How to use walking to reconnect
It’s June and can you believe we’re almost halfway through 2021? We’ve spent more than a year distancing ourselves from our regular routines, our neighbors, friends, and colleagues. But just in time for summer, things are slowly returning to normal, and as the world opens up, so do the opportunities to connect!
Here at Fitstyle by Shana, we believe in the power of connecting - whether that’s at work, with family and friends, in nature, or and perhaps especially with yourself. Something amazing happens when you plug into that positive connection and what better way to connect than while on a walk.
Connecting with others energizes us, elevates our mood, encourages activity, helps boost our immune system, and increases longevity. When you create and strengthen healthy connections with those around you it has a positive effect. Good Connections = Better Health.
Try these 5 fitstlyish ways to use a walk to reconnect this summer.
Connect with Family
Use the longer hours of daylight to enjoy an after-dinner walk with your family. Use that time to catch up on what’s been going on throughout each other’s day or to make plans for the week ahead. Have smaller ones in tow? Try adding in a game of I Spy or for older kids add in some high-intensity cardio like doing jumping jacks or running in place at every stop sign. (You can even try your own silly walks…any Monty Python fans out there? 🤣)
Connect with Friends
Not ready to travel yet? Schedule a phone call to walk and talk with a long-distance friend and catch up. Purposely scheduling the time on your calendar can give you both something to look forward to, and chatting while you walk can help you get in even more steps! If you’re making those travel plans, then don’t just lounge on the couch. Walk and talk while you catch up in person and consider joining a walking tour to explore a new location. (If you’re in the New Haven area…find out about private Fitstyle by Shana walking tours.)
Connect with Colleagues
Before you send that email to schedule a zoom call, consider taking it outside. Walks can be especially useful as ways to check in one on one with a colleague. Walking gets those creative juices flowing, it increases creativity, productivity, and focus, which can help your team be more effective. Turning a meeting into a walk can be good for business. If you’re just returning to the office, a walk is a perfect way to reconnect with small groups in your department. Working from home? Ask your colleagues to schedule a walk and talk phone call, set the agenda in advance so you can both be outside racking up steps and feeling productive.
* Want to get your team walking together? Schedule a Fitstyle by Shana indoor energy boosting walk class for your department.
Connect with Nature
Taking your walk to a local park, beach, or walking trail is the perfect way to disconnect from the hustle and bustle of life and slow down to reconnect with nature. Grounding yourself in nature is a great way to destress and refocus and a change of scenery can be just the thing to keep you excited about walking. Take time to notice the little things around you, blooming flowers or fresh cut grass, the smell of the salty ocean air, or the shadows cast by branches on the trail. The NY Times calls this an “awe walk.” When you connect with your surroundings in nature and create a sense of awe it increases our feelings of gladness and improves our health.
Connect with Yourself
An early morning solo walk gives you time to sort through your thoughts and clear your mind for the day ahead or end your day with an evening walk to unwind and reset after a busy day. Walking alone allows you total freedom to set your own pace, distance, and even add in music. Taking time to connect to ourselves is a great way to stay in touch with our emotions and thoughts and practice self-care. Remember that it doesn’t have to be a long walk. Even taking 5 to 10 minutes to walk around the house or the block can give you those mental and physical health benefits.
Want to walk right now? Join as a Fitstyle Orange member for access to live and on-demand walk classes.
Remember it’s not just about how fast or how far you go, because every step counts.