Over the last several months, I've been getting into walking as a form
of exercise.  It's convenient and low-overhead -- no expensive
equipment to buy, and I can use the streets of my own neighborhood.  I
just walk out the door and do it.  Three times a week, I do a brisk
45-minute walk (worked up to that level gradually over a period of
months -- started at 20 minutes).  I find these walks, together with
watching my food intake, to be tremendously beneficial -- so far I've
lost 15 pounds and feel better mentally and physically.

Any thoughts about walking as compared to other forms of exercise?  Any
other walking enthusiasts out there?

28 responses total.

I love walking.  You get to see, hear, smell, etc., the world,
and you're not likely to damage yourself badly doing it.  I know        
I'm doing it for the exercise, usually, but I'm also doing it
for its own sake.  There's a 7-11 about two miles from our house,
and the kids and I regularly walk there and back now.  I can't
remember the last time we drove there.  Other times, I'll walk
around the neighborhood, or along one of the many nature trails
near us.  It really is amazing how many interesting things there
are that you never would've noticed otherwise.

Life seems different when you slow down...people in cars notice things,
yes, but not at nearly the same level of experience as the walker.  Of
course, short trips in the car can become major hikes for the
walker...

My favorite Ann Arbor walk is Bird Hills park.  100 acres of woodland.

I love walking, but feel I am not allowed to walk in Ann Arbor anymore.
A year ago I lost 30+ lbs by walking.

not allowed?

Yes, not allowed.

That's an outrage.  You should come and walk in West
Bloomfield, Katie, we don't have one of those guys yet,
and we have a superb trail network.

As long as you're not alone, you should still be able to walk without fear.

I'm usually alone, unfortunately.

Not to devert a walking item, but when people are afraid to walk...
And people wonder why i think the world is sick sick sick and sickening
more every day.

People are afraid to walk alone, which is a double outrage,
alone often being the perfect way to go for a walk, imho.

Indeed.  I find my early morning walks around the neighborhood to be
great "private time" that I can use to think things over and psyche
myself up for the rest of the day.  There is mental benefit to this
kind of walking as well as physical.

I agree wholeheartedly.  Unfortunately, I very rarely get to walk like that.
It IS a wonderful time to feel at peace though, and to get away from
things when you have no other way to get away.

My morning walk was an interesting experience yesterday, due to the icy
pavements.  Hard to get up a lot of speed when you're worried about your
feet slipping out from under you.  I found that I got better traction
on those portions of sidewalk which the "negligent" homeowners had not
cleared of snow.

Walking is great and I tend to do it lots in the spring and in the autumn,
but it's often too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter for me
to be able to get myself psyched up to walk.  Although I do feel better
afterwards.

At least in the cold weather, you can dres for walking! Dress in layers
so that as your body heats up, you can undo a layer.  And yep, walking
IS great in that it makes ya feel better--during AND after!

Luckily, it doesn't get cold too often.

That's one of the good things about living on a small, consolidated campus:
you can go for a walk and not have to carry those fears that you're in danger
when alone.....

But some people are afraid of walking alone no matter where they are.

I wonder if that's a phobia....

It could be just upbringing.  If you were brought up in a city where
drive-by shootings occur quite regularly, you may not want to be alone
and attract attention.

Dunno, I walk alone fairly often, although not as often as I should <sigh,
getting lumplike).  As it happens, from my house to Bird Hills Park, across
it and back home takes about 2 hours, give or take a bit.  Really pleasant.

I've started walking a lot more in the last year.  I walk to work on some
days, which is about 4 miles round trip (used to be longer!).  And for the
Grex walks, I've found that I have a very nice walk along mostly river from
my house to Gallup Park, about 3 miles to get there.  

What else?  I live a few blocks from Bird Hill Park, so I can go do a solid
~4 mile loop thru Bird Hill, Barton Park, and then around thru Langford Park
and back home.  Quite a variety of scenery, too, from woods to floodplain to
the "badlands" of sand and gravel still recovering from when the sewer was
put in in Langford only a few years ago.

I too like walking.  I mean, I really like walking and do so at a good
clip for at least 45 minutes, daily.  It's wonderful mind-dump time.  I
find on recent days when the weather left sidewalks icy I was irritated
and wanted to complain about it to whoever was responsible.  Anyone know
his/her email address?

What I've resolved to do is use the Parks and Rec indoor track as often as
I can when weather is nasty, with a plan to eventually buy a good
treadmill. 

ah...i just returned with the doggers from a nice long cold
walk.

my fave exercise, and theirs i think.

I've also been doing a lot more walking, since I've tended to walk home from
school rather than take the bus - about 1/2 hour each day. What with the cold
weather, I doubt I'll be walking quite so much anymore.

I usually walk to and from work but as the sun set earlier and I didn't get
off work any earlier I started taking the bus.  Hopefully as the days get
longer, the sun will set later and I can walk more again.

What is wrong with walking after sunset?

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