Musings of a morning walker

“Rise at 5 am. spend that first hour on fitness, gratitude and reading”

The 5 am club by Robin Sharma

I have been going for my morning walks now for a good 12 years. I walk on weekdays and weekends are generally reserved for family. In winters when it gets too cold to go out for a walk I replace my walks with exercise for about 20-30 min at home. Why am I so keen on a exercise routine one may ask ? What could be pushing me everyday to pursue? For starters, I am a “NO GYM” person. Yep! Haven’t stepped in one till date. I found that, with my morning walks alone I could achieve all of my daily goals for a balanced life. So, here are my top 5 reasons to pursue morning walks. If you are mulling over the if’s and but’s, may be now is the time to read this article.

1: To keep the sanity meter under check

I cannot stress on this enough and it tops my list. For most of us the constant demands on our limited time creates a state of stress 24/7. I am a working mom of two. With a house running on full throttle, growing kids outsmarting my planning every minute (never ending lists of assignments, tests, competitions, b’day invites)and a job to handle, my hands are full. It can drive you insane, overwhelm your senses. Walking, if nothing, has kept me grounded. Early morning zen moments which make you realize how infinitely small we are in the big universe and how petty our issues are keep you grounded. Introspection is a art to hone for keeps sake. The realization that one should let go, of what one can’t control certainly helps the sanity meter.

2: Multiple health benefits

The number of health benefits are numerous and several articles have been written on it. Its good for digestion, good for health of your skin, helps improve health of bone and muscles just to name a few. I have found people suffering from diverse issues such as constipation, lower back pain , irritable bowel syndrome benefiting from it. If you suffer from any chronic disorder do consult your physician. However, I am yet to find any health condition for which a morning walk is contraindicated.

3: To lose weight and keep it at bay:

Weight loss is a constant struggle for a lot of people. Regular walking combined with sensible eating pursued with the zeal of a gladiator is bound to yield results. I am blessed with healthy genes and a normal weight. However, to keep it in check morning walk is my only saviour. As I mentioned earlier I hate gym. Losing weight in this manner is more consistent. The weight loss achieved this way is unlikely to come back fast when compared to a “enroll now lose fast” gym promise. Of course the plus side is, if you are a regular walker you will feel less guilty indulging at times into your favourite comfort food.

4 A great headstart for the day

This one is a sure winner in terms of gaining control over your day. A morning walker invariably wakes up early. A good walk boosts physical energy and helps emotional quotient. So, you are starting your day with a more calm and balanced mind. You are way ahead in the game already compared to others. Now, compare this to waking up at the nth hour rushing through your bath literally gobbling the breakfast or simply gulping down the coffee and wrestling out in peak traffic. Phew! sounds familiar right ! Most successful people have this one habit in common of waking up early. I have mentioned it in my earlier post https://musingsmorningwalker.com/league-of-morning-men/ To say nothing of the clarity of mind it bestows on you. I am a avid planner and don’t waste your time kind of person. So, my morning walks are a huge blessing in terms of gaining perspectives on short and long term life goals. Whatever may be your life situation or vocation: business, student, 9-5 job, house manager ( sorry I find house wife a bit derogatory), you will find morning walks very helpful in terms of planning your day well and staying ahead of days schedule.

5: To become and remain positive:

Most of us get attracted to positive people and envy their constant high energy. I was once told by a cousin that “tiredness is a state of mind , not body”. (not sure if he was quoting someone else) It means if we are alive in our mind no amount of work will tire us out. When was the last time you felt like that? Staying positive through up and downs of life is way tougher than the selfhelp books make it sound. Waking up every day under a cloud, struggling with emotions, the mood swings, the guilt of it and the hopelessness which comes with it is not easy to handle. At some point we have all fought it. For some, however, it’s a bit longer and a harder struggle.(trust me ! I hear you) I firmly believe, for people struggling with depression, chronic pain disorder, stress related disorders, an early morning walk has huge benefits. It fills you with such energy and makes one lift his head out of the cloud. Trust me ! nature has that healing power if only you will allow it to do its magic.

So,there you go !. This is my list of top 5 Reasons to start morning walk. There are many many other benefits. However, in my experience its an individual journey. Each morning walker will surely tell you there own success stories. So write one for yourself by starting today.

“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success”

Alexander Graham Bell

I have been talking about how morning walk is a fantastic way to kick off the procastinated health goals. In continuation of my series on the habit of walking from how to motivate yourself into walking habit...https://musingsmorningwalker.com/the-first-step/ to the fantastic experience of morning walks https://musingsmorningwalker.com/the-view-through-my-shoelace-loops/  I thought it was apt to write this one now. Now, that you have started your walks you will have to get some basics right. There are do’s and don’ts for everything. So is true, for early morning walking. This is my list of do’s and don’t of morning walk. Friends ! the preparation starts the previous night.

Have a light meal

Don’t gorge on oily fried or cheesy stuff, the night before. Eat light is the mantra. Enough to abate the hunger yet, not make you feel stuffed. learning to cook healthy and tasty is an art worth acquiring.

Hit the bed early

 Do sleep early at least by 10 or 10.30. If you are a person, who doesn’t get sleep easily then count that extra half an hr for shutting those eyes. Its only in the initial few weeks, that early sleeping matters. Once your body clock is trained, you will invariably wake up. Even, if you sleep past midnight.

Hydrate…hydrate…hydrate

I can’t emphasize this enough. Any form of exercise needs the body to be well hydrated. I am a poor water drinker. But over the years I have tried improving upon it. You know there are apps for this which remind you to drink up. So, drink a tall glass of water as soon as you wake up and continue to do so through out the day at regular intervals.

Eat a fruit

Now, you must eat a fruit. Yes! a fruit of your choice…no need to make lengthy juices or smoothies loaded with ice or sugar.  Just a fruit…like a banana or an apple or a pear. Going for a walk on an empty stomach is never a good idea. You will feel tired soon. My husband carries almonds in his pocket and munches them along. Do what suits you. But no heavy breakfast.

Gadget free or freak

What stuff you need to carry? This will entail another article in detail I guess. For now, suffice to say carry your mobile as it can act as your time piece, step counter, music player and of course as a phone.  It all depends on, how far away from home you go. For places close to home just a wrist watch would suffice. That’s what I do. Now, I find it an unnecessary baggage to carry a mobile as the weight impedes me while I am jogging. However, if you must go further away, then you got to carry a whole lot. Wallet, mobile, house key etc you can buy a decent silicon walking belt like the one above which carries it all.

Dress comfortably

What dress to wear? Just about anything which is comfortable and socially acceptable. I prefer cotton tees and ¾ jogging pants with zipped pockets. Yep! that red one from adidas is mine. Each country has its own dressing norms. American dressing sensibility, middle eastern and Indian are very different. There is no one, type of attire which is right. Generally, a loosely fitting dress is a good idea. Remember, you are out for a walk not a fashion parade.

The right shoe

Shoes? Hmm.. now those are important. I have seen all sorts of variations even with that. Elderly prefer the slip on type. I prefer lacing up. My mother in law doesn’t even like shoes. She prefers those orthopedic sandals which are soft but firm and are easy to wear. So, you see even that is optional (I know so many of you may disagree with me on this). I believe at the end of the day, it’s a personal choice of comfort.

The final word

Now there are so many…many walking gears, just google it you will know what I am talking about.  What I have mentioned above are the do’s and don’ts of walking that I follow. Depending on where you stay and your lifestyle and health condition you can tweak them a bit. But, what makes walking so wonderful to take up is you really don’t need any accessories at all literally it’s the least expensive habit or hobby to pick up. All you need is…to make your mind and follow the trail.

See you on the other end!

“A strange title you say. An apt one I defend…. “

The day I finally got myself to wake up early and tied my shoelace to leave for a walk my eyes opened to  a whole new world I was oblivious to before.

I firmly believe just like every city has a nightlife, it has a distinct dawn life of its own. What do I mean?  At this hour there are very few on the road fewer still on the pavement, u will probably meet the newspaper vendors, the milk vans and fellow walkers. There is a still quietude blanketing mother earth. The streets are quiet, cleaner. The road nightlamps are probably still on. There is a cool breeze blowing. Dewdrops glisten under the morning sun on metal posts and tree leaves alike. There is a certain undercurrent in the air which later on you will start identifying as the morning energy. The birds who are renowned early risers are already on their way to catch the provincial early worm.

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Everything appears so fresh and cool. People are going about their work in a unhurried manner. They are more gentle in their demeanor before the days business makes them put on the defensive mask. Strangers actually wish you back when you greet.

Magical morning

If you are blessed to be on the greener part of town then you will surely see the magic upfront. Every morning that I have gone for the walk across the yellow flowered tree, across the feathery cornheads, across the lush green grass I have thanked god that he gave me two eyes to see this, that he has blessed mother earth with the abundance of nature, that he gave me the good mind to actually take that walk and experience this dawn life.

Have you ever seen dawn breaking through. The first time I saw sun rays filtering through the wispy clouds I was stunned. Luckily I was carrying my mobile that day and I couldn’t help but click this image.

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Doesn’t it look radiant. Like one of those pics you see in movies showing gods amazing grace flowing. It was so surreal. I actually just stood there forgetting about my walk and just staring at the beauty.  Wow! How beautiful this world is? How we are so unaware of the gift bestowed on us every single day. How we are missing out on literally the best part of the day, our whole life ? In cities with the high rise  it is difficult to appreciate all this. But whenever you get the chance probably on your holidays or your visit to your native village do take the opputunity to explore the dawn life of the place. You will appreciate life in a very different light.

Beach sunrise

I had the good fortune of holidaying on a Maldivian island last summer. My room was pretty close to the beachfront. I woke up early and went for a walk on the beach circumscribing the small island. I cannot describe the beauty I saw in words. Suffice to say that I will never miss this opportunity on a future trip.

The waves hitting the shore, the rising sun bathing the water light hue of orange the fresh air filling my nostrils with a coolness of its own. Even the tress on the shore seem to be gently swaying to the morning tune. I know I am going ahead of myself with all this poetic stuff but its true that one does become a bit philosophical coming face to face with this aspect of nature. The artist in me will observe the beauty of even a line of ants or play of squirrels. Aren’t all these wonders on earth to …delight upon…devour…..admire ?

Now imagine if I had never made up my mind and tied those shoelace, what I would have missed. So didn’t I just see a whole new world through those loops metaphorically ?

What does your city’s dawn life look like ? Send me in pics , comments..would love to see the beautiful sunrise from across the world.

Have a fantastic day !

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream”

C S lewis

As the year is drawing to a close and winter has set in for good, it’s that time of the year when we look back at the year gone by and contemplate the bygones.

In my opinion the world is no better than what it was, sorry but that’s the way it is. The big question is, are u better than what you were, same time last year? Hmm! something to think about it.  All of us without exception, do get the thought that we are getting a year older, just when the midnight bell strikes.  Are we any closer to our dreams, our goals, our aspirations? It may be anything, personal or professional. But the bigger question we must be asking ourselves is have we changed or matured a bit more than we were last year. May be its time for new beginning with a new year resolution that we can stick to.

Personal growth

Somehow its my belief that progress cannot happen without an open and progressive mind. How can we be our same old self and yet expect situations to turn a new leaf or things to around us and fall in place. Get that coveted project, improve relationships, finish those courses etc. To achieve anything, we must work not just on the external factors but internal environment as well. We must Observe how our mind reacts to various happenings and conversations and people. Do we pass judgement? Do we blame others instead of taking responsibility? Do we procrastinate? When we learn to analyze our thoughts and actions we learn valuable lessons. As I told my son the other day you are your own best critic and own best control.  Self reflection is a great art to be honed indeed.

Turning a new leaf

We all make our list of new year resolutions. On most of those lists there is a health related resolution. The guilt we have of having a sedentary work life, poor eating habits, high job stress, makes us put up those goals. Somewhere we know we need to do something about it. Hence the resolution. The one healthy habit to pick up this year is to start walking in the morning.

Let me enlist the benefit

1 body energy improves greatly

2 the mind feels rejuvenated

3 its your free time to spend with yourself alone

4 body feels lighter and more agile

5 A sense of achievement or completion early in the day

6 better control on emotions and a more balanced view on life

7 less guilt when eating comfort food

8 automatic improvement in food choices that we make

9 Body gets its dose of VIT D

I can go on…but these are the benefits I have experienced personally (https://musingsmorningwalker.com/how-to-wake-up-early-trials-and-triumph/ ). I know its difficult but still its worth a try. Find your reason to go for that walk and make it stick. It may be fitting into your old jeans or letting go of the emotional giant wheel you seem to be always riding or planning the next big move or simply looking for inspiration if you are a creative person. TRUST ME it helps. Don’t believe me…try it for yourself.

The habit for keeps

Waking up early is tough I have had my share of struggle with it. But once you are past that hurdle the world is yours to grab. Those health goals are within reach with a simple zero expense exercise. Let the new year see a newer you.

Winters are tough to start the habit with. Still if you wanna see moon in the morning sky, the sun penetrating the cold horizon, your watch finally slowing down a bit…take that walk. You even get to see the night lamps on, which makes you feel you beat even the sun. Yep ! Winter mornings have a beauty of their own which summer sun cannot compete with.

Hope each and everyone of you achieve the goals you have set up for this year. Let us all make a new beginning with a new year resolution which will pay rich dividend.

 Happy new year and happy new you !

 “The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell. Don’t go back to sleep” Rumi

The art of waking up early (Trust me ! it is no lesser than an art), is a difficult one to master. I am a big believer of logotherapy byViktor Frankl. It primarily says any action is taken only when there is a motive or a desire to do it. How, kids wake up late on school days and early on weekends is a classic example of that. It holds good for gaining the habit of waking up early too. This entire write up is dedicated to honing this habit.  Why am I dedicating so much precious space on this habit? Cause I know loads of people simply don’t get into the habit of early morning walk due to their inability to wake up early and give in too easily. They are missing something so beautiful. There is a league of morning men who would swear by this habit of theirs.

The league

 Let me talk about some famous people who learned to beat the sun. Music genius A R Rahman had mentioned in an interview that he tries not to miss his morning prayers. He says “ A lot of grace flows into life at this time. It is during serene morning that one feels closest to omnipresent”. Michelle Obama hits the gym by 8.30. Tim cook is known to wake up early and catch up on his emails (although I wouldn’t agree on checking the mail part). Jaggi Vasudev the founder of isha foundation urges people to do their yogic practices early in the morning what he calls the brahma muhurta. Benjamin franklin, was a major proponent of “early rising”too. Hence his famous quote “early to bed early to rise makes a man healthy wealthy and wise”. 

By now I guess you can see that it is the success mantra of most successful people. Surely, we all want to jump onto the bandwagon and join this league of morning men. Few of us  get motivated looking at life models of others. How long does the motivation last?  I firmly believe that one must make any change for the sake of themselves. Embrace change because you want to be a better person and want to do something good for yourself. This way the change is likely to be permanent. This one, habit has far reaching effects both on body and mind.

Why should I wake up early ?

That early hour, when light is still filtering through the sky, the breeze is pleasantly cool and its quiet everywhere, you connect best to your inner self.

There is a common energy current flowing through all beings and you feel it. Even those who hit the road at this time, refrain from honking lest, the quietude is disturbed. There is something very magical about the whole atmosphere. Your mind is much clearer and very positive.  In such an hour when one engages in practices of walk, meditation, yoga or any form of exercise, it has threefold effect ; strengthening the body,  refreshing the mind and  having a jumpstart to the day. You will be well prepared for all the activities ahead rather than playing catch the whole day.

Now if you feel motivated enough give it a try. Eat a light dinner, hit the bed early the previous night and give yourself the pep talk. Habit changes cannot be accomplished in a single day. Both mind and body need to get tuned. Sooner or later the body will buckle to the demands of the mind. So, initially you may struggle in waking up as I did. (that article is coming up soon ).  But, soon your mind will be trained into waking the body up early. Keep up the habit and you will find yourself enjoying that quiet wee hour all to yourself to be spent as you please.

Give it a go !

Hey, Thanks for stopping by my blog. Dive into my world and see your mornings differently.