Walk365ish
30 45 minutes a day. Every day. Ish.
Walk365ish is a practice of walking for 30 45 minutes a day, every day, for 365(ish) days...and counting.
It never started out to be a 365-day project, nor do I have a goal of how long I will keep going. Walk365ish is about the practice itself, not the destination.
This site is a brief FAQ and a series of picture-based posts of my mundane adventures over the early days of the 365 days of walking.
While the photo posts are no longer being updated here, I’m STILL WALKING.
And on January 15, 2022
I celebrated 2,190 days…
(that’s SIX YEARS of walking, every single day. Whoa.)
A Bit More About WALK365ish
The story behind 365"ish"
I missed one day of walking on Day 50. We had an appraisal on our house that day, and I'd been cleaning for nearly 48 hours straight - only pausing to eat and sleep. At that point, my practice of walking wasn't completely ingrained, so I simply forgot about it until I was ready for bed. And at that hour, I just decided to skip that day of walking.
Every time I mentioned what day of my practice that I was on, my husband would remind me that technically, I wasn't on that day. That I'd missed a day. I didn't care. I was counting from the day I started practicing ... and that practice included the one day of not walking.
This practice is one of radical determination - and of radical acceptance.
I've walked in rain, snow, the mall, on treadmills and hiking trails, in running shoes and in heels, alone, with friends, family, and among wild animals. And I missed a day. And might miss another.
With an awareness of why I am walking, the practice becomes more important than perfection. 365ish becomes just as powerful as 365 days.
My Walk365ish practice
Although the practice has always been 30 minutes a day, every day, the details have changed slightly over the months.
Early on, 30 minutes a day meant just that - 30 minutes of collective time, somewhere throughout the 24 hour period, where I was walking with the intention of the practice of walking. (So walking up and down the aisles of the grocery store didn't cut it.) During this time, I was also a bit more focused on making these 30 minutes more aerobic in nature. I was still walking (not running), but I felt a need to keep my pace elevated so my heartbeat stayed the same.
Over time, my practice evolved into what it looks like today. The guidelines are very loose, but follow this general structure:
1) The now 45-minute walk needs to be a 45 minute, all-in-one, chunk of time that is solely dedicated to this walking practice. (Again, I might be grocery shopping for 45 minutes. That doesn't count. And these days, I set aside 45 minutes or more, not 3 15-minute time blocks.) (UPDATE: As of 1/27/2020, my practice is now walking 40 minutes a day. AND AS OF 1/1/2022, my practice is now walking 45 minutes a day and at least 4 miles. I’m being flexible on that distance in case I find myself incapable of doing it some day, but I’ve made it 4 miles every day so far since 1/1/2022.)
2) Pace doesn't matter. I've meandered slowly on some days, briskly walked on others, and even done periods of walk-run-walk-run on occasional high-energy days. (I usually average around a 13:30 second pace, for those interested.)
3) I try to avoid stops as much as possible, but I also try to honor what calls my attention during the walks. Those things are part of the practice, not distractions. So if a neighbor says hi and asks a question, I'll pause in my walk to respond. If I notice a particularly beautiful sunrise or smile on my kiddos, I'll pause to take a photo.
4) My walk is a top priority every day now. I'll wake early, treadmill-walk on rainy days (or walk outside in the rain), drag my kids along with me even when they are whining about it, sneak away after a restaurant meal to do an out-and-back walk, or do any number of crazy things in order to get my 45 minutes in. However, I know there will come a time when something will prevent me from walking for a 24 hr period of time. I am already prepared for that, and will be completely at peace with it. That's why I honor this as a 365-ISH practice. It is about the practice, not perfection.
Click here to view photos and stories from my early walking journeys.*
Questions? Comments? Inspired?
I'd love to know.
Email me at Lisa@BeingBreath.com