I’ve always wanted to learn to play the guitar. To be able to sit around a campfire amidst the flicker of light and strum a simple tune. And so I bought that guitar, a case to keep it safe, and a book to teach me the fundamentals. Armed with about a decade of piano and French horn lessons, I should be able to pluck out my favorite tunes in no time, right? Wrong. After a few days practicing a chord or two, learning the notes, and working on strengthening my hands, I quickly realized that learning a new instrument would be a process. And in order for me to realize my fireside dream, I had to slow down.
Sometimes you have to slow down to speed up. You have to make a commitment to the process, focus your attention on the basics, and take the time to strengthen both your mind and your body. And with walking, it’s no different.
Why You Need to Slow Down
When you start anything new, it’s easy to want to go from zero to a hundred, but doing so can lead to injury, burnout, or disappointment when you can’t get to your goal fast enough. That’s right, going too fast can actually slow you down. But with the mindset that what you are trying to achieve is a practice—many deliberate efforts strung together over a period of time—you’re going to find yourself with a toolkit to allow you to go even faster and be even better.
“Slowing down allows you to focus on your form and ensure your posture and foot strike are in check,” said 99 Walks Coach Carrie Boyle. “Often you have to slow down to focus on the fundamentals so that you may continue to improve—go longer distances, pick up faster paces. But you can’t do that if you’re racing through your walk, not wearing the right shoes and not moving your body in a healthy way. Instead, it can lead to injury and discomfort, forcing you to take a pause rather than letting the pause be your choice.”
Where to Start
It’s important to start with the basics. Make sure you have a good pair of walking shoes (check out this article for helpful tips), comfortable, moisture-wicking clothing, and good hydration. Take a look at your form and make sure you are ensuring safe and effective walking. You can read about six tips for proper walking form here.
Once you have the right tools, you’ll want to build endurance, teaching your body how to take care of itself over a longer period of time. Coach Carrie suggests you start by walking slowly, with intention, and add short intervals of increased speed, backing off between intervals to give your body a chance to fully recover. Being intentional on how you build your endurance will help you prevent injury and be more powerful, allowing you to push harder, go faster and be more productive.
How to Incorporate Body & Mind
Slowing down gives you the chance to ensure your practice is balanced. Along with varying your distances and intensities throughout your walk, you should make sure you’re taking care of your body as a whole with active stretching, meditation, and recovery. Just a few minutes of stretching before and after a walk plus a moment to settle into the right mindset will go a long way in helping you gather momentum in your walking practice.
And since you may often find yourself in a go-go-go mentality, you just might miss the chance to celebrate. When you slow down and take stock of what you and your body are accomplishing, how it’s getting stronger every day, you can fully appreciate and celebrate your successes. Being more present and mindful will help you recognize the little goals that give you the drive to get to your big goal.
So as you slow down to stretch before a walk, as you make sure you maintain proper posture and foot position, and as you challenge yourself with varied paces and distances, remind yourself that you’re building on the fundamentals of walking. And each time you go out, you might just find yourself adding a little speed and a little intensity one walk at a time.
As for me and my guitar, the repetitive finger exercises can feel tedious, but the foundational skills I am building each time I pick up my guitar will stay with me. Not only will it give my hands the strength I need to move swiftly between chords, but it will also lead me to my dream of sitting around that campfire, guitar in my lap, creating a sweet sound. So, today I will slow down, and know when I do, I’ll make great progress to my ultimate goal.
Contributed by Erin Stolle, 99 Walks Content Manager
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