Seven Years Ago My Teacher Advised Me to Take Night Walks — I Still Do This Ritual Daily

Three reasons why I will do it for the rest of my life.

My fitness journey started seven years ago when I took my teacher’s advice and went for a night walk. I haven't looked back since.

Night walking is the longest fitness habit that I have followed for seven-plus years. This habit changed my life. It gave me the freedom to dream. It blessed me with the power of creativity.

Why my teacher preached night walk

I was preparing for the most challenging course — Chartered Accountancy. The pass percentage of this course is only 15.31%. So no wonder I dropped out.

Fate works in mysterious ways because If I haven’t enrolled in this course I wouldn’t have met my favorite teacher Neha mam.

She explained the trials and tribulations of the CA course. She advised that we adopt a walking practice to relieve the stress.

She loves night walks. A walk where you ditch your phone to look at the vast galaxy that is a billion years old.

I live in Delhi, so it became a game of finding the stars rather than looking at them.

This simple habit of looking at the endless night will make you aware of your own insignificance in this world. You are no more significant than a grain of rice so your problems are even less significant.

The terrace — my safe haven

I have always loved my terrace. Since I was a little girl I remember playing, studying, and, enjoying the rain on the terrace.

So naturally, my terrace became my sanctuary, when it came to night walks.

After dinner, I would go on the terrace and look at the star-free sky. The physical act of getting out of the house and walking up the stairs forced me to leave my worries behind.

This journey took me away from my problems. I could be sad, depressed, or angry but closing the door and walking upstairs meant leaving it all behind.

I detached myself from the problems by putting some distance between the world and me.

There is no stress on the terrace.

Escape reality by dreaming

I am a self-diagnosed maladaptive daydreamer. To escape the boring world of accountancy and tax I created a world in my head.

I had never been so dissatisfied and unhappy in my life as I was when preparing for these exams. Following the path that my parents laid out for me, killed my authenticity.

But on these walks, I had the full freedom to be whoever I wanted to be. Somedays I was a dancer who can do both ballet and belly dancing. Some days I was a talented musician who can play multiple instruments. But most days I was a writer, desperately waiting for the next best idea.

These walks gave me the freedom to explore the lives I may never get to live. I don’t mourn for the missed chances, I just mourn for the nights on which I didn’t walk.

Unleash your creativity

A tightly wound bulletproof syllabus leaves little to the imagination.

There is no room for innovation, we study the same old syllabus that has been approved by the council decades ago.

The lack of creation can lead to overconsumption, to ignite the lost spark we turn to the media. We abuse our brains with unlimited T.V shows, movies, and social media.

Night walks gave me a purpose and a project. I got the idea of starting a blog on a night walk. I got the fabulous idea of doing a yoga course on one such walk.

Now I get tons of blog ideas every night on my walk. This habit has saved me from the fatal life of overconsumption and no creation.

“All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.”

-Friedrich Nietzsche

Don’t let stress ruin your life

Walks can help you combat stress. Students preparing for competitive exams go through a lot of stress. In India, many students commit suicide due to educational and parental pressure.

According to Wikipedia,

Every hour one student commits suicide in India.

In a country of middle-class monopoly, every parent wants their kid to do better than them. When the pressure gets to the students choose to take their own life than disappoint their parents.

Chronic stress can make you ill. It causes many physical and mental problems. So, having outlets for combating stress can help you prevent doing something horrible that will plague your family for the rest of the days.

Walks are scientifically proven to reduce stress.

A study published in Frontiers in Public Health concluded that a 20-minute walk in nature can significantly lower stress levels.

“A walk in nature, walks the soul back home.”

-Mary Davis.

Scientifically approved benefits of walking

• A slow-paced 15-minute walk after a meal can help accelerate digestion.
• A study found that people who walked for 10 minutes after eating white bread had lower blood sugar levels.
• This study found out that walking after meal aids weight loss.
• A 2020 study found that increasing daily steps improved Irritable Bowel syndrome.

Takeaway

It is not an overstatement to say that this habit changed my life. Night walking ignited my passion for fitness.

This was the best advice I ever received. Walking 10 minutes daily changed my life.

So, lace up your shoes and go on a walk today.

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