May 23, 2025 • 22 mins
Ever feel like you’re constantly falling short when it comes to fitness goals? Imagine having a way to feel better—physically, mentally, and emotionally—without needing a gym, a workout plan, or any pressure to be perfect.
In this refreshing episode, Cheryl Fischer breaks down why walking might be the most underrated wellness habit for women in midlife. From processing emotions to boosting your immune system, walking offers simple, powerful benefits that go far beyond step counts and calorie burns. And the best part? You can start today—with zero guilt and zero rules.
BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL DISCOVER:
✔ Why walking improves both your physical health and your mental clarity
✔ How walking helps process emotions and reduce midlife anxiety
✔ Easy ways to make walking part of your day (no counting required)
✔ Tips for habit-stacking, walking with friends, and making it something you actually look forward to
🎯 OMG Moment: Walking isn’t a task. It’s a mental reset—and one of the most effective ways to release stress and reconnect with yourself.
Take Action
Ready to make walking your go-to midlife mindset tool? Start small. Skip the perfection, skip the pressure, and simply ask yourself: When can I go outside today and feel better than I do right now? Then go. Bonus points if you bring a friend.
Listen in to the grounding and gut health episodes.
Grab your free story cycle resource: cherylpfischer.com/storycycle.
Join me in the Patreon community: patreon.com/mindyourmidlife.
Why This Episode Matters
If your workouts feel like one more thing on your to-do list, this episode will shift your mindset. Walking isn’t just movement—it’s medicine for your mind, body, and spirit. Give yourself the gift of movement that’s joyful, flexible, and completely on your terms.
🎧 Hit follow now and join me next week as we explore how to create the story of your life—and why that might be the most powerful mindset tool you’ve never used.
Find all podcast and coaching resources at cherylpfischer.com.
Text me to ask a question - I'll answer on the podcast!
🌸 Liked this episode? Share it with fellow midlife women over 40 navigating hormone balance, an empty nest, and self-confidence!
🫶 Love this show? Leave a review to help more women over 50 find us.
💡Want support through menopause, mindset shifts, or midlife transitions?
Book a free Mindset Coaching / Intro Call: cherylpfischer.com/coaching, and join us in Midlife Pivot on Patreon.
Let’s talk self-care, self-talk, and owning your next chapter—without the “midlife crisis” narrative.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Cheryl Fischer (00:00):
If you sat down and thought about it, you would
be shocked at how many messagesare coming at us all the time,
from all different directions,about exactly how much we should
exercise and exactly how highour heart rates need to get, and
(00:21):
exactly what counts as exerciseor doesn't count, and exactly
what we have to do to be healthy.
The problem is we often end upnot meeting those numbers, those
counts, because, let's face it,we have busy lives and maybe we
(00:42):
haven't yet found the thing welove to do to move our bodies,
and then we beat ourselves upabout it.
Just me, I think we all do itat certain times, and that is
the opposite of what we want todo.
So let's talk about it.
Welcome to Mind your Midlife,your go-to resource for
(01:03):
confidence and success, onethought at a time.
Unlike most advice out there,we believe that simply telling
you to believe in yourself orchange your habits isn't enough
to wake up excited about life orfeel truly confident in your
body.
Each week, you'll gainactionable strategies and oh my
(01:23):
goodness powerful insights tostop feeling stuck and start
loving your midlife.
This is the Mind your MidlifePodcast, one of my favorite
memories from living in theNorthern Virginia little city
that I lived in for 17 years iswhen a couple of neighbors and I
(01:48):
created an informal walkingclub and every Tuesday morning I
think it was around 7am, mighthave been 630.
Actually, one of us would showup at each other's doors and
whoever was ready would startgoing to get the other ones and
we would walk.
And we walked fast and I may ormay not have refused to go once
(02:11):
or twice when it was below 30degrees Fahrenheit, but the
amount of talking and justfriendship that grew from that,
I missed it so much when wemoved and we didn't even move
that far, but when you'reknocking on your neighbor's door
at 630 in the morning, a littlebit of distance is a tough
(02:33):
thing, right?
I absolutely got so much out ofthat.
Walking is a powerful activityand what I want to express to
you today is that of coursethere are physical benefits and
(02:56):
I'm going to tell you some.
They're really amazing and yetalso there are a lot of mental
benefits to walking.
So, even if you already have anexercise routine you may have
heard me say I go to bar class.
I actually haven't been thisweek at all, as I'm recording
this.
Oh, my goodness, I'll get thereand I love it, and it has
(03:18):
changed my body composition andat the same time, I don't go to
that every day, it's too much.
I go about twice a week,hopefully sometimes once a week,
and in between I have noticedthat one of the best things I
can do, not only for my healthbut for my mental state, is
(03:40):
walking, and sometimes it's justa quick walk around the corner
and sometimes it's more thanthat.
So the key is that we want toembrace this idea that we can
walk for our physical and mentalhealth, without turning it into
another source of pressure oranother thing that we haven't
(04:03):
done properly or perfectly.
I want you to let it besomething that is amazing,
joyful and stress-free in yourlife.
Walking is good for you.
Are you ready to hit stop?
Now You've learned your lesson.
We know that walking is healthy.
(04:24):
I think the danger well, maybenot danger, the risk is that
maybe we've been told somewherealong the way that walking is
not enough of an exercise.
You know what?
If your choice is betweensitting or some version of that,
and walking, then walking sureas heck is an exercise and it is
(04:45):
enough of an exercise.
So don't pick apart yourmovement in midlife.
Walking is good for you.
Listen to this.
The Mayo Clinic has studiedwalking and here's what they
found Regular brisk walkingimproves cardiovascular fitness,
endurance, immune function,hello and helps manage
(05:08):
conditions like type 2 diabetes,stress and high cholesterol.
And yes, stress is a physicalcondition and we probably all
have it.
Did you hear that list?
So you can support your hearthealth and, in midlife, can
support your heart health and inmidlife.
Now's the time for us to createa really good baseline for
(05:29):
heart health.
Absolutely, you can potentiallymanage or even in some cases,
lower your blood pressure.
Now, of course, I'm not givingmedical advice, but hey, if
that's a potential side effectof walking worth a try.
You can strengthen bones andmuscles, especially if you add
in a slow jog occasionally.
You need a little bit of thatstomping pressure, or maybe
(05:52):
stair climbing.
It aids in maintaining yourweight burning fat.
It's pretty easy to get yourheart rate to a fat burning
range.
It improves balance andcoordination and this is
something we also need to have astrong baseline with as we get
more seasoned in life.
That's a big list and, quitefrankly, as soon as I read that
(06:14):
it could help improve immunefunction, I am I'm like almost a
teeny bit obsessed with doingthings that improve and maintain
my gut health, because I knowthat's where a lot of health,
including our immune system,sits.
I do so many things for that.
We'll have to have an episodeabout that again soon.
(06:35):
I'll put my latest episode fromback in season one in the show
notes if you want to take a look.
But this episode is not reallyabout fitness.
I just want you to know.
Walking is a fitness activity.
That is not up for discussion.
What this episode is about iswalking for your mind, walking
(06:58):
for your confidence, walking forfeeling better inside as well
as outside, mental and emotional.
Here's the thing If you walkregularly, it has been shown to
help manage anxiety.
It absolutely has been shown tohelp us process emotions.
(07:22):
Now, if there's one thing thatwe all recognize about midlife,
there are a lot of shifts andchanges going on, and that could
be your parents aging, yourkids getting older.
It could be your body changingand there's a million different
struggles that could beassociated with that.
It could be considering whereyour career is going or the end
(07:45):
of your career.
What's next?
Where your career is going orthe end of your career, what's
next?
It could be relationshipchanges, it could be friendship
changes, it could.
I mean there's so manydifferent things potentially
changing and that can create,for sure, anxiety, stress and
even simply something maybe youcould call mental noise Just a
(08:06):
lot of junk going on in yourhead.
And if you haven't grabbed mystory cycle resource, go to
CherylPFishercom slash storycycle.
Make sure you get it.
It's free.
Processing emotions during allthese changes is really
important, and what thatresource does is helps you put a
(08:28):
name to the emotion you'refeeling and then figure out what
are the thoughts behind that.
And if you can go walk and letyourself just enjoy the walk,
make it as brisk as you canwithout stopping your kind of
mental enjoyment, then you'regoing to process some of that as
(08:49):
you walk.
It's almost like a movingmeditation.
And guess what?
As you move plus processemotions, you're boosting your
mood and you're boosting yourenergy.
So you've probably heard ofendorphins.
You've probably heard therunner's high right.
(09:11):
You've probably heard ofserotonin, which is the happy
hormone, I think I hear itcalled sometimes.
Those are basically naturalantidepressants in our bodies,
and so I must tell you bodies,and so I must tell you I myself
am not a runner.
I did try a running group.
(09:32):
One summer, many, many, manyyears ago, a friend talked me
into it, training like couch tohalf marathon basically, and it
was four or five months, maybesix months.
So it wasn't.
You can't do that in a shortperiod of time.
I was like medium fit, but I amnot a runner.
So I found my little group ofturtles we called ourselves, and
(09:53):
we slow jogged.
I did actually make it to 12miles, I believe I didn't run
the half marathon because Icouldn't go.
Anyway, neither here nor there.
The point is I'll never be arunner.
I did it because I challengedmyself to do it.
What I did see is that movement, my slow jog, did boost my mood
(10:15):
and actually did boost myenergy, that's, endorphins.
So if you're having a day whereyou are just irritated with
every flipping person you comein contact with, including maybe
yourself, put some shoes on,and I don't even care what kind
of shoes, because if you'reirritated at everything you
might not want to put on theproper shoes and socks and all
(10:39):
of the proper clothing, just puton whatever shoes are available
sandals, flats, tennis shoes, Idon't care and go for a walk.
Amazing what it can do.
I'm curious for my next point,whether you, like me, have ever
been talking to someone on thephone and searching frantically
(11:00):
for your phone while doing itand then realizing it's in your
hand because you're using it.
Or maybe the power has gone outand you know you can't quite
cook dinner the normal way, soyou try to flick on the lights
and put something in themicrowave or one of my favorites
(11:21):
you look for your glasses whilethey're on top of your head.
I give you these examples notto really embarrass you or me,
but to say executive function,focus, mental clarity is also
something that, during midlifeand as we get more seasoned
through our lives, that'ssomething that could always use
(11:43):
a boost.
And guess what I'm going to say?
Yes, walking helps, your brainloves that movement and you are
going to improve your focus,your memory, your executive
function, which is that abilityto reason and maybe not look for
your phone while you're talkingon it.
(12:05):
Now, here's a big bonus If youare doing this outside, because
I would say that's an if youmight have a walking pad under
your desk, you might have atreadmill in your house, in your
gym, in your garage.
Those are good ways to walk andthere's a bonus bonus if you
walk outside, because seeingnature and just one of my
(12:31):
favorite things to do when I wasa child and really still today,
let's be honest was to lie onthe ground or lie in like a deck
chair, a beach chair, and justlook up at the sky, and either I
was looking at the shape of theclouds or I was just enjoying
the blue sky.
Almost always, I was looking attrees and the movement of the
(12:53):
leaves on the trees.
When there's a little bit ofbreeze, that just automatically
makes me happy, and there is alot of science behind the fact
that when we make a connectionwith nature in that way, it is
an absolute boost to our moodand even our mental health and
(13:14):
our physical health.
So if you are able to walkoutside, look at the trees,
you're being in nature, you'regetting some sun.
Of course, do it safely, butsun is needed for vitamin D,
which is a huge and importantthing for our bodies.
And maybe you can even walkaround in some grass or on some
(13:37):
sand and you can be grounding aswell.
Go, look for the groundingepisode on Mind, your Midlife.
All of those are powerful.
So how are we going to get thisdone and still not beat
ourselves up if we miss a day orwe don't do it quite as well as
we'd hoped.
The key is it's not aboutcounting and it's not about all
(14:02):
or nothing, so I don't want youto worry about step goals.
When it comes to walking, Ihave an Apple Watch and I used
to have a whatever the other oneis called, I don't remember.
I guess I need to walk and getsome mental clarity and it shows
my step count, but I don't paytoo much attention to it, except
(14:25):
to maybe notice if there's apattern over a period of time,
because I don't like to countthings.
When I eat, I do not countcalories.
I do not count macros.
It is a problem for me and theway my brain functions.
That may or may not be true foryou, but I'm going to encourage
you if you don't have a walkinghabit already, drop the
counting.
(14:45):
Don't worry about countingminutes or steps or calories
burned or any of that.
We're not going to do mathabout it.
I want you to instead find a wayto enjoy it.
Instead, find a way to enjoy itand maybe, if you can create a
habit that you really enjoy,eventually you can start going
(15:08):
for goals that are related tostep count or calories or number
of minutes, but right now,let's start with five minutes.
Let's start with enjoying it,and I don't even know I
shouldn't even say five minutes.
I want you to start with whenin my day can I go outside for a
walk, and it will be a goodthing.
It will help me calm down, orit will help me enjoy the trees
(15:28):
and the breeze, or it will helpme stop being irritated about
the person I was just talking to.
When in my day can I do that?
It doesn't matter how long itis, it doesn't matter where it
is, it doesn't matter what I'mwearing.
When in my day can I do that?
I want you to teach your brainthat this is a really enjoyable
(15:50):
thing to do, because can youguess what your brain is going
to want to do when it decidesthat walking is a really
enjoyable thing to do?
You guessed it it's going towant to do it more.
So the more that we can look atwalking and even let's take it
bigger movement as a gift, notas something to be counted and
(16:12):
struggled over, the more thatyour brain is going to want that
gift more often and more oftenand more often, and it takes
time, again, with the notbeating ourselves up.
It takes time.
I go through periods where Iwalk a lot every day.
I go through periods where Ihardly walk at all and I do
physically feel different.
So if you get into this habitand then you kind of fall off a
(16:37):
little bit, you'll feel adifference and you'll know you
can just start again, and alwaysjust start again, all right.
So this is all well and good.
I'm saying to you a few minutes, enjoy it.
Blah, blah, blah.
And you're thinking well,that's great, but my day is very
busy and I don't know how I'mgoing to fit this in.
So let's talk about how, how,about something that you might
(16:58):
have heard of before, calledhabit stacking?
Why don't you do something elsewhile you're walking?
And I really do love the ideaof walking with no music, no
podcast, no nothing, and justlooking around and enjoying
nature Forest bathing, that'scalled, if you're hiking in the
forest, and that has healthbenefits too.
(17:18):
But if you have a busy day, andyour hiking in the forest, and
that has health benefits too,but if you have a busy day and
your struggle with gettingyourself out and moving has been
that you don't feel like youhave time, then let's habit
stack it.
Listen to your podcast whileyou're walking, listen to music
while you're walking, make phonecalls while you're walking.
You need to call your mom.
You need to call your sister.
You need to call your sister.
(17:39):
You need to call your friend.
You need to call your boss.
Do it while you're walking.
You could even drink yourcoffee or tea while you're
walking.
There are no rules here.
Habits stack.
Get your morning coffee or teaor whatever, and go out for a
walk around the block.
Imagine that.
I also want you to do a littlereframing of what this walk is.
(17:59):
Let's not make it a task thatwe have to check off.
Let's not even think about itat first as exercise.
Let's think about it as a reset, a mental reset, like a deep
breath.
I got to take a deep breathsometime during the day.
When am I going to do it?
Maybe I'm going to do it now,at 3 pm, because I surely need a
break.
(18:23):
So, once you've started habitstacking and your brain is
starting to learn that this is agreat reset maybe right now
it's May, the weather may be,where you are is nice, even if
it's hot or cold, you're goingto start teaching yourself that
this is a good thing.
So then how about if you saidyou know what, once a week,
maybe I'll turn everything offand I'll go tech free and I'll
(18:43):
look at the leaves and I'llsmile at the people I walk by?
And if none of those tips arehelping you as quickly as you
would like them to then find abuddy.
Remember how I said, one of mybest memories from my old
neighborhood was the walkingonce a week with my neighbors.
That's not an accident when youwalk with someone else.
(19:04):
Number one they're giving youaccountability, so you're making
a plan at a certain time on acertain day to go and you're
probably going to go.
But number two, it's prettycool the conversations you end
up having when you're walkingwith someone.
There isn't a lot of other timein our lives typically, unless
(19:26):
we are actively making surewe're having a meal or a happy
hour or something with ourfriends regularly.
There isn't another time, justbuilt in, where we could have
conversations that go in alldirections and probably help you
get to know people deeper thanyou otherwise might have.
Try it.
So I wanted to share with youthe power of walking, physically
(19:47):
and mentally.
We're releasing stress.
We're improving our physicalhealth.
Did you hear all those thingsit can help with?
And did you hear all the mentalbenefits?
And I just want to say againit's really important that this
is a plus, a positive in yourlife and not another thing that
(20:10):
you have to do.
Let it be a reward, let it be abreak, let it be a reset.
You probably have a lot ofemotional stuff going on,
whether it's caregiving or majorlife changes.
Use walking to release thatstress, believe it or not.
Gentle, consistent movementhelps regulate your nervous
(20:30):
system.
So, like we were talking aboutwhen you are feeling worked up,
this will help.
And absolutely no beatingyourself up If you miss a day.
Let me tell you what.
I haven't walked very much thisweek because I've been out of
the house all day, every day.
Okay, start again.
Do it tomorrow, do it tonight.
(20:51):
No guilt, no, I'm such a mess.
Just pick it back up Sometimein the next couple of days.
Put your shoes on.
Unless you're in grass, you canleave your shoes off and ground
and go walk around the block.
Or maybe grab a friend or aneighbor and go walk.
No stress, no pressure, nospeed goals, no, nothing.
(21:14):
And pay attention how are youfeeling beforehand and how are
you feeling afterwards.
And pay attention how are youfeeling beforehand and how are
you feeling afterwards.
See, if you believe me, I thinkyou might be surprised.
That's your OMG moment for thisweek.
Now there is just about oneweek until the Patreon community
Midlife Pivot launches.
I'm so excited with all thecool things that I am bringing
(21:34):
to you.
It's free all summer.
Make sure you're in the know,cherylpfishercom, slash midlife
pivot.
And make sure that you've hitthe follow button on the podcast
, because next time we're goingto create a story of your life
and you'll be surprised howpowerful that can be.
So in the meantime, remember,slow down, notice what's going
(22:00):
on around you and in your headand create something amazing.
If you sat down and thought about it, you would
be shocked at how many messagesare coming at us all the time,
from all different directions,about exactly how much we should
exercise and exactly how highour heart rates need to get, and
(00:21):
exactly what counts as exerciseor doesn't count, and exactly
what we have to do to be healthy.
The problem is we often end upnot meeting those numbers, those
counts, because, let's face it,we have busy lives and maybe we
(00:42):
haven't yet found the thing welove to do to move our bodies,
and then we beat ourselves upabout it.
Just me, I think we all do itat certain times, and that is
the opposite of what we want todo.
So let's talk about it.
Welcome to Mind your Midlife,your go-to resource for
(01:03):
confidence and success, onethought at a time.
Unlike most advice out there,we believe that simply telling
you to believe in yourself orchange your habits isn't enough
to wake up excited about life orfeel truly confident in your
body.
Each week, you'll gainactionable strategies and oh my
(01:23):
goodness powerful insights tostop feeling stuck and start
loving your midlife.
This is the Mind your MidlifePodcast, one of my favorite
memories from living in theNorthern Virginia little city
that I lived in for 17 years iswhen a couple of neighbors and I
(01:48):
created an informal walkingclub and every Tuesday morning I
think it was around 7am, mighthave been 630.
Actually, one of us would showup at each other's doors and
whoever was ready would startgoing to get the other ones and
we would walk.
And we walked fast and I may ormay not have refused to go once
(02:11):
or twice when it was below 30degrees Fahrenheit, but the
amount of talking and justfriendship that grew from that,
I missed it so much when wemoved and we didn't even move
that far, but when you'reknocking on your neighbor's door
at 630 in the morning, a littlebit of distance is a tough
(02:33):
thing, right?
I absolutely got so much out ofthat.
Walking is a powerful activityand what I want to express to
you today is that of coursethere are physical benefits and
(02:56):
I'm going to tell you some.
They're really amazing and yetalso there are a lot of mental
benefits to walking.
So, even if you already have anexercise routine you may have
heard me say I go to bar class.
I actually haven't been thisweek at all, as I'm recording
this.
Oh, my goodness, I'll get thereand I love it, and it has
(03:18):
changed my body composition andat the same time, I don't go to
that every day, it's too much.
I go about twice a week,hopefully sometimes once a week,
and in between I have noticedthat one of the best things I
can do, not only for my healthbut for my mental state, is
(03:40):
walking, and sometimes it's justa quick walk around the corner
and sometimes it's more thanthat.
So the key is that we want toembrace this idea that we can
walk for our physical and mentalhealth, without turning it into
another source of pressure oranother thing that we haven't
(04:03):
done properly or perfectly.
I want you to let it besomething that is amazing,
joyful and stress-free in yourlife.
Walking is good for you.
Are you ready to hit stop?
Now You've learned your lesson.
We know that walking is healthy.
(04:24):
I think the danger well, maybenot danger, the risk is that
maybe we've been told somewherealong the way that walking is
not enough of an exercise.
You know what?
If your choice is betweensitting or some version of that,
and walking, then walking sureas heck is an exercise and it is
(04:45):
enough of an exercise.
So don't pick apart yourmovement in midlife.
Walking is good for you.
Listen to this.
The Mayo Clinic has studiedwalking and here's what they
found Regular brisk walkingimproves cardiovascular fitness,
endurance, immune function,hello and helps manage
(05:08):
conditions like type 2 diabetes,stress and high cholesterol.
And yes, stress is a physicalcondition and we probably all
have it.
Did you hear that list?
So you can support your hearthealth and, in midlife, can
support your heart health and inmidlife.
Now's the time for us to createa really good baseline for
(05:29):
heart health.
Absolutely, you can potentiallymanage or even in some cases,
lower your blood pressure.
Now, of course, I'm not givingmedical advice, but hey, if
that's a potential side effectof walking worth a try.
You can strengthen bones andmuscles, especially if you add
in a slow jog occasionally.
You need a little bit of thatstomping pressure, or maybe
(05:52):
stair climbing.
It aids in maintaining yourweight burning fat.
It's pretty easy to get yourheart rate to a fat burning
range.
It improves balance andcoordination and this is
something we also need to have astrong baseline with as we get
more seasoned in life.
That's a big list and, quitefrankly, as soon as I read that
(06:14):
it could help improve immunefunction, I am I'm like almost a
teeny bit obsessed with doingthings that improve and maintain
my gut health, because I knowthat's where a lot of health,
including our immune system,sits.
I do so many things for that.
We'll have to have an episodeabout that again soon.
(06:35):
I'll put my latest episode fromback in season one in the show
notes if you want to take a look.
But this episode is not reallyabout fitness.
I just want you to know.
Walking is a fitness activity.
That is not up for discussion.
What this episode is about iswalking for your mind, walking
(06:58):
for your confidence, walking forfeeling better inside as well
as outside, mental and emotional.
Here's the thing If you walkregularly, it has been shown to
help manage anxiety.
It absolutely has been shown tohelp us process emotions.
(07:22):
Now, if there's one thing thatwe all recognize about midlife,
there are a lot of shifts andchanges going on, and that could
be your parents aging, yourkids getting older.
It could be your body changingand there's a million different
struggles that could beassociated with that.
It could be considering whereyour career is going or the end
(07:45):
of your career.
What's next?
Where your career is going orthe end of your career, what's
next?
It could be relationshipchanges, it could be friendship
changes, it could.
I mean there's so manydifferent things potentially
changing and that can create,for sure, anxiety, stress and
even simply something maybe youcould call mental noise Just a
(08:06):
lot of junk going on in yourhead.
And if you haven't grabbed mystory cycle resource, go to
CherylPFishercom slash storycycle.
Make sure you get it.
It's free.
Processing emotions during allthese changes is really
important, and what thatresource does is helps you put a
(08:28):
name to the emotion you'refeeling and then figure out what
are the thoughts behind that.
And if you can go walk and letyourself just enjoy the walk,
make it as brisk as you canwithout stopping your kind of
mental enjoyment, then you'regoing to process some of that as
(08:49):
you walk.
It's almost like a movingmeditation.
And guess what?
As you move plus processemotions, you're boosting your
mood and you're boosting yourenergy.
So you've probably heard ofendorphins.
You've probably heard therunner's high right.
(09:11):
You've probably heard ofserotonin, which is the happy
hormone, I think I hear itcalled sometimes.
Those are basically naturalantidepressants in our bodies,
and so I must tell you bodies,and so I must tell you I myself
am not a runner.
I did try a running group.
(09:32):
One summer, many, many, manyyears ago, a friend talked me
into it, training like couch tohalf marathon basically, and it
was four or five months, maybesix months.
So it wasn't.
You can't do that in a shortperiod of time.
I was like medium fit, but I amnot a runner.
So I found my little group ofturtles we called ourselves, and
(09:53):
we slow jogged.
I did actually make it to 12miles, I believe I didn't run
the half marathon because Icouldn't go.
Anyway, neither here nor there.
The point is I'll never be arunner.
I did it because I challengedmyself to do it.
What I did see is that movement, my slow jog, did boost my mood
(10:15):
and actually did boost myenergy, that's, endorphins.
So if you're having a day whereyou are just irritated with
every flipping person you comein contact with, including maybe
yourself, put some shoes on,and I don't even care what kind
of shoes, because if you'reirritated at everything you
might not want to put on theproper shoes and socks and all
(10:39):
of the proper clothing, just puton whatever shoes are available
sandals, flats, tennis shoes, Idon't care and go for a walk.
Amazing what it can do.
I'm curious for my next point,whether you, like me, have ever
been talking to someone on thephone and searching frantically
(11:00):
for your phone while doing itand then realizing it's in your
hand because you're using it.
Or maybe the power has gone outand you know you can't quite
cook dinner the normal way, soyou try to flick on the lights
and put something in themicrowave or one of my favorites
(11:21):
you look for your glasses whilethey're on top of your head.
I give you these examples notto really embarrass you or me,
but to say executive function,focus, mental clarity is also
something that, during midlifeand as we get more seasoned
through our lives, that'ssomething that could always use
(11:43):
a boost.
And guess what I'm going to say?
Yes, walking helps, your brainloves that movement and you are
going to improve your focus,your memory, your executive
function, which is that abilityto reason and maybe not look for
your phone while you're talkingon it.
(12:05):
Now, here's a big bonus If youare doing this outside, because
I would say that's an if youmight have a walking pad under
your desk, you might have atreadmill in your house, in your
gym, in your garage.
Those are good ways to walk andthere's a bonus bonus if you
walk outside, because seeingnature and just one of my
(12:31):
favorite things to do when I wasa child and really still today,
let's be honest was to lie onthe ground or lie in like a deck
chair, a beach chair, and justlook up at the sky, and either I
was looking at the shape of theclouds or I was just enjoying
the blue sky.
Almost always, I was looking attrees and the movement of the
(12:53):
leaves on the trees.
When there's a little bit ofbreeze, that just automatically
makes me happy, and there is alot of science behind the fact
that when we make a connectionwith nature in that way, it is
an absolute boost to our moodand even our mental health and
(13:14):
our physical health.
So if you are able to walkoutside, look at the trees,
you're being in nature, you'regetting some sun.
Of course, do it safely, butsun is needed for vitamin D,
which is a huge and importantthing for our bodies.
And maybe you can even walkaround in some grass or on some
(13:37):
sand and you can be grounding aswell.
Go, look for the groundingepisode on Mind, your Midlife.
All of those are powerful.
So how are we going to get thisdone and still not beat
ourselves up if we miss a day orwe don't do it quite as well as
we'd hoped.
The key is it's not aboutcounting and it's not about all
(14:02):
or nothing, so I don't want youto worry about step goals.
When it comes to walking, Ihave an Apple Watch and I used
to have a whatever the other oneis called, I don't remember.
I guess I need to walk and getsome mental clarity and it shows
my step count, but I don't paytoo much attention to it, except
(14:25):
to maybe notice if there's apattern over a period of time,
because I don't like to countthings.
When I eat, I do not countcalories.
I do not count macros.
It is a problem for me and theway my brain functions.
That may or may not be true foryou, but I'm going to encourage
you if you don't have a walkinghabit already, drop the
counting.
(14:45):
Don't worry about countingminutes or steps or calories
burned or any of that.
We're not going to do mathabout it.
I want you to instead find a wayto enjoy it.
Instead, find a way to enjoy itand maybe, if you can create a
habit that you really enjoy,eventually you can start going
(15:08):
for goals that are related tostep count or calories or number
of minutes, but right now,let's start with five minutes.
Let's start with enjoying it,and I don't even know I
shouldn't even say five minutes.
I want you to start with whenin my day can I go outside for a
walk, and it will be a goodthing.
It will help me calm down, orit will help me enjoy the trees
(15:28):
and the breeze, or it will helpme stop being irritated about
the person I was just talking to.
When in my day can I do that?
It doesn't matter how long itis, it doesn't matter where it
is, it doesn't matter what I'mwearing.
When in my day can I do that?
I want you to teach your brainthat this is a really enjoyable
(15:50):
thing to do, because can youguess what your brain is going
to want to do when it decidesthat walking is a really
enjoyable thing to do?
You guessed it it's going towant to do it more.
So the more that we can look atwalking and even let's take it
bigger movement as a gift, notas something to be counted and
(16:12):
struggled over, the more thatyour brain is going to want that
gift more often and more oftenand more often, and it takes
time, again, with the notbeating ourselves up.
It takes time.
I go through periods where Iwalk a lot every day.
I go through periods where Ihardly walk at all and I do
physically feel different.
So if you get into this habitand then you kind of fall off a
(16:37):
little bit, you'll feel adifference and you'll know you
can just start again, and alwaysjust start again, all right.
So this is all well and good.
I'm saying to you a few minutes, enjoy it.
Blah, blah, blah.
And you're thinking well,that's great, but my day is very
busy and I don't know how I'mgoing to fit this in.
So let's talk about how, how,about something that you might
(16:58):
have heard of before, calledhabit stacking?
Why don't you do something elsewhile you're walking?
And I really do love the ideaof walking with no music, no
podcast, no nothing, and justlooking around and enjoying
nature Forest bathing, that'scalled, if you're hiking in the
forest, and that has healthbenefits too.
(17:18):
But if you have a busy day, andyour hiking in the forest, and
that has health benefits too,but if you have a busy day and
your struggle with gettingyourself out and moving has been
that you don't feel like youhave time, then let's habit
stack it.
Listen to your podcast whileyou're walking, listen to music
while you're walking, make phonecalls while you're walking.
You need to call your mom.
You need to call your sister.
You need to call your sister.
(17:39):
You need to call your friend.
You need to call your boss.
Do it while you're walking.
You could even drink yourcoffee or tea while you're
walking.
There are no rules here.
Habits stack.
Get your morning coffee or teaor whatever, and go out for a
walk around the block.
Imagine that.
I also want you to do a littlereframing of what this walk is.
(17:59):
Let's not make it a task thatwe have to check off.
Let's not even think about itat first as exercise.
Let's think about it as a reset, a mental reset, like a deep
breath.
I got to take a deep breathsometime during the day.
When am I going to do it?
Maybe I'm going to do it now,at 3 pm, because I surely need a
break.
(18:23):
So, once you've started habitstacking and your brain is
starting to learn that this is agreat reset maybe right now
it's May, the weather may be,where you are is nice, even if
it's hot or cold, you're goingto start teaching yourself that
this is a good thing.
So then how about if you saidyou know what, once a week,
maybe I'll turn everything offand I'll go tech free and I'll
(18:43):
look at the leaves and I'llsmile at the people I walk by?
And if none of those tips arehelping you as quickly as you
would like them to then find abuddy.
Remember how I said, one of mybest memories from my old
neighborhood was the walkingonce a week with my neighbors.
That's not an accident when youwalk with someone else.
(19:04):
Number one they're giving youaccountability, so you're making
a plan at a certain time on acertain day to go and you're
probably going to go.
But number two, it's prettycool the conversations you end
up having when you're walkingwith someone.
There isn't a lot of other timein our lives typically, unless
(19:26):
we are actively making surewe're having a meal or a happy
hour or something with ourfriends regularly.
There isn't another time, justbuilt in, where we could have
conversations that go in alldirections and probably help you
get to know people deeper thanyou otherwise might have.
Try it.
So I wanted to share with youthe power of walking, physically
(19:47):
and mentally.
We're releasing stress.
We're improving our physicalhealth.
Did you hear all those thingsit can help with?
And did you hear all the mentalbenefits?
And I just want to say againit's really important that this
is a plus, a positive in yourlife and not another thing that
(20:10):
you have to do.
Let it be a reward, let it be abreak, let it be a reset.
You probably have a lot ofemotional stuff going on,
whether it's caregiving or majorlife changes.
Use walking to release thatstress, believe it or not.
Gentle, consistent movementhelps regulate your nervous
(20:30):
system.
So, like we were talking aboutwhen you are feeling worked up,
this will help.
And absolutely no beatingyourself up If you miss a day.
Let me tell you what.
I haven't walked very much thisweek because I've been out of
the house all day, every day.
Okay, start again.
Do it tomorrow, do it tonight.
(20:51):
No guilt, no, I'm such a mess.
Just pick it back up Sometimein the next couple of days.
Put your shoes on.
Unless you're in grass, you canleave your shoes off and ground
and go walk around the block.
Or maybe grab a friend or aneighbor and go walk.
No stress, no pressure, nospeed goals, no, nothing.
(21:14):
And pay attention how are youfeeling beforehand and how are
you feeling afterwards.
And pay attention how are youfeeling beforehand and how are
you feeling afterwards.
See, if you believe me, I thinkyou might be surprised.
That's your OMG moment for thisweek.
Now there is just about oneweek until the Patreon community
Midlife Pivot launches.
I'm so excited with all thecool things that I am bringing
(21:34):
to you.
It's free all summer.
Make sure you're in the know,cherylpfishercom, slash midlife
pivot.
And make sure that you've hitthe follow button on the podcast
, because next time we're goingto create a story of your life
and you'll be surprised howpowerful that can be.
So in the meantime, remember,slow down, notice what's going
(22:00):
on around you and in your headand create something amazing.
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