The benefits of walking

It's not what you think...

No, this is not about the benefits of walking over running. I'm talking about the benefits of walking in addition to running.

 

I have been trying to find explanations to why my hamstrings and problem areas in general feel much better when I am in Istanbul compared to when I am in Bergen. I have been exploring the possibilities of cold vs warm weather and that maybe it is all in my head. Recently I have developed a new theory. Perhaps is all the walking I do in my daily life in Istanbul which does not happen in Bergen.

In Bergen, I drive to work, I drive to training, I drive to my fitness center, and I drive to the starting point of my running activities. So my day consists of sitting still most of the time and then training and running. It involves almost no walking. Whereas in Istanbul, I don't have a car, so I walk to work (including some serious uphills if I don't catch the shuttle), I walk between places I want to go and the closest metro stations (I have almost given up taxis due to unpredictable traffic), and I walk to start running. I even walk more at work, going to and from lunch on campus. On most working days, I have in total 6-8 pieces of 5-15 min walking, which sums up to about an hour a day.

I think all this walking spread throughout the day is good therapy for sore muscles, stiff joints, and tight tendons. It's like a little massage every now and then, it loosens up the muscles, and it helps them to get rid of residues of lactic acid and other bad stuff that results from running. Recently I've read many places that sitting is the most dangerous activity that you can do. In fact, regardless of how much you exercise or run, the number of hours you sit in total during a day is directly related to your your life expectancy. The more sitting the shorter life. So the conclusion is clear:

Get up and walk!