Good Morning

Every day I wake up at 7 AM, go to the bathroom, wash my face and brush my teeth. After that, I put on some clothes, my airpods, the shoes, and I’m off.

After I throw the garbage, I say good morning to my neighbour and turn on the music. The day has started, the volume is on the max, and the sunshine embraces me.

I start wondering if I’m going to see the bald guy with his black dog, that is so big and fluffy, or maybe the short lady with her gorgeous perfume, that always smiles at me.

I turn around halfway and start listening to a podcast. At the moment, I am listening to Lex Fridman talking to Michael Malice, one of my favourite duos that always make me laugh.

On the way home, I stop at a school stadium to do my morning exercises & stretching. I will do a short back workout, if it’s Monday, or a yoga session if it’s Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday.

After a burst of dopamine intake and an entertaining conversation with Lex and Michael about anarchism, I finally arrived home, ready to take on the day.

Why The Morning Walk

• I set my circadian clock. I am a fan of the Huberman Lab Podcast, run by Andrew Huberman, neuroscientist and professor at Standford University. Andrew recommends getting morning sunlight to set your circadian clock. That improves your sleep and makes you alert throughout the day.

“There is even evidence that getting your circadian schedule correct can be beneficial for metabolism and certainly for immune system function”.

• I listen to podcasts. I am constantly learning when I take walks. I wrote a story on podcasts, “I have listened to over 300 Podcasts, and it’s 100% worth it”, where I talk about the benefits and how the view of my world has improved and changed in many ways. I am consuming information while improving my health. That’s a bargain!
• The reason I wake up every day. I have turned this into a habit, and it motivates me to wake up every day at 7 AM with no exceptions. I can have a smoke or get drunk the previous day, but I can assure you that I will get my morning walk because it’s the Bible, and the Bible is sacred.

Why All The Great Minds Were Taking Walks

Creativity

In April, I read Steve Jobs’ Biography, a masterpiece in my opinion. In the book, the author always mentions how Steve held meetings while walking around with his colleagues.

Taking a long walk was his preferred way to have a serious conversation.

Jobs believed his most creative ideas came when he was walking. That has a direct correlation to science. Walking energizes our brains which boosts our communication, and therefore, more creative ideas are developed.

This Standford University Report reveals that a person’s creative output increased by an average of 60% when walking. And it doesn’t matter if you are walking indoors or on a treadmill, the mere act of walking increases significantly the levels of creativity compared to a person sitting.

Every Saturday, I and my friend take a 3-hour walk in the park. The ideas that are born during this entertaining conversation are way more advanced and creative than the ones that are produced during a sitting. We are super energized and therefore, the outcome of the conversation is also boosted. Makes sense.

This BBC Article called: “What you can learn from Einstein’s quirky habits” speaks about Einstein’s habits, one of them was walking.

Einstein’s daily walk was sacred to him. While he [Albert Einstein] was working at Princeton University, New Jersey, he’d walk the mile and a half journey there and back. He followed in the footsteps of other diligent walkers, including Darwin who went for three 45 minute walks every day.

Health

This Harvard Report suggests that walking only 21 minutes a day can decrease your risk of heart disease by 30%. This activity has also been shown to reduce the risk of diabetes and cancer, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and keep you mentally sharp. A walk can improve your mood and it is considered as effective as antidepressants.

Steve was walking every day to recover from his liver transplant and was setting further goals believing in the health-giving properties

University of Washington biologist John Medina states: “From an evolutionary perspective, our brains developed while working out, walking as many as 12 miles a day. The brain still craves that experience.”

Good Evening

I finish work at around 7 PM and start preparing my dinner. After a delicious meal, I again brush my teeth, put on some clothes, airpods, and shoes, and my 2nd walk starts.

My evening walk is calmer. I tend to walk slower and enjoy the sunset while listening to music. The beautiful sky sets an atmosphere where I can meditate and enjoy the conversation with myself.

The city is more active because everyone is after work and it’s not so hot. Like in the morning, I tend to see the same people in the evening. When I reach half of my journey, I always intersect the guy with his strange colour patterned dog, which is very friendly and cute, and the elderly lady who works at the police station nearby, who wears her uniform proudly.

I arrive home, happy that I reached my daily goal of 10,000 steps. Now I’m ready to have a good sleep. Tomorrow, I will wake up at 7 AM because I have to take my walk.

Why The Evening Walk

• Meditation. After a long day, taking a walk helps me calm down and have a conversation with myself. Spending time with yourself is underrated, you must think through what is bothering you and find solutions to your problems. I do that through walking.
• Better Sleep. Walking makes you a bit tired and it also helps regulate your amygdala, which decreases anxiety. You will fall asleep faster and have a quality sleep.

Taking walks will only benefit you. It is the easiest type of exercise that will improve your health, by decreasing heart disease and helping your mood, preparing you for quality sleep, and changing your relationship with yourself for the better. Walking will help you discover amazing solutions and ideas that you thought you could never come up with. Best of all, you don’t require any equipment. Just go for a walk.