "better quality of life and sense of overall well-being," which sums up my feelings perfectly.
Why not? It's easy, free, and is helping me in more ways than I expected.
