Morning Walks: They’re Not Just for Hot Girls Anymore
I did my first 100 Days of Movement Challenge sometime in early 2020. I follow a badass fitness trainer on Instagram and started seeing her mention it in her stories and since she was basically chiseled from flawless marble and hand delivered to Earth’s surface by the gods like some kind of priceless work of art, I sent her a DM asking what the hell she was doing. She explained a simple challenge: move with intention for at least 20 minutes a day for 100 days in a row. It could be any activity (walking, biking, dancing, weights, etc.), it just had to be for 20 minutes. I lived in Houston at the time and it was that all-too-fleeting time of year when for about 3 months, the temperature dips below 90 degrees. I was also kind of obsessed with working out at the time and thought it sounded like a fun way to mix things up. Ah, to be childless and carefree! From March to May, I did some form of movement every day for 20 minutes, including, for the first time, a lot of walking. I even went so far as to start running! *Internet gasps collectively* As a member of the Shitty Biggie Titty Committee, I never thought I’d see the day! But this challenge…it did something to me.
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At the end of the few days, I looked great, which was definitely part of the point for me, but then I got pregnant shortly thereafter and haven’t looked the same since, so I guess I looked TOO great. But I also learned that moving daily wasn’t nearly as hard as it sounded. I was eager to do another challenge, but pregnancy, moving halfway across the country, and raising an infant kind of got in the way of anything resembling self-improvement. Until I finally had the energy to do it again this April.
Kyle and I vacationed in Miami in early April. I was fresh off my initial functional medicine appointments, and we were both determined to incorporate some of our healthy lifestyle choices like reducing alcohol consumption, indulging in fewer treats, getting to bed around 10 PM, and working out while on this vacation. One of the things about getting older is that even “fun” isn’t as fun anymore. Two glasses of wine goes from being a chill buzz you can sleep off to “Jesus Christ, I can’t stop shitting!!!” and “I’VE BEEN BLOATED FOR 2 WEEKS, DO I HAVE A PARASITE?” And so it was on this trip that I decided to start going on a morning walk. Having heard nothing about a “hot girl walk” at this point, I really thought I was onto something!!
We spent four mornings in Miami, and each morning, I started the day with as long a walk I could bear in the sweltering Miami heat (usually around 45 minutes). I was sweating like a me in church! But it felt good, not only to have a solid routine in place, but also a goal to work toward. That’s when I decided to do my second 100 Days of Movement Challenge. I already logged 4 days in a row, so why not keep it going?! This time around, however, I had a toddler and less flexibility in my schedule. So, instead of guaranteeing I would get a “real” workout in, I had to figure out where and when I could ensure I got movement into my day. Enter: the morning walk.
There’s so much research on the positive impacts of outside morning walks. Here’s some of it:
Light in the eyes first thing in the morning has been proven to help with your circadian rhythm. Your circadian rhythm is what determines when you feel sleepy and when you feel wakeful. Ideally, you feel sleepy sometime in the evening (between 9-10 PM for the average adult) and ready to wake up sometime in the early part of the day (between 6-7 AM for the average adult). Seeing sun outside (not from inside your house) upon the first hour of waking is a critical way to build and establish a healthy circadian rhythm.
Morning walks can actually be helpful for eyesight. It has to do with something Dr. Andrew Huberman refers to as optic flow, which is basically when you see things three-dimensionally. In addition to the benefit for your eyes, it can also elicit a relaxed and peaceful state.
Vitamin D exposure. You know how I feel about sunscreen (and if you don’t, just read any of my posts on beauty and skincare). It’s rare that I don’t step outside covered in SPF, no matter how cold or cloudy the day because IT DOESN’T MATTER. But before 10 AM, the sun’s UV rays are much less harmful to your skin. So, if you wake up and get a morning walk in before 10 AM, you can do so somewhat safely without sunscreen, which allows your skin to absorb a healthy dose of Vitamin D, which is helpful for all kinds of internal processes related to bone density and inflammation, among others.
Cortisol levels (your stress hormone) are highest in the morning. It’s a primal thing that has to do with being alert and, ya know, staying alive or whatever. People often think cortisol is bad, and it can be in high amounts or at wrong times of day, but you actually want to take advantage of this heightened state of “stress” early in the day by doing things that require effort, which is why morning workouts are commonly recommended, or even starting your workday with the hardest thing on your to-do list. Your body is biologically primed to do this.
There’s a bunch of other shit that makes morning walks outside good for you, but I’m not a doctor (I’m barely literate, tbh), so for reference and more color on this topic, listen to the Huberman Lab podcast on light therapies (or any episode, for that matter). That guys is so fucking smart. And also…kind of hot??!?!
Wanna take my temperature orally or anally?
ANYWAY.
I recently completed my 100 Days of Movement Challenge, and I did it primarily through my morning walk. I did also do what I consider to be “real” workouts focused on weight and HIIT training, but I was lucky if I could get 3 of those in a week, which wouldn’t really have allowed me to achieve the 100 day goal. I’ll be honest though: I did miss two or three days toward the end because I chose to sleep in (drinking too much water close to bedtime results in another fun thing that comes with getting older, which is peeing at least twice at night, and it’s especially fun when you can’t get back to sleep after) and simply didn’t have the time. But I didn’t consider the whole thing a failure; I just added those days on to the backend of the challenge. Shit happens sometimes, and I’m not gonna make myself feel like a fuckup because of it. It’s called adapting, look it up!
So now with a second 100 Days of Movement Challenge under my belt, I wanted to share a few of the lessons and key takeaways I got from the whole thing. Hopefully this inspires you to start your own challenge, or at the very least, a regular morning walk.
What I learned from 100 days of morning walks
Starting the day with one small healthy habit sets the tone for making more healthy habits throughout the day.
Morning light exposure really does help you sleep better. I was regularly asleep by 10 PM, without the use of supplements like melatonin.
Nature, man. I saw bunnies, deer, birds…all kinds of nature shit. Granted, I live in the country and I do see these things often, but it hits different in the morning. Makes you feel very zen even though you spend 9 hours a day looking at a blue light rectangle in your hand.
Walking is a gateway to working out. I actually RAN a few times! I’m terrible at it, but I was feeling good about ¾ of the way through the challenge and decided to step it up with a jog, which I’ve abandoned for now because #summer. I’m thinking of starting another 100 Days of Movement Challenge in the fall when it cools off and jogging/running instead of walking! Also, I added 2lb ankle weights to my walk about a month ago and that definitely makes it more intense. Throw in a hilly/inclined terrain and it really is a workout.
Walking is addictive. I genuinely go to sleep excited to get up for my walk in the morning. It’s rare for me to go to sleep looking forward to waking up in the morning unless there’s a resort breakfast buffet awaiting me. All you can eat, huh? I’LL SHOW YOU!
If you hate hot weather like I do and avoid being outside at all costs, I’ve got news for you: it’s not nearly as awful before 7 AM! The complete opposite is true in the cold, so this isn’t helpful if you’re reading this in January.
Waking up earlier than your kid (if you have one, or many - in which case, OH MY GOD WHY!?!?) isn’t as soul-crushing as it sounds. In fact, it’s absolutely necessary if you want to get anything done. Goldie is still so little that she needs constant supervision, so if I stand any chance at working out or doing my makeup or just SITTING, I have to do it before she wakes up at 7 AM. It sounded impossible before I started, but within a couple weeks, I was getting comfortable with the early call time and, like I said, looking forward to my solo morning routine.
And finally, it just feels good to work on a goal that’s achievable. I don’t know when I’ll lose all my pregnancy/post-pregnancy weight, or if my blog will ever be a viable stream of income, but I do know that if I wake up on time and get the fuck outside and walk each day, that in 100 days, I will have reached my goal, and that’s pretty damn satisfying.
Whether you’re a dedicated morning walker or a total night owl, I’d like to leave you with this idea that I’ve heard many times in different ways, as I’m sure you have too, but for some reason really connected with me last year:
Six months from now, you’ll wish you’d started six months ago.
Starting is the hardest part. People spend so much time thinking about all the reasons why they can’t start instead of just being like “well, I have no clue what I’m doing, but I’ll figure it out along the way.”
Done is better than perfect.
Progress, not perfection.
Pobody’s nerfect.
Etcetera.
Nike that shit, man! And come back here in six months (or 100 days) and let me know how it turned out for you!
Have you ever done a 100 Day Challenge? Tell me everything in the comments!
