Hey, seasoned adventurers and wannabe wanderers! In this issue:

• How to make a simple walk feed your mind, body, and soul

• This robot cafe in Japan does the walking for you

• Quantifying your equivalent climb of Everest (you can do it in your own neighborhood!)

• Inspiration from the late Jimmy Carter

These Feet Were Made for Walking

A guide to feeling and staying fabulous

It’s time to lace up your sneakers and hit the trail. That’s because walking is your secret weapon for feeling younger, healthier, and more energetic.

This great form of exercise is a boon to wellness. You don’t need a membership, special equipment, skill, or training. You can do it just about whenever or wherever you want. And while you can’t outpace the fork, you’ll burn calories, strengthen muscles (like your heart), and quite possibly defy gravity — at least a little bit. Best of all, it’s FREE.

Walking does a body good, inside and out

Take baby steps to begin if you need to. Start off with short walks and slowly increase your pace and distance. Before you know it, you’ll be taking a brisk, 30-minute walk each day (or break it into two or three shorter jaunts for the same benefits). It all adds up…heart, mind, body, and soul.

NOTE: The amount of walking you do depends on your fitness level, health, and daily routines. Always discuss your exercise goals with your doctor before starting a new walking program, especially if you have any health concerns.

Heart

Short bursts of activity for even a few minutes daily can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. An article from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that walking faster is associated with a lower mortality risk and cardiovascular disease. But there’s more:

Walking can help:

• Lower blood pressure, particularly for postmenopausal women and African Americans.

• Improve cholesterol levels.

• Reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. Research suggests that walking briskly can cut the risk of dying from heart disease in half. (NIH)

• Improve circulation and restore that youthful, healthy glow.

• Reverse some earlier damage to the heart and blood vessels. (Harvard Health)

Learn more about how walking may be the only exercise you need.

Mind

Mental health also gets a serious boost from walking. It releases endorphins, our bodies’ delightful little mood boosters and natural painkillers. This simple exercise can also reduce depression, stress, and anxiety. The American Psychological Association recommends physical exercise for improving mental health.

Walking can help:

• Elevate mood. Even a short walk can increase your energy and alertness.

• Reduce stress and anxiety.

• Lessen symptoms of depression.

• Improve cognitive function and can help you be more creative and productive.

• Boost self-esteem by building body confidence.

Body

Walking can help:

• Prevent weight gain and aid in weight loss when you maintain a healthy diet.

• Strengthen bones since it's a weight-bearing exercise.

• Build muscles and endurance.

• Raise lung capacity and help the body use oxygen better by strengthening the diaphragm and other muscles supporting the lungs.

• Improve balance, which is particularly important as you age.

• Support your immune system by increasing blood flow, reducing stress, and boosting your antibodies.

• Increase vitamin D when you walk in the sunshine. Learn how this vitamin helps us stay healthy.

Soul

The beauty of walking is that it gives you time to connect with yourself and others. You can enjoy peaceful solitude or listen to music or a podcast. These moments of calm are important for our well-being. You can also walk with a friend, adding a stop for coffee or window shopping. Or, you can join a walking group to explore new locations and meet new friends.

Remember: Every step is a step towards awesomeness. Walk on, champions!

Further reading:

• Why Is Walking the Most Popular Form of Exercise?

• Walking: Trim your waistline, improve your health

• 5 tips for walking your way to better health

• Healthy Meal Planning: Tips for Older Adults

• Best trails in the United States

• Depression and anxiety: Exercise eases symptoms

How many steps are enough?

According to most health experts, older adults should aim for 6,000 to 8,000 steps per day. This range helps maintain cardiovascular health and overall well-being. Some studies suggest that even fewer steps can provide significant health benefits for older individuals compared to minimal or no planned movement.

It’s easy to add steps without much effort.

• Park farther away from your destination.

• Take the stairs instead of an elevator.

• And when nobody’s watching, march in place during commercial breaks while watching TV.

Ain’t no mountain high enough

Well, maybe there is! Did you know that it takes 58,070 harrowing steps to summit Mount Everest? The tallest mountain in the world is 29,029 feet high (and growing!), or the equivalent of 3,871 flights of stairs.

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Not everyone can walk so easy

Walking is healthy and generally accessible, but not everyone can do it. A cafe in Tokyo created a unique job to give less mobile people active jobs, even if all they can manage are eye movements.

The Avatar Robot Cafe’s robotic staff serves delicious food and entertains customers with witty banter. But the cafe is emphatically not driven by the AI constantly exhausting all of us everywhere else.

Instead, each one is controlled by a human, home-bound “pilot” who remotely serves food and interacts with customers using the robot’s body.

What a way to stay active!

Today’s quote is a reminder to take that one extra step every day.

What mountain are you climbing today? Reply and let us know!