National Walking Day
National Walking Day is every year on the first Wednesday in April and takes place on April 3 this year. National Walking Day is exactly as it sounds — a day to celebrate the easiest way to be the healthiest version of you. Walking for thirty to sixty minutes per day may sound like it isn’t much, but studies have shown that it can drastically improve your health and even help prevent ailments such as type II diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL WALKING DAY
Walking has always been a part of being human. Many archaeologists have found that even when humans were nomadic tribes, we would often walk great distances to stalk our prey (think Wooly Mammoths) and wait for them to sleep before pouncing. Walking is, essentially, what humans are physically best at. We’re the slowest runners, the worst swimmers, and we can’t even fly without a big jet engine. Walking is the human’s bread and butter.
Maybe that’s why during the Victorian era there was a little fad called pedestrianism, where walking became one of the major spectator sports in America and Europe until baseball usurped it. But individuals would wager massive bets over whether walkers could make it marathon distances and under what time. There’s a reason why racewalking is an Olympic sport, after all.
Whether it’s John Muir’s spiritual journeys through the woods; pilgrimages to Mecca; or just a casual stroll through your local park, walking has always held a close, dear place in the hearts of humans. It’s no wonder that there are so many health benefits associated with it and also why National Move More Month and National Walking Day were created to promote this fantastic and surprisingly easy pastime.
NATIONAL WALKING DAY ACTIVITIES
1.Walking
Well, this is a no-brainer. Walking is, obviously, the most popular activity on National Walking Day. Just make sure you put one foot in front of the other.
2.Racewalking
Get out there and get competitive. Racewalking is great aerobic exercise and can help you zoom around your town at lightning speeds.
3.Light jogging
Or, if you prefer, take a light jog instead. Sometimes walking is just too slow for your speedsters and this next step up is nice and relaxed, but efficient.
WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL WALKING DAY
A. It gets us outside
Getting outside is an important element in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Walking is a great way to get outdoors!
B. It improves our health
Walking 10,000 steps per day is an effective way to improve your health.
C. It’s easy to do
No weights are necessary. No running. No special skills or talents. Just get out there and walk!
References:
“National Walking Day” │ https://nationaltoday.com/national-walking-day/