Categories
Blog Personal Growth and Mental Health

How Giving Yourself Permission to Take a Two Hour Walk Every Day Can Improve Your Life in Every Way

A month ago, I gave myself permission to take a two hour (or longer) walk every morning. 

When I tell people about it, they either say they are jealous and they would love to do that OR they look at me like I’m totally crazy.

When I first got the impulse to do this, I tried to talk myself out of it. I told myself it was too extra. I had a lot of logistical concerns (reasons and considerations for my fellow landmark grads). 

I thought: 

  1. To have enough time to walk that long I would have to wake up super early and I don’t want to do that.

  2. If I don’t wake up super early, I won’t have time to get ready because I have morning meetings I need to be at.

  3. I should be doing the HIIT and strength training programs I’m “supposed to do” in the morning, not just wandering around my neighborhood aimlessly. 

  4. I’ll be too tired for the rest of the day.

  5. I won’t be working enough if I’m outside for so long.

Then I thought, what if I just do it? 

What if these seeming limitations don’t exist?

So that’s what I did, and it’s been one of the best decisions I have ever made for myself and my business. 

Once I committed and just started doing it, all the things that I thought would hold me back just kind of melted away (doesn’t it always seem to go that way?)

  1. I do not wake up any earlier than I did before.

  2. I moved my morning meetings to start later (some of them even moved themselves! Imagine my surprise and delight when my team ASKED me to move a recurring Friday meeting later because it was better for them!) I also gave myself permission to show up to some meetings in workout clothes because spending my “getting ready time” walking allows me to be more effective and impactful at those meetings, which is a lot more important to me than having perfect hair and makeup on zoom.

  3. I let go of my expectations around what exercise needed to look like to be effective and have leaned into moving in a way that feels good to my body right now.

  4. I have more energy than ever!

  5. While I am working at my desk less, I have had the highest impact, most brilliant ideas of my entire career while I’m walking. I have had inspiration for trainings, content, and pivots in the business that I would not have thought of if I was just sitting at my desk. The thinking I am able to do while walking has made me the most effective CEO I have ever been.

A month into this experiment, I have never felt better. Even my business partner pointed out the huge transformation. I believe her words were, “You’re so chill now.” LOL!

In addition to having more thinking time that leads to more creativity and great ideas, I’m also feeling more energy, more calm and peace, less anxiety and all around more open in every situation I go into. 

I spend my walks listening to audiobooks on personal growth, leadership and manifestation, and the ideas and teachings take root and resonate so much more deeply than they did when I was rushing through a shorter walk.

If there was a pill that could give you these results, everyone would be buying it. It is absolutely incredible.

When I let go of my guilt and considerations around my new morning routine, I realized that if taking a two hour walk every morning is going to make me a more effective CEO and help me serve my organization and coaching clients at a higher level, then not only CAN I give myself permission to do it, I have a responsibility to. 

So maybe you don’t want to (or physically can’t) walk two hours a day. What HAVE you been wanting to do but have been talking yourself out of?

If there is something you feel called to do, but you haven’t given yourself permission because it seems like too much, this is your sign to just do it. Try it out for a month. Once you stop resisting, it could be the thing that changes everything.