Walking

I was dismayed to hear recently on the radio about two studies done to determine the benefit (or not) or swinging the arms when you walk. One study concluded there was no benefit whatsoever, and that this was a throwback to when we were apes. The other said there was a slight benefit, because it actually took more energy to stop yourself swinging your arms than to swing them!

I don't buy into any of this. Why? Because my own experience tells me something different.

Earlier this year I was thrilled to find myself at the top of a canyon in California, a walk of about two hours altogether. It was a warmish Sunday, and many others took the opportunity for a ramble, among them some quite small boys who gave me courage. Now, parts of this climb were steep, and some involved steep hairpin bends. On the way down we encountered a party of three women, obviously seasoned hikers and canyon goers. The leader approached the hairpin bend, leaned right forward, and swung her arms higher and more vigorously than a crazed pendulum. And you know what? I could see the help and impetus she got, and tried this myself on a later occasion.

It's only in the last couple of decades of my life that I've got into walking as recreational exercise. Before that, for me, it was strictly a means of getting from one place to another, maybe because of my city mouse upbringing. But these days I truvel and refresh myself when I step out of the house to wander under God's heaven. And I feel the healthy benefit to my heart of swinging my arms in a natural rhythm that both helps my breathing and calms me down, bringing me after a certain length of time into a completely different space. Positively therapeutic!