Walking musings

3 walking reminders while in nursing school

Hi I’m Cee, a sporadic writer about nature, walking in New England, herbalism and health. While I’d like to say I’ll post monthly, I only posted twice in 2022 about walking on my blog in January and February before nursing school changed everything.

I’ve eked out sporadic walks during my nursing program, but it was far less than I hoped. As my program gets busier and closer to completion, I’m getting back to walking and writing about it.

Walking trips can motivate

Acadia National Park

Walking doesn’t need to be complicated, but it sure is fun to take special trips. At first, I wanted to plan hikes in new places or make multiple trips to the closest National Park. Then reality tempered and changed my expectations. Being in an accelerated program and working part time, I found it difficult to think that grand or far ahead. That made my Acadia National Park trip during November break all the more memorable. It helped that I didn’t have to plan and just enjoyed the adventure.

fromthefoot

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If you have the time and resources to plan an epic walking trip, it might help motivate you to get outside. Just remember, walking is a low impact activity that you can do anywhere at any time.

Just walk

Forest River Conservation

Since I don’t live close enough to Bar Harbor to visit all the time, I needed to just start walking. I’ve walked the most on the trail right next to my classes. Currently, it’s quite muddy in spots and the boardwalk is closed for construction.

An interesting study had 75 people walk in the woods and in urban surroundings and found that both environments had “a positive effect on the physiological and psychological relaxation of the subjects”¹. The benefits varied on location but there’s plenty of data and life experiences to tell us the more we move and get outside the better for our body and spirit.

“A short walk in the suburbs was no less attractive than a walk in the forest in fall.”
Janeczko et al.

When you’re limited to an area due to time or transportation

• Walk in your neighborhood green spaces

• Find parks on bus or train routes

• Walk in your city

Just have common sense and be aware of your surroundings. That can be said for solo hikes in the woods or wandering around neighborhoods.

Walking can inspire creativity

This isn’t a new concept, but how often do you walk and find yourself paying more attention to your senses and your surroundings? The more I walk outside and see without a screen, I have a greater connection not just with the external world, but the internal one as well.

When I need creative boosts, I walk outside or if I absolutely must stay inside, I look through old photos for inspiration. I’ll probably be sharing a lot of walking word prompts, like these pathways photos, over on Notes.

Goals for the next month

Walking—Walk to my mum’s and visit a longtime favorite park, Long Hill

Nature—Get my community garden plot up and running

Writing— Story a Day in May

Misc— Pass my finals!!

Where have you been walking lately?

1. Janeczko, et al., (2020). When urban environment is restorative: The effect of walking in suburbs and forests on psychological and physiological relaxation of young Polish adults. Forests, 11(5), 591.