Walks have been a lifesaver these past few years. I’m embarrassed to admit I didn’t know its joys pre-covid. But when Singapore shut down and the only kind of exercise and safe outing available to me was to go on walks, I realized just how much joy walking can bring.
You can’t outrun a bad diet, and I was tucking into slabs of butter to deal with covid lockdown stress–so walking seemed like a good way to not gain a gazillion pounds.
I’ve shed my covid weight, but the walking habit remains. Walks are movement, but they’re also relaxation. When I allow myself to escape the hamster wheel of my thoughts–being an author does that to you–walking can be escape.
I don’t have regular routes around my neighborhood, preferring to change it up every day, but there’s comfort in the familiarity of trees I’ve watched through their cycle of blooming and being. The same dogs that bark at the same gates, the same joggers sweating away in the same outfits, the parks that Singapore maintains with an obsessive zeal, where the tropical weather can turn a hedge into a luxuriant bush in a matter of weeks.
I admire the stilts and wildfowl that roam the parks surrounding waterways, the occasional otters and their shenanigans, the water monitors lumbering on land and arrowing through water. Often, macaw owners gather at my local park, and exercise their massive long-tailed charges that fly and glide across the park with their showy plumes and harsh cries.
Watching all of this with all of my attention makes me allocentric, which is a good way to balance out my often ego-centered mind. Especially in publishing, a self-centered brain can be burdensome. It will make you miserable, because once the writing is done such few things remain under your control. With the rise of AI and other threats to publishing, focusing my attention on everything outside of me when surrounded by nature is healing. It’s an absolute privilege to be surrounded by so much greenery in an island mega-city, and my walks in Singapore would be what I miss most if I ever need to leave.
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What about you? When was the last time you went on a walk? Do you get to walk in nature where you are? Do you find walks relaxing?
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HAPPY IWSG Day, Damyanti! I really enjoyed reading about your walks in Singapore, a city I love but haven’t seen in too many years. I would love to see water monitors. Walking in nature is healing. My last walk was yesterday, if I don’t count the airport concourses I was dashing through today. Yesterday I walked up and down Fremont Street in Downtown Las Vegas a number of times, from early morning until about 11:30 pm. It’s about as different as can be from your walks in Singapore. Definitely not restoring! Definitely energizing, until you crash from sensory overload. Tomorrow I hope to walk along my beloved Piney Creek. I’ve been walking along “my” stretch of the creek for 20 years, and, as you said, there is comfort in the familiar. I’m hoping to spot some fawns and lots of beautiful birds, along with my favorite trees. I hope you don’t have to leave amazing Singapore!
Lovely post. Walking has been an on and off thing for me – depending on where I live and my health – now I try to do it daily; it makes all the difference to my wellbeing! Linda xx
Damyanti, I’ve been a “walker” for many years, along with biking and whatever other physical activity draws me in. I just came back from vacation, where my friend and I walked or hiked in some very beautiful places. Here at home, I have a local route that I can safely walk, but there are also trails in the area with lovely, engaging scenery. My mom was a walker and perhaps I picked this up from her, but I’m glad you are enjoying the walks in your neighborhood. It has always been a good way to relieve stress and temporarily empty my mind of the usual junk.
I hike in the Preserve
And marvel at the sounds
Of kingfisher whistling
And tinkling, tumbling water.
The vista of leaf-strewn trails
Along sun-sparkled Creek.
Then I am filled with wonder
And gratitude today.
Taking a brisk walk every evening has become my favorite way to stay active and unwind after a busy day. It’s the perfect routine to clear my mind, boost my mood, and keep my body healthy.
It really is the perfect routine. I so enjoy having something to look forward to at the end of a writing day.
When you have a high-energy dog you walk every day!
I wish I had one!
Hi Damyanti – I walk everyday … perhaps not far – and I should ‘get down to the sea’ more often, and walk along the seafront – I can’t go too far … but at least I’m out and about – and enjoy the changing seasons – well done you for getting out and about and appreciating the value of the great outdoors – cheers Hilary
Thanks, Hilary! Walking along the seafront sounds lovely, even if it’s only for a short distance. I miss the experience of walking down the same street during the different seasons and feeling as though I’m entering a new world each time. Autumn is my favorite!
I make sure that every evening I take a long brisk walk to keep the body fit and release any stress that builds up.
That sounds wonderful, Ian!
Before 2017, when back surgery seems to have made it permanently impossible.
I really miss it – enjoy yours!
I’m so sorry to hear that, Alicia. Wishing you all the best.
I recently started taking a walk every day after supper. I think it’s helping with my stamina.
At first, I wasn’t sure how much my stamina was improving, but it seems to have undergone a slow and steady increase.
Very good!
Walking is an underrated exercise. I walk every day because of my dog. That might be one reason dog owners live longer.
That’s an interesting fact! I had no idea, thanks for sharing, Thomas.
My mobility is precarious. I walk on the use if or lose it principle and enjoy my walks. Slow walks, wobbly walks but beneficial for both my mind and my body.
It’s wonderful that you’ve found an exercise that works for you.
You made me google photos of Singapore now – how incredibly beautiful!
I go on a several hours hike neary every week, and I often choose to walk a few kilometers when I could drive. I have done so for many years! The absolute best way to clear my mind!
That sounds wonderful! I would love to go on more hikes, and one of my favorite things to do when going on holiday is researching the hiking trails and figuring out how many my husband and I can attempt.
It’s been about a month. I really need to do that more often.
I took me a while to make it into a habit, but now I couldn’t stop if I tried!
I went on two walks this morning! I walk every single day. It is relaxing. Except when blue jays attack you.
🤣 Do they really? I can’t tell if you’re pulling my leg.
Like so many people, I started walking every day during COVID because I had no other way to work out. I still do it and log my four miles a day on FB with a Sunday post I call Writing and Walking to Sanity. Now, I can’t imagine not putting on my shoes and hitting the trail or the downtown. It’s a perfect way to clear my head, and I even get a lot of writing done in my head while I’m covering those four miles.
That’s amazing! And I know what you mean, I sometimes feel like I make more progress in the time away from my laptop than I do when I spend hours forcing my brain to churn.
I agree; walking in natural places is so calming.
Absolutely, it feels almost magical.
Walks are really special. I feel at peace with the world on a walk.
Same here. It’s a wonderful feeling, a breath of fresh air in the midst of life’s hustle and bustle.
I started walking for health reasons. Got a tread mill to balance out inclement days. I didn’t know most of my neighbors until I started walking the streets. I feel much more connected, as you say about your experience.
I didn’t realize how much I was self-isolating until I forced myself to stop hibernating and actually venture outdoors. It felt like a whole new world, as cheesy as that sounds. Covid definitely made me too comfortable with staying inside for days on end.