Doctor and #walk1000miles evangelist Peter Davies says walking is our most powerful weapon in the fight of our lives.
Flabby? Frustrated? Forgetful? Slowing down? Just because something is common and develops over time doesn’t mean it’s normal, unavoidable or natural. You need more muscle. Let me explain.
What many of the people I see in surgery are really suffering from is movement and muscle deficiency disorder. They describe various symptoms and get various medical labels – obese, diabetic, prone to falls, anxious, depressed, dementia and so on.
But at root these are all consequences of lack of muscle, lack of movement and lack of connection. There are other people who walk, move, lift, explore. They have strong muscles and their movements flow easily. They live calmly and their memory is accurate. They can quietly and effectively get on with life. They can do this because they move and so generate and regenerate the connections between their bodies and their brain. They generate new connections within themselves and outside themselves – to other people and to places. The physical connections generate both physical and mental health. And we feel good as we prompt our body to make these connections. It all comes down to movement and lifting.
Dr Davies proudly displays his medal.
Walk1000miles is a fantastic way to get the movement you need into your life, and to enjoy life more. I rely on it. The alternative of a slothful and sedentary existence is miserable, and no doctor can cure that for you. Walking is a far better medicine than any I can prescribe and the very best prescription any of us can give to ourselves. I take part in the challenge enthusiastically and I’m as proud of my achievements and progress. But for me it’s way beyond miles covered. We walk out into the world to discover it, and as we do we get physically stronger and mentally more connected to ourselves and to places and to others. We become whole inside, and a healthy and integrated part of the world.
As Mary Oliver puts it, the world seems to be ‘over and over announcing our place in the family of things’. That’s why walking is so wonderful, and why walk1000miles is such a good idea.”
