Don’t Underestimate the Power of a Walk | Hacker News Reader

Don’t Underestimate the Power of a Walk

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245 pointstdmckinlay127 comments

“Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. Everyday, I walk myself into a state of well-being & walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it. But by sitting still, & the more one sits still, the closer one comes to feeling ill. Thus if one just keeps on walking, everything will be all right.” ― Søren Kierkegaard

http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/336809-above-all-do-not-lose...

He died 42 yrs old, and collapsed on one of his walks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%B8ren_Kierkegaard

Quite funny in a way, but for balance, according to Wikipedia, the cause of death may well have been from complications from an old physical injury, or from an infection that's often lethal without medicine that was unavailable in his day.

Kierkegaard died in Frederiks Hospital after over a month, possibly from complications from a fall from a tree in his youth. It has been suggested by professor Kaare Weismann and literature scientist Jens Staubrand that Kierkegaard died from Pott disease, a form of tuberculosis.

Well, your balance is all speculation and obviously the walking did not help.

It's also not clear that it hurt. He could've collapsed standing at a kitchen counter that same day if he hadn't gone on the same walk. It's all speculation.

Look, dude claimed everything would be a-o.k. if you just walked. Well, apparently not.

You're being way too literal here. He said "I know of no THOUGHT so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it." He's not promising immortality, simply that walking is a good way to deal with things, especially heavy thoughts.

the more one sits still, the closer one comes to feeling ill

That's true, especially if you are literally sitting on a hard chair and restricting your blood flow.

Modern science has basically confirmed that he was right. There are plenty of studies which show how dangerous having a desk job is.

That seems like a bit of a facile perspective.

I'm reminded of what a centenarian once said when they were asked about the secret to their health.

"Just keep breathing. I can't think of anything else. I can give you all sorts of ideas and suggestions but if you're not breathing, they don't mean anything."

Kierkegaard's writing is significantly poetic. Reading snippets of it as though you're a hyper-literal 6-year-old may lead you to miss some of the nuance.

No one is claiming that it's meant to cure everything, just that all else being equal, you're better off having gotten in a daily walk. He made it quite clear that walking DID help his mood and happiness. It quite probably kept him in better health before he died, since that's what exercise does.

& walk away from every illness.

You don't understand hyperbole or the increase in metabolic rate after physical activity.

Nah he's right. Someone collapsed while walking obviously walking was the cause of death. Also, people die in hospitals with astonishing regularity. Better stay away from hospitals too.

I can power a small furnace with the amount of sarcasm you emit.

I agree it's speculation, I said "may". Balance of speculation.

Taking that last walk wasn't really the cause but more part of his final episode in life, he died a month into the hospital. Which brings me to an old dilemma: "It is quite common for old people to suffer from osteoporosis and also to have falls resulting in fracture. The dilemma is do they fracture before the fall and the fall is a cause of an initial fracture and the fracture in turn a cause of osteoporosis?

"A sedentary life is the real sin against the Holy Spirit. Only those thoughts that come by walking have any value." - Friedrich Nietzsche (Twilight of the Idols)

“William Wordsworth was said to have walked 180,000 miles in his lifetime. Charles Dickens captured the ecstasy of near-madness and insomnia in the essay “Night Walks” and once said, “The sum of the whole is this: Walk and be happy; Walk and be healthy.” Robert Louis Stevenson wrote of “the great fellowship of the Open Road” and the “brief but priceless meetings which only trampers know.” Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche said, “Only those thoughts that come by walking have any value.” More recently, writers who knew the benefits of striking out excoriated the apathetic public, over and over again, for its laziness. “Of course, people still walk,” wrote a journalist in Saturday Night magazine in 1912. “That is, they shuffle along on their own pins from the door to the street car or taxi-cab…. But real walking … is as extinct as the dodo.” “They say they haven’t time to walk—and wait fifteen minutes for a bus to carry them an eighth of a mile,” wrote Edmund Lester Pearson in 1925. “They pretend that they are rushed, very busy, very energetic; the fact is, they are lazy. A few quaint persons—boys chiefly—ride bicycles.”

- Ben Montgomery, Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail

This was one of the best books I've read in 2019 while attempting a thruhike of the Pacific Crest trail consumed by doubt, fear, excitement, anticipation, boredom, peace and stories of others wondering the trail.

Wow, the fact that that was written in 1912 blows my mind. The exact same thing could be said today in 2021, especially "They pretend that they are rushed, very busy, very energetic; the fact is, they are lazy."

Quick tip to anyone inspired to walk today, but not very familiar with it: if it's snowy/icy where you are, watch out for surprise slick ice spots, especially on pavement.

I've been a city committee for pedestrian issues (coincidentally, where the article was published), and winter ice slip hazards seemed the single biggest problem. They're a way that, in an instant, a habit of walking can turn life-changing in an undesirable way.

When conditions are snowy/icy, I usually use some of those tiny carbide tip traction aids that strap onto of my shoes. Other people have found other measures that seem to work for them.

Definitely walk, but be aware that surprise slick spots are a thing, and you can do something about it.

One other important thing when walking in snow/ice is that even the smallest slip can potentially strain/pull a muscle just due to the rapid movement.

Cold weather people can checkout something like yaktrax - have found the ones with chains hold up longer, the ones with straps across the top of the foot stay on (if you lose one you will walk in circles!). No shame in using poles, coldweather facemasks either.

Dogs are a great motivator and pretty good companions if you like them/can swing that...

Yaktraks themselves are not great (at least the older ones don't really have spikes). Microspikes are probably the best compromise for general use. They're spiky enough to work even on glare ice so long as it's not too steep. (There are more aggressive ones but they're probably overkill for city streets.)

A pole by itself is pretty useful though for occasional ice. It gives you that extra purchase and balance even if you're just in shoes.

Yaktrax have been adequate for me on compact snow and ice. I also have kahtoolie brand microspikes that I use when hiking, where yaktrax wouldn't be adequate and crampons would be overkill, but they wouldn't be comfortable for walking around on icy roads and sidewalks.

I have yaktrax without spikes - they have ‘springs’ on rubber. I have used them for years. They give me great traction when it’s slippery outside and I use them for walking and even running in snow/ice/slush.

When I’m wearing them I never slip and just carry on as if there was nothing slippery underfoot.

The only thing you have to watch out for is remembering to take them off if you go inside where there’s a hard floor such as tiles or wood, otherwise you’re going to fall over immediately. Coming in from a walk I’m taking my shoes off anyway, so it’s hard to forget.

Fair enough. I live in the country and I mostly need traction for hiking so need something more substantial (and of course even microspikes aren't enough for some situations).

Slipping on ice - life-changing?

Not the slip itself, rather the consequences of the subsequent fall.

Brain concussion, spinal injury etc., depends on what you hit on your way down and how hard it is; fences, kerbs etc. may be very unforgiving.

I once slipped on ice on a pavement with enough energy that I almost ended up in the street next to it where cars were going their normal 40-50 kph. (The street had quite a slope, Prague has a lot of hilly neighbourhoods.) I caught myself on a street lamp before drifting out to the danger zone, though.

I just turned 30 and I fell on ice and it really hurt for two weeks. The ice was super hard and I fell directly on my ass. It might have looked funny from the outside, but the pain was really bad. I couldn't really sit or move my hips as usual.

I don't want to overdramatize the fall as I feel better now, but I can see how it could be worse for older / taller people in a slightly less fortunate fall: one might fall in front of a car, bicycle, one could fall and break a leg or arms, roll down a little hill right into a forest, lose a tooth or two, punch or pull someone else as they fall etc...

I took a fall on the ice and banged my knee pretty good a few years ago. It was a minor thing, but it really opened my eyes to how fast a fall occur, and how little control I might have when it happens. I am in decent shape, I have good reflexes and range of motion, and I thought I knew how to fall and how to avoid injury. That day I learned that's not always the case. One moment I was moving along at a brisk pace, and in the blink of an eye I was on the ground rolling in agony. It took a moment to even process what happened.

Absolutely. Early 30's co-worker, in good health and fit, slipped on a sidewalk and sustained a spiral fracture of her right humerus near her elbow while trying to catch herself. Spent a long time in cast, a longer time in a brace, and still has range of motion issues. I think about her experience and take extra care when I walk on ice / snow.

In medical school my wife had a classmate who was actually a year ahead but was re-taking anatomy because he slipped on some ice, hit his head, and was going blind. He wanted to relearn anatomy by feel in anticipation of total vision loss.

I have a friend who slipped on some ice and broke his femur! This was 5 years ago, he was an avid cyclist but he still has issues today that affect how much he can ride.

Unexpectedly slipping on ice is no joke! That being said, if I can't xc ski I go for long runs all the time with microspikes and trekking poles. So the gear to be safe (with common sense and knowing ones limits) does exist.

Microspikes are really great development which I assume were enabled by materials work that enables the bendable stretchy silicone you see in all sorts of things. The alternatives before were Yaktraks which, at best, gave you a bit of extra traction on your way to pick up the mail or you had to go full-on mountaineering crampons which obviously were way overkill or not even usable in many situations.

I have mountaineering gear but, to be honest, both myself and most of the people I usually hike with just use microspikes a lot of the time. (Also much more practical for beginner instructional trips.)

My cousin is periodically confined to a wheel chair due to a bad leg break from a fall that never healed properly. Ice is no joke.

Yes. In the "you now have random ankle pain for the rest of your life" kind of way, mostly.

In 2010 I slipped on ice in London and broke my leg. I was out of action for a few weeks. Because it was hard living alone and being on crutches, I moved in with my Mum for quite a while. I was lucky it was just a leg but it definitely changed the course of my life (health-wise, for the better).

I would hate to see someone not go for a walk because they are scared of falling on the sidewalk. Perhaps you live in more unforgiving place than most, or are thinking of older population, but living an unhealthy life controlled by fear seems like more of a concern than the risks of going for a walk.

The context may be the UK where it rarely snows (typically <5 snow days per year), but has been snowing/icy over the last few days. In that context it may make sense to avoid the one icy week of the year if you are planning to take up walking when you haven't before.

From his website, OP is in an area with yearly cold snowy winters. I live in an area with similar winters and walking unprepared is no fun at all. I nearly broke my tailbone in a fall once, and I'm healthy and generally careful, but maybe if I had read what OP said, "Definitely walk, but be aware that surprise slick spots are a thing, and you can do something about it," I could have avoided the fall.

Have you fallen on the concrete or ice lately?

I can tell you, it really really sucks.

There's been a lot of snow lately, I think you don't necessarily have to be living a life of fear to not want to slip on the ice.

For the record, I'm a 30 year old, in good shape, and love to walk. But walking outside these last few days in NYC has been a lot of tepid steps with the slush because it is indeed slick. I caught myself when I slipped on something metal and slick the other day, but it was close.

And as a sibling commenter said, even the jerky movements can end up causing issues.

It's been very pretty out, but I don't think lately has been the kind of walking conditions I usually associate with the sorts of walks that are described in the post despite those moments of appreciation for winter wonderland.

And it was better 100 years ago?

Terrain can make a difference. If given the choice, I'd walk over ice that was on top of grass, gravel, or smaller stones (that is, most are in the 1-3" diameter range) over concrete or asphalt. That ice generally gives way under you and provides you a chance to get traction without specialty footgear. The ice that forms on pavement is often much slicker, and the pavement doesn't give so the ice doesn't break underfoot.

Concrete and asphalt also promote the development of ice in a way that other surfaces do not, because they retain heat from the sun hitting them. That's the principle issue here, even when it's 10-20F, the pavement is easily above freezing on a sunny day, and when the snow falls in the afternoon it quickly melts and refreeze creating hazardous conditions until the next day when it thaws (assuming it's not a deep snow) as the sun hits it again.

Or walk on the snow rather than the ice.

How common were perfectly manicured sidewalks back then?

Our snow is not very deep here, normally. At least not in the winters I’ve been in. But yes, prefer snow to icy patches if it’s an option.

I slip and fall on concrete about once a year, because my brain can never quite remember how "slippery" works after a nice dry summer.

It hurts and I'm stinging for the day, but most of the damage has been to my ego. I'd hardly say it "really, really sucks"

Not saying you're wrong, just wondering why our experiences would be so different. I did martial arts as a kid so I definitely know how to take a fall well, so perhaps it's just a skill?

Hmm... I'm usually a pretty graceful faller myself generally. Maybe it was just the last time I fell that really hurt. I was carrying a 24 pack of beer to a friends and tried to jump over a slick space and fell and slammed my hip into the ground pretty hard. Was sore for a couple weeks.

That was several several years ago, not sure I've slipped on the ice since then. Now I'm a graceful walker ;-).

I hit one of these getting my mail late at night. Pretty sobering knowing I'd have been dead in 30 minutes due to the temperature and no one would have likely been by to check because it was late. They can stick around even after most of the snow/ice has melted because of shadows that never allow sunlight to hit a particular spot.

I heartily recommend proper winter boots for anyone that is worried about slipping. Not all boots are created equally, but the tread and rubber compound used for most winter boots can make a dramatic difference in grip while walking.

For those who have never owned transportation in a cold climate: winter tires on vehicles make a big difference in traction. They channel and grip to snow and ice much better than the tread and rubber compound of a standard all-season tire. The same concept applies for winter footwear.

No boot will help you over smooth ice, sorry. You can wear something like Yaktrax, over your shoes, or look out for a thin layer of ice on the pavement.

I wear these when walking over smooth ice down my local shopping street: https://www.aliexpress.com/i/32968862306.html

This is maybe not the place for an out-of-my-chest comment, but some years ago I went trough a painful breakup, and I remember that walking was one of the few things that could alleviate the emotional pain.

i think this is absolutely the place for your comment. as the article suggests, perspective is one of the things you can get while walking. that's related to reflection and meditation.

i am sorry for what you had to go through, but i am glad you found a way to deal with it and have the courage to share it here.

This was the same for me during my first serious breakup. The only thing that made me feel marginally better was walking through my neighbourhood. If it weren’t for the hot Australian summer and risk of severe sunburn or heatstroke, I probably would have just walked nonstop every day.

I think part of the appeal of walking is that you're away from screens. You're in action (even if it's as simple as putting one foot in front of the other), not just passively receiving sensory data.

As Baudrillard put it: "Travel was once a means of being elsewhere, or of being nowhere. Today it is the only way we have of feeling that we are somewhere. At home, surrounded by information, by screens, I am no longer anywhere, but rather everywhere in the world at once, in the midst of a universal banality - a banality that is the same in every country. To arrive in a new city, or in a new language, is suddenly to find oneself here and nowhere else. The body rediscovers how to look. Delivered from images, it rediscovers the imagination."

That is a great observation. I have realized that I enjoy bike rides and driving because it forces me to be off my phone, unlike even walking, or of course sitting at home.

I really haven’t cared for most of the places I’ve lived, but they all have their positives and negatives. Overall I didn’t care for the last city I lived in, however one thing I miss was a river walk they had right outside downtown along with another park adjacent to the river a quick walk to downtown. I would often go there in the evening and just walk for several hours and think. The scenery of the river and the surrounding nature was very nice and enjoyable. After the sun went down and it was dark, it was a brief walk into town where I could grab something to eat and do whatever I want. I haven’t been happy or even content in many years, but those walks brought some sort of peace to my mind.

Unfortunately there’s nothing really like that where I am now, at least nothing close enough for a casual afternoon trip. There’s a good bit of sidewalk around the neighborhood, but it really doesn’t feel the same. It’s in primarily residential area just off a busy road and the sound of cars zipping past you ,sirens from the nearby hospital along with the dim streetlight interrupted by shopping strips, etc. don’t exactly bring the same tranquility. Despite the parks from the city I used to live in being very close to urban areas, the river and more forested stretches gave a tranquil feeling and even the more open parts had a pleasant setting.

I go for a 3 to 4 mile walk every day before work. Start off sleepy, end up excited to get to work. Much of the same benefits without the sweat of running.

My grandfather used to tell the story of getting bored in Valparaiso, Indiana one day during the depression and deciding to walk to Calgary. Alberta. Canada.

He stopped at farm houses to ask for work, sometimes working for shoes. It took him most of a year to get there. Regrettably, I neglected to ask how he ever got back to Valparaiso.

This reminds me: One of the best books about a long walk is Patrick Leigh Fermor's "Time of Gifts" (and the subsequent books). Memoirs of his time before WW2 literally walking from one side of Europe to the other.

His cultural insights, historical perspective, and witty language are all exquisite.

This is an amazing book and I can't recommend it enough.

Completely agree. Paddy Fermor wrote beautifully, and with a vocabulary informed by his polyglot abilities (he knew, at least, Greek, Latin, several dialects of German, and French, with smatterings of a few more).

Because he took Greek at school (high school), he was sent to a Greek isle during WW2 where he wound up kidnapping a German general and spiriting him across the mountains to Allied control. He is perhaps best known for this exploit.

At the beginning of the pandemic I picked up a laptop stand for my treadmill. I find its much easier to get 2-3 miles of walking in per day when I am deep in thought on a tough problem, or even just while "sitting" in meetings over Teams. Surprisingly my noise cancelling headphones don't pick up any background noise from walking 2.5mph and nobody is the wiser on calls.

Voice of dissent, but I hate walking - it's just so tedious. If I'm walking to explore somewhere new, it's great. If I'm just walking as part of my commute or to get groceries, or just for the sake of exercise, etc. I can't stand the tedium.

I don't like running for the same reason - the boredom and mental tedium overcomes me earlier than the physical exhaustion. But at least running doesn't take too long to get the exercise benefits.

I live next to the river with an amazing view of the NYC skyline, but even that gets old after the n'th time.

Somewhat better: walking (or running) on a treadmill watching Netflix on my iPad.

I'm pretty much the opposite. I find exercise equipment tedious. I don't run but I do like walking. And, sure, variety is good but the past many months I've been fine with mostly taking the same forest/river trail that's next to my house because there's hardly anyone there.

It's not like I enjoy the treadmill itself :). It's the Netflix (or Amazon Prime, or etc.) that really lets me get through the session.

Plus I don't really have much time to consume movie/TVs these days, so it does let me combine both (exercise & entertainment).

When I use my rowing machine I do put something up on the TV which makes it more tolerable. But I'd honestly rather go outside for a walk if the weather is at all decent.

Listen to podcasts? Or audiobooks?

Tried both (as well as music of course). Doesn't seem to work for me. I guess I am a lot more geared towards visual stimuli, since Netflix + treadmill does work better for me than audio + outdoor scenery.

I always have headphones of some kind when I walk. The bone conduction ones are nice if you want to be able to hear your surroundings. I'm full weeks worth of listen time behind on my podcast collection so I love every time I get to go on a walk and catch up a bit.

Back in college we had a decent sized arboretum next to campus that I never got bored of walking through, and nearby inter urban trails as well. I was never a hiker but some of my friends were and there were lots of places to go hiking within a short drive away. Maybe the proximity to nature influences how enjoyable it is?

It's incredible to me how much of a difference in incentive to walk, even as someone who loves walking, between living in a place like Austin and New York City. Sure, climate is a part of it, but in New York I never minded taking a walk on a refreshing cold day. However, since Austin is so hot all the time and most sidewalks are either covered in homeless people or just in neighborhoods with far less going on I found that going for a drive replaced going for a walk (especially on 100F + days). The health implications of this are also pretty interesting. Keep on walking folks!

Yeah, depending where you are here in Austin, I feel you.

I'm fortunate to live next to a park, which is nice to walk in. I cycle into town rather than walk the 5 miles, though.

This summer I'll try to get out and go for a walk before 8am, because like you I don't want to walk after that.

"No great idea was ever conceived sitting down" - Nietzsche... probably

I'm dreading when the pandemic is over. Having to drive 2 hours a day for the commute, being too tired to do anything when I get home. Working from home is utter bliss for me. Get to walk once or twice a day with my family, whilst still getting in 7-8 hours of work.

Air outside is -40. Windchill brings that to -57. My work is shutting down all activities that require being outside for more than a couple minutes. Forget the health benefits, until it warms up I am not going to walk anywhere other than to my car. Even that can be dangerous at these temperatures.

https://weather.gc.ca/warnings/index_e.html

But the Segway will revolutionize human transport! Because everyone lives where the weather is always nice!

But cars are evil, because we should ride our bikes more! Because everyone lives where it's always nice!

How dare you inhabit a piece of the planet other than southern California? The audacity! The hubris! The reality intruding on my bullshit platitudes!

If you look outside my office you will see 200+ cars in the parking lots. Each one of them has a cord plugging them into a dedicated outlet. But not one of them is charging. There is probably more electricity going into our parking lot outlets than to all of our computers and lights inside.

Sure, you can always find exceptions.

But 1000 of 1200 kids ride their bikes to this school in Finland, in -17C weather: https://unofficialnetworks.com/2019/11/20/kids-in-finland-ri...

The people advocating for more biking aren't saying everyone everywhere at every time should ride bikes. They're saying more people, in more places, at more times, should.

Agree. And at the higher end of the temperature spectrum, I've commuted on my bike all through the summer in Austin, Texas, when the temps are routinely 40-43C. Not for everyone, as I had a place to shower and change when I got sweaty, but more <6 mile trips could be made by bike.

>But cars are evil, because we should ride our bikes more! Because everyone lives where it's always nice!

I thought so as well until I saw this video about cycling in Finland. Looks super doable. Rain on the other hand ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhx-26GfCBU

Yes, g-d forbid the rest of us ride scooters to work because a few people live in Whitehorse. One need not live in SoCal to avoid the use of a car in winter. I lived in Indiana and managed it. Hell, people in Whitehorse manage it, for that matter. (EDIT: well, there ya go: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26067682)

Yeah, Southern California, the only place in the world with nice weather. Aren't you forgetting tropical Netherlands and Denmark? That's why they bike so much.

During my time in SV people seemed to always apologize when the weather wasn't perfect. They apologized when it was too "hot" barely breaking 80F and too cold when it got below 50F. Personally, "perfect" weather was depressing as all hell because seasons are actually awesome and help you keep track of time passing by. I'll never forget how much people on the east coast (especially boston) treasure the few summer months where you can be outside.

I ride my bike here in Copenhagen like so many others and it's pretty far from SoCal temperatures.

Weather isn't the biggest determinant of cycling usage (and that probably applies to walking too):

"Why Canadians can't bike in the winter but Finnish people can"

https://youtu.be/Uhx-26GfCBU

The scene with the line of tiny bikes parked outside the school in the middle of winter is particularly striking.

I've biked through all weathers but even for me that seems like something that wouldn't be possible, but apparently is with a bit of organisation.

I grew up biking to elementary school in Sweden year around and it did not seem like a big deal. Just make sure to dress for the weather. I remember wearing overalls or ski pants when it got real cold. Snow days were also not a thing. I don't remember a single weather cancellation.

The funny thing is I live further south now and when I go back to visit in the winter, it feels ridiculously cold.

This reads as if you yourself have never been outside SoCal, and don't realize that people bike everywhere in the world.

This kind of bitter, sarcastic tone is annoying enough on HN, and you aren't even challenging the parent, but agreeing with him by setting up strawmen of the opposing side.

It is still doable if you want to take the time to figure out the clothing. Modern clothing technology means you can even be comfortable when doing so. I live in one of the scary red areas on that map (-31C) and spent a fairly nice couple of hours out walking around this morning. ... and yes, there was significant windchill... which mostly made for some weirdness with ice on my eyelashes.

Running is different in that you might manage to freeze your respiratory passages and then have a cough. Walking is pretty much hazard free.

There's still the significant risk of being stranded, or equipment failure. Your life literally depends on those boots and gloves. Most folks do not value a walk enough to take that risk?

What sort of failure mode could a boot or glove have to leave you in serious trouble? It is not something that anyone ever has to worry about. Most people don't walk out of reasonable range of civilization. It takes a fairly long time to actually freeze to death.

People that do somehow walk out of range of civilization on a casual walk will usually be in range of a cell tower.

Slip, fall, break/sprain/tear something or crack your head due to lack of traction.

Unexpected falling is a fairly quick way to sustain a heavy impact long-term injury, and you can even die.

As noted in another comment, get microspikes or something like that and use a pole and you're plenty safe. I mean, you could fall down a flight of steps at home too. It definitely takes a bit more effort to head out if there's a bunch of snow and/or ice on the ground--which has led to me being a bit lazy since the last snowfall--but it's really not dangerous if you're properly dressed (though I would probably draw the line at current northern Midwest temperatures for a few days--though I have the gear for it).

This is maybe practical if you’re walking as a dedicated activity, but how many people are going to be using that kind of gear for, say, a trip to the corner store? Slip and fall danger is quite great, and can strike you in places you least expect it, like say a patch of black ice on your standard dark asphalt parking lot. It would be quite odd for me to bring a walking pole on my 30 minute walking commute to work.

This reminds me of comments that pedestrians should wear high-vis clothing if they don’t want to be hit by cars, as if high-vis clothing isn’t an explicit step outside of norms regarding clothing.

It's stuff I keep in my car in the winter and I'll use it if conditions warrant. Now it's true that, if you live in a city or are just walking someplace from your car in a parking lot, you probably won't and you're just careful. (Though I would absolutely use a pole if sidewalks were bad enough.) And, yes, people do sometimes slip and fall on ice and they sometimes break bones, etc. But I'm not sure what the alternative here is. If you need to go to the corner store or walk to work, you need to go to the corner store or walk to work. You can't hibernate all winter.

You can certainly limit your exposure. I switch my walk to work to a bus on overly cold days. The first comment in this thread literally describes doing this:

> Forget the health benefits, until it warms up I am not going to walk anywhere other than to my car. Even that can be dangerous at these temperatures.

If you need special equipment, you are not getting people to do long walks in winter conditions.

> You can't hibernate all winter.

People reduce all kinds of outdoor activity in winter, and depending on where you live you may have spent an entire year limiting what you do outside.

Wiping out is a skill. Learn it so you don't have to life your life in fear of something as basic as walking.

Lots of cell phone batteries stop working when they get cold enough; if you're going to rely on your cell to keep you safe it's a good idea to test it in the cold before doing so.

The one thing I'd probably recommend to someone going out in the woods or certainly climbing a hill/mountain where they might be exposed to wind is to carry a spare pair of mittens/shells in cold weather. They're warmer if their hands get cold and they're backup if a glove manages to blow away or get wet.

Anecdata: my sister got off the bus with her 7-yo son as rain began to fall. In seconds it was impossible to walk on the sidewalk. They resorted to walking on grass lawns, then at each driveway she would get her son to crouch and she would push him sliding across then run and glide. It took an hour to go 2 blocks.

A failure in a traction device (she didn't have any) can leave you seriously stranded. Yak trax are very popular, but they fail routinely. I carry a spare set in my truck.

The weather is more unpredictable than we can imagine.

A few years ago, I got into Montreal just as a light freezing drizzle was starting. And something similar. A bit later that evening, you could barely walk on the sidewalk. And unfortunately neither of us had brought our microspikes.

>A failure in a traction device

I have had a microspike fail--fortunately just out my door. But it's mostly not the end of the world. Especially if you also have a pole you can manage pretty well with traction just on one foot under most circumstances.

How about the boot sole hardening and then splitting, exposing the bottom of the foot with each step? I had that happen to a ski boot once.

I regularly ski without backup gear and with quality gear even falls haven’t been an issue. I’m not sure what kind of failure could occur within a short walk of home that would be life threatening.

Maybe I’m not being imaginative enough.

You might be fine when walking at -31, but much below that a fall can be lethal. The snow is different at -40, stiffer and more slippery. Slip and knock your head, or simply roll an ankle, and the 300 yards to the next door will seem like miles. They have cancelled schools. They don't want the kids outside waiting for busses.

That's not right. At these temperatures even glare ice is quite grippy. The snow gets stiff. The only real downside si that the snow squeaks when you step on it. It can be sort of loud.

Tell that to my boots. The snow is rock solid. Thier treds dont cut in. Whereas a week ago i could walk, now i am sliding between biuldings. I walked about 500m between biuldings at -42 today. My boots were hardening. By the end it felt like walking in ski boots. Very slippery.

Thats why Canada has so many malls. :)

Bought a treadmill for this reason.

I lived in Whitehorse, Yukon for 4 years.

Every single day of the year I rode my bike to work, but more importantly I took a walk at midday to get sun on my face and some fresh air.

The few days I didn't get sun on my face in the winter I noticed how grumpy I was later in the day and how horrible I felt by the time I got home.

Even at -44C (before wind chill) I loved walking along the river, watching the ice twist and turn and eventually breakup. I loved having the library as a destination - it was about a 10-15 minute walk, then I could hangout inside for 20 minutes to checkout books and warm up before the walk back to the office.

You'll be fine, just wear the right gear.

Ditto. I grew up in Fairbanks, AK, and it was no big deal. You just put on the appropriate clothing and kept doing your thing.

Everyday, twice day, 13.5 years and counting.

I love walking for multiple reasons including health benefits, exploring my neighborhood, having some alone time to think about things - the list goes on - but during the pandemic, I find myself just too despondent at all the people I see not wearing masks or social distancing where there are crowds.

I realize of course that it's in my power to just ignore it and get on with my own business - believe me I've tried - but inevitably now when I return home, I have an overwhelming sadness that spoils everything.

It's clear no one is going to change their behavior and I have explored ways for me to get past it but so far, nothing has worked.

After contracting and getting rid of Covid, I decided to walk 8 km (5 miles) every day. It is freezing here, -8 Celsius (17 F), but I am happy doing that.

The body reacted surprisingly fast, I felt much stronger just a week into the routine. The only downside is that hard surfaces like pavements can be felt in the knees.

Nobody else has trouble walking strenuously with a face mask on? I'm fine with the mask while standing around or short periods of not too vigorous walking, but with any sustained exertion it gets stifling, and after a little while it gets wet inside, and I've gotten sick from that all by itself.

I think it depends on the mask. I agree with you for the tight-fitting cloth masks, but I take strenuous walks and even bike rides in a surgical mask and it doesn't bother me at all. Probably provides less protection, though.

Only thing I've learned is to brush my teeth before taking the dogs on their morning walk.

Also my wife has to wear a mask all day at work and gets her 10,000+ steps in before she gets home. No problems in regards to feeling sick.

Interesting, I might make sure to brush teeth and gargle before going out in a mask. When I say I've gotten sick from walking with a mask, I don't mean "felt sick", I mean I've literally gotten respiratory infections, which I'd figured were from rebreathing exhalations with their germs. I was wearing surgical masks then but wear N95's now and there is still difficulty.

Nice article.

I was never a walker, but went to gyms for many years. Since covid I've skipped the gyms, but started walking.

With a Fitbit and an iPhone full of podcasts, I find it very relaxing. It seems good for my body weight, too.

Good luck trying to muster the courage up to walk in the midwest winters I live in. Summer is so amazing here and winter has got to be from the pits of hell. No wonder most people have seasonal affective disorder.

I grew up in the midwest and I always have enjoyed running and cycling during frigid weather. No one else is out and usually on the coldest days the sun is shining.

Walking + podcasts is a great combination. I do like an hour everyday and have learned a ton of actually useful things.

Inspired me to get up out of my chair and walk around the block just now, well worth it.

Get a dog, be happy and healthy.

Walk the Pacific Crest Trail.

Who knew HBR was like the Style section of the NYT?

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