Walk of Life

Walking, and everyone knows what you’re talking about. After rolling and crawling, this is the first thing that the newborn is encouraged to do. In fact, that newborn has a super-urgency to want to stand up and walk :-) And once we master the art of balance and movement with stumbling and standing up again, we practice this for the rest of our lives, in principle. We don’t need to think about it; it’s an automatism and a form of movement that is necessary, even if it’s just to get from the living room to the kitchen or bedroom, or to go up or down the stairs. All so normal. A form of movement that serves as a foundation for other forms, such as dancing, running, high jumping, etc., and is the prelude to cycling, swimming, skiing, and more.

It becomes exciting to keep walking: during our youth, that might not be much of a problem... although (?). After that, we ‘sit’ through secondary education, and many of us end up in a sedentary or (especially) standing profession. In a consumer society full of alluring conveniences, all aimed at as much inactivity as possible for humans. At the same time, there is the necessity to constantly (perform), for example, due to career ambitions. It is almost evident that diseases (like type II diabetes) and setbacks (like burnout) make people more inactive and they sooner seek help (or should do so) from doctors, but especially in pharmacy and external means as a solution for that inactivity.

And then hopefully we get older, which comes with the necessary burdens and ailments, many of which we often foolishly accept because, well, “you get older.”

Fortunately, we also see that there are people who do move. They move because it is important for a healthy body and mind. Many points can be made about this, not least that many people move for performance, which is underscored by the popularity of Strava and similar movement apps. Either the effort is the weekly highlight and is then gloriously measured, or the effort has a socio-cultural status, an undesired consequence of the ease and significance of money/wealth, in my opinion. And again, not everyone who moves falls under these designations ;-) It is worth emphasizing that if status or performance is the goal or outcome, there is also pressure to at least repeat, if not increase, that status or performance. It is something human, something in the “genes,” I read recently.

A turning point or tipping point occurs when movement becomes difficult: due to medical or physical circumstances or simply because of a lack of 'desire' or motivation. One feels too old or feels like they can no longer keep up with performance, and naturally falls back into excuses to not take action or completely drop out. It is important to know that walking is actually the solution. The effort or intensity does not need to be at a performance level; rather, it should be consistent and mindful. This is more than enough to initially prevent reaching a turning point, and to subsequently improve things, increase enjoyment, enhance fitness, and boost mental resilience. It is something that can be learned by both young and old, is easy to apply, and is enjoyable.

This also touches on the core of the TrW101 concept, approached mainly from a practical standpoint: slowing down to create time and space for yourself. Look back at the super urgency of the newborn.

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