I’ve never walked this much in my life. 28 walks, roughly 40 miles total, in 29 days. If it’s taught me one thing, I’ve been walking wrong.
You may think you know how to do something properly, but have you ever looked into where you can improve? Take something you do on a regular basis that feels habitual and easy to just do. Is there something you could be doing better? You may be surprised at what you find if you focus on improving.
Walking isn’t the easiest for me since I walk on my toes. I’ve never enjoyed walking and I’d rather use any other form of transportation if given the option. Since starting 75 Hard, walking has been a staple, so I needed to get better at it in order to struggle less. As the days progressed, I started focusing on how I was walking – my pacing, how my feet hit and leave the ground, my posture, etc. I broke the entire process down to its components and tried to improve each of them.
It seems like such a simple activity, I’ve been walking for 26 years, but I realized there were things I could change to make it easier and less taxing. As my lower back starts hurting, I focus on straightening my posture and relaxing the muscles. I slow down my steps and make sure I’m not rolling my feet as the hit the ground. I take smaller steps to put less pressure on my calfs. I change a lot.
You may not think something as simple as walking can have room for improvement, but if you do something enough and you try something that makes it easier, you question everything. It’s important to be open-minded to new methods for everything, even the activities that are second nature. There’s always components that you can hone in on and improve.
Break down the things in your life that are habitual and try something different. It may not be better the first few tries, you may find your method is the best, but it’s fun to try. You never know what you may discover.
September 21, 2024
