Walk this way (Week 13)

"My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She's ninety-seven now, and we don't know where the heck she is."

Ellen's grandma knows something a lot of us don't. It's pretty easy to just go for a walk. We fall into these comfortable habits, like tucking into dinner in front of the big screen and then sinking deeper and deeper into the couch until it's time to brush our teeth and go to bed.

Well, not this week!

For seven straight days, Val and I put our shoes on after dinner and headed out the door. It's something I remember doing as a forced march with my dad when I was a kid, and something I hadn't done for at least 10 years. That's despite knowing the many benefits of an after-dinner walk, which include better digestion, improved sleep, and weight loss.

There really was no decent excuse for not going for a walk. After all, we live in Victoria so it's pretty easy. And not just Victoria, but a great neighbourhood. From our home in James Bay, we can walk west toward the pedestrian friendly Breakwater, east into the serene Beacon Hill Park, north to the touristy Fisherman's Wharf and Parliament Buildings, or south to the grassy shoreline of Dallas Road and Holland Point. People come from around the world to walk here; how could we have taken it for granted after living here just six months?

One thing we discovered is that touring your neighbourhood by foot connects you to it, and to its many wonders. You start seeing familiar faces - like the old fella with the crushed leather hat who spins his cane like a baton and who we now call Mr. Bojangles. You meet the local cats, who sometimes deign to approach the sidewalk for a quick scratch. You get an appreciation for the homes and the people who adorn them, like Pilot Street, where residents have created miniature fairy villages at the bases of the trees.

Then there's the talking. It's kinda tough to have a decent conversation with your spouse when you're binge watching The Sopranos. Out on the open sidewalks, you have little choice. In our half-hour excursions, we solved the world's great problems - from politics in Alberta and in our nation's capital to ending poverty and world hunger. Those last two might take a few more walks to iron out the details.

Another great thing about the walk coming after dinner is that you get to enjoy the evening, and that means sunsets. Believe it or not, some decent research has been done looking at why we should take the time to savour our star dipping on the horizon. There's the enriching effect of simply putting you in a better mood and a somewhat more transcendental one of helping you appreciate the earth and your place in the cosmos. Some have also reported a sensation of time slowing down, something more of us could use in our time-crunched lives.

We should all make an effort to walk off into the sunset. And not just for the pictures.

NEXT WEEK: 7 days in the gym!