Morning Walk

Every morning when I go for a walk to my neighborhood park, I see many people from different age-groups and backgrounds, some walking leisurely, others briskly, a few jogging and some simply sitting on the park benches. Apart from the health benefits offered by a morning walk, there are several reasons I prefer it over sweating it out at the gym. Through my own experimentation over the past 4-5 years, ever since I entered my early twenties, I realized that brisk walking is the best form of exercise and if done regularly for a duration of 45-60 minutes, can also help reduce weight. Only last year, I reached my minimum weight since reaching adulthood (50.5 Kgs.), which is on the lower side for a girl measuring 5’6’’. How did I do it? I simply walked for 60 minutes every night post dinner, at least 5 times a week. Walking offers the best exercise, keeps your body in shape, without putting undue pressure on your knees, as could be the case with jogging. I love the morning fresh air, crisp and cool, and the roads almost devoid of traffic. At the gym, if you spend more than twenty minutes on the treadmill, it is likely that a middle-aged overweight lady would interrupt you and point out that you’re allowed only twenty minutes on the treadmill and must make way for the others. Some gyms allow thirty minutes but you get the picture.

Other than the fresh air and lesser noise, a morning walk also offers you a peaceful, solitary time, best for introspection and positive tuning of the mind. Our minds are at the sharpest and freshest and our bodies well-rested in the morning. If there are certain problems troubling you, or you feel stressed out due to a situation at work or a personal issue, think it out in the morning. You would be more likely to think constructively and figure out a way out in the morning than any other part of the day.

It is also said that our first thoughts in the morning can affect the way our day unfolds. Early morning, when your mind is like a clean slate, fill it up with positive, optimistic thoughts. An excellent way of doing so is to count all the things in your life you are grateful for. Be thankful for everything wonderful in your life. Positive thoughts attract positive things into your life. Think about what you want and exclude thoughts of what you don’t want or fear. This simple exercise of giving thanks for all the good things in my life for forty minutes every morning has made a significant difference to the overall quality of my life. Just the way money begets money, positive thoughts bring positive things, thus reinforcing your belief and bringing about more positive thoughts. I believe that a person can write his destiny. Combining the ritual of morning walk with positive thoughts will double the benefits you reap from this simple exercise.

Last but not the least, I like observing the people at the park, noting the differences in their ages, clothes, walking/jogging pace, regularity, expressions etc. Apart from one or two people whom I see every day, most people are irregular, showing up once a week or once a month. Some aunties are dressed in saris and slippers. Others wear canvas shoes (belonging to their daughter perhaps) with suits. Old grandpas walk with the support of walking sticks, some skinny and others pot-bellied. One group of elderly men is always seen sitting on the bench and bantering, never exercising. Two ladies who’ve spent some time overseas pass by, speaking with an accent, looking condescendingly at the rest of us. A father and his two school-going children, a son and a daughter pass by, determined. A mother and her young son sit on the side bench chatting, a pleasant sight which makes me wish my mother was staying with me. A balding middle-aged man overtakes me, walking briskly with headphones on. This is the one common feature cutting across people from all age-groups, teenagers to grandpas. Almost everybody has earphones plugged to their ears, lost in their own world and thoughts. Among these people, there’s a lone figure of a girl walking at a medium pace, soaking up all sights and sounds, thinking positive thoughts, and wondering about the story of each individual passing by. That’s me, starting another hectic day with an hour that’s completely mine.