3 Benefits of Walking I've Noticed In Midlife

Some of you know I started walking more last year following a back injury. I've been exercising for years now, and for me that has mainly been strength training. Once I got past the fact I wasn't truly a fan of exercise, but knew I needed to do so for my health and wellness, it truly became a lifestyle. However, once I started having back issues in my 30s, my lifestyle of fitness would sometimes be challenged. Fast forward to my late 40s, and now a new challenge has arrived, and I think it might have everything to do with perimenopause.

Normally, I would roll out of bed and prepare myself to head downstairs for my workouts about five days a week, but something started to change for me last year. I did not want to lift any weights. Some days, I did not have the energy to do it, and some days I did not have the mental space to do it. I was kind of forced into walking following my back injury, but the next thing I knew, I kept going. A lot of days, I feel like it's all I have to give as far as exercise is concerned, and I do it.

A lot of people have been inquiring about the changes I've seen since I started all of this walking. Now, I know many are looking for an answer in terms of weight, but as I thought about it, there were three benefits of walking that stood out to me since beginning this journey.

I'll get the weight aspect out of the way first. Since February, I've walked well over 350 miles. Have I lost weight? No, the scale has not budged for me, but I try not to get down about that because I have noticed my legs leaning out quite a bit. This may not seem like a lot, but I'll take it, and I'll still try to focus on eating a well-balanced diet that may help with these extra 15 lbs that want to hang out with me.

I never dealt with PMS like some women do. To be honest, because I didn't have this issue monthly, I didn't understand what a lot of women were going through. Then last year, things started to change for me. Around that time of the month, I started to notice I was very uncomfortable. The pain and complete lack of energy left me depleted and laying around for about 24 hours leading up to my period. I began to dread that time of the month, and I didn't know what to do.

Since I've been consistently walking, I haven't experienced that same level of discomfort one time over these past several months. Could walking be the reason? I can't say for certain, but I do find it interesting that this change happened around the same time I became more consistent with walking. And if walking is helping, I'm certainly not complaining.

Lastly, another one of the benefits of walking I've noticed has been the effect it has on my mental state. Let me explain. I've never dealt with depression, and because of that, it was something I didn't really understand. Last year, I noticed there were days I just kind of woke up feeling terrible for no obvious reason. I didn't want to do anything, talk to anyone, or open my curtains. I just felt....blah. I knew I didn't feel like myself, but I couldn't figure out why. This feeling would last for several days, and sometimes I would look up and realize I hadn't accomplished anything that week. Even though that disappointed me, I also didn't care.

I can't be certain, since I don't have a formal diagnosis, but I think I was experiencing some form of depression. Needless to say, I'm grateful I haven't experienced that feeling these past several months, and it just happens to coincide with the time I got back outside and started walking again. There's something about getting outside, moving my body, and getting some fresh air for a while that seems to make a difference for me.

A bonus benefit of walking might be the simplest one: walking is an exercise I can actually do consistently right now. That may sound obvious, but for me, it's important. There are days when I don't feel like lifting weights. There are days when my energy is low and my mind feels overwhelmed. And there are days when a traditional workout just feels like too much, but I can usually convince myself to walk.

In my 30s, I had to figure out how to exercise around back issues. Now, in my late 40s, I'm learning how to listen to my body in a completely different way. Maybe I won't always want to strength training five days a week. Maybe I don't need to. Maybe walking is exactly what I need right now. For me, a big lesson has been that movement doesn't have to look the same at every stage of life. Sometimes you have to adjust, listen to your body, and find something you can keep doing. Right now, that something for me is walking.

My point in all of this is there have been great unexpected benefits to my walking journey. My physical health is important, but so is my mental, emotional and spiritual health. I think I've tapped into a bit of healing in ways I wouldn't have thought of before. There's something about getting outside, moving my body, clearing my head, and simply giving myself permission to slow down that has been good for me in more ways than I expected. I still plan to strength train because I know having muscle on our bodies as we age is important, but I'm learning to not stress out, and flow in a manner that works best for me. Fitness doesn't have to be all or nothing. It can evolve with you. I started walking because I felt like I had to, but I've continued walking because I genuinely feel better when I do.

How is your summer fitness routine going so far, and what changes have you noticed?