Go for a Walk!

A shocking fact: Less than one-quarter of Americans meet the minimum guidelines for moderate physical activity (150 minutes per week), according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Note that this data was collected from 2010-2015. Since then, an even lesser percentage of people have been taking the time to perform moderate aerobic activities such as walking.

Consider. When was the last time you went for a walk outside—both for exercise and just to get away and take the time to think?

Remember that, as Christians, our bodies are on loan from God. The apostle Paul explained: “Know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own? For you are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (I Cor. 6:19-20).

Did you catch that? We are to glorify God in our body and in our spirit. These are separate commands.

We should take every reasonable action to improve the bodies we have been given. This includes some form of exercise. If we are not good stewards of our bodies, they will break down physically. If that happens, other areas of our lives—including the spiritual—will automatically suffer.

It should be our goal to not be included in the more than 75 percent of Americans who do not exercise enough.

Even if you have a busy schedule, it does not require much out of your day to make a difference. Walking is a simple solution to make sure we are doing something to address our health. Choose a location that is safe, find some comfortable shoes, and you are on your way to good health!

Physical Benefits

Walking regularly provides tremendous advantages for your body. Our booklet God’s Principles of Healthful Living lists just a few:

• Increased lung and heart efficiency
• Increased number and size of vessels carrying blood to body tissues
• Boosted total blood volume, which reduces blood pressure
• Improved muscle tone
• Better weight control from burning fat
• Increased ability to relax, sleep more soundly and manage stress

All together, these benefits can reduce the risk of or even help you manage various conditions such as heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

Tailor your walking plan to your current physical health. It is best to start with a moderate distance and pace before gradually increasing both. Starting out too fast or going too far at first can increase your risk of injury. Remember the general biblical principle of being moderate in all things (Phil. 4:5). This includes any type of exercise.

Maintaining good form when walking will help maximize these benefits and reduce the risk of injury. These include keeping your head up and looking forward (not at the ground), keeping your neck, shoulders and back relaxed (not slouched or stiffly upright), swinging your arms freely and keeping movements smooth—such as by rolling your feet from heel to toe.

Walking is a physical act that brings physical benefits. But it is also an activity that can directly enhance your mental effectiveness.

Mental Benefits

There is something about being outdoors—especially among forests and near flowing water—that boosts brain activity.

Dr. Lewis Elliott, an environmental psychologist, said people who visit the coast at least twice weekly tend to experience better general and mental health. You may not live close to an ocean or sea, but there are many lakes, rivers, ponds and streams where most people live that bring the same benefits.

Wherever you live, simply walking is enough to benefit your mind. Consider this passage from a Guardian article: “In order to walk and navigate, the brain flickers between regions, just as our waking minds are often, says [neuroscientist Shane O’Mara], ‘flickering between big-picture states—thinking about what we have to do tomorrow, plans for next year…and task-focused work. And you need to flicker between these states in order to do creative work.’ That’s how important associations get made, and this flickering seems to be bolstered by walking.

“It’s part of the reason, O’Mara suspects, that the prolific writer and thinker Bertrand Russell said that walking was integral to his work. Likewise, the Irish mathematician William Rowan Hamilton, who pondered a single problem on his daily walks for seven years, eventually inventing a number system called quaternions, without which we couldn’t make electric toothbrushes or mobile phones.”

These scenarios show that sometimes getting away is just what you need to be more productive and efficient.

In addition, listening to water flowing and birds chirping, smelling the fresh air and feeling the warmth of sunshine or the gentle droplets of rain can inspire a deeper connection with our Creator.

Spiritual Benefits

Meditation is among the least understood and practiced tools of Christian growth.

Because meditation requires us to shut out distractions within a world full of them (television, computers, music), getting out and taking a walk can provide you with the perfect environment to meditate on the things of God.

The type of environment you choose to walk in is vital to your success. An example of this in the Bible was when the patriarch Isaac had gone “out to meditate in the field at the eventide” (Gen. 24:63). He went out to a field where there was nobody else around and very few, if any, distractions.

Another idea to get you started: Before heading out for a walk, write down some scriptures from the Psalms or any other meaningful verses. This will jumpstart your meditation as you venture into the beauty of nature.

There are many more examples in the Bible of vigorous walking for spiritual purposes.

Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee as He was looking for and calling His disciples (Matt. 4:18). Walking to the tune of waves lapping on the shore surely magnified Christ’s walk—particularly if He was teaching His disciples.

Christ often “withdrew Himself” into the wilderness and prayed. The solitude of the desert allowed Jesus to communicate freely with His Father.

He also “went out” into a mountain to pray (Luke 6:12). Climbing even a small mountain entails walking on an incline—which is a powerful workout.

We are instructed to teach our children when we “walk by the way” (Deut. 6:7). This shows walking can be a family activity during which you talk about the most important things in life.

Abraham “walk[ed] through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it” to gain a scope and appreciation of what God promised to give Him (Gen. 13:17). We can explore as much of His Creation as we have time for to better grasp the extent of His handiwork.

You can “walk after” these examples. Hike with your family weekly to help establish bonds. Use time on the Sabbath to meditate deeply on Creation or even to pray in your mind.

Start Today!

Plan your walking schedule now. You can vary your routine by taking a different path every day. This will keep it interesting and will ensure you maximize all the benefits.

However you choose to set your weekly schedule, keep in mind how important and beneficial is this simple exercise. And as you step along, think about how it reflects our Christian walk toward God’s soon-coming Kingdom and entering His Family (Gal. 5:16; Eph. 5:8, 15; II John 6).

There is no time like today to start a routine. Get up, lace up your shoes and go for a walk!