I walked from Greenville To Atlanta in August.
September 4, 2020
Last Month I started walking 5 miles a day every day. And Wednesday morning, on my 30 days of walking celebration, I realized that I’ve walked over 45 hours in August. Honestly, for some people that might not sound like a lot. But for me, a 4000 steps a day kind of person, it was a pretty big jump.
I learned a lot.
1. You can get addicted to walking. I love the idea of creating good addictions, don’t you? I had about 3-4 days that I just didn’t quite make it the entire 5 miles and yup, I walked around my kitchen getting those steps in. Honestly, after about 2 weeks it was just not an option NOT to walk.
2. You can add some serious muscle just by walking. I have never, EVER had calves. I have been in awe of other people’s calves all my life. I had calf envy. Well, I have some calves of my own now. And I love them. I’m not ever losing them. Those calves and I have some hikes to take and some hills to climb and they are really helpful when you’re doing those sorts of things. Trust me, strong calves are a really good thing.
3. Walking gives you a lot of time to think. And it’s a different kind of thinking. For one thing, you can’t beat yourself up while fast walking. Beating yourself up for silly stuff (like all of do a lot of the time) is just not an option while you’re doing something so good for yourself. You also see things you might miss too. I saw the little kids in my neighborhood playing and it gave me a lot of joy.. If not for these walks, I would not have see the sweet moments of little ones riding bikes and chasing each other with water guns and building forts. Has this goodness been going on all along? And I’ve just missed it? Shame on me. I love people watching but neighborhood kid watching is just a brilliant spin on that sport.
4. I feel better. Like a whole lot better. That’s a given I suppose. But one of the reasons I think I feel better is this; I’m hungrier. And the good news, I can have about 400 more calories a day because of those 5 miles. That’s a lot of nutrition my body wasn’t getting. And I’m truly feeling this benefit.
5. During this first 30 days, I wanted to collect flowers for pressing. I’ve become OBSESSED with pressing flowers. If you don’t follow Modern Pressed Flower on Instagram, go do it now. Collecting these little pieces of nature that turn into art feels like a little secret I’m sharing with the Universe. I’ll share my 30-day art installation really soon! I’m going to put it on the wall at the foot of my bed to remind of the most important thing I learned on this 30-day adventure:
You can do whatever you decide to do.
That’s it. You can! I suppose this lesson was really just a great reminder. I’ve always know this fact, but seeing it work in just 30 short days was the powerful reminder I needed.
I’ll keep 5 miles day a part of my daily routine. (Okay, I might not walk over an hour in the pouring down rain, but I am going to try!)
Next month maybe I’ll add a fews extra miles here and there and walk to Charleston!
Pressed Flower GOALS from Modern Pressed Flower. No, I didn’t do this one, but isn’t it amazing?
