'Playful' Walking Workout
I've noticed in my life when there is the energy and lightness of play in my 'inner fitness' practice (aka yoga and meditation), physical fitness endeavors, kitchen productions and my personal and business relationships that I feel I can express myself more authentically. Play seems to open the door to spontaneity and creativity.
But not the earnest endeavour that seems to unfold from 'play ball', rather more the playground experience of free play or even the more structured play of games that may involve a verse, a rhythm or repeating controlled movements or like the natural energy and flow of a stream finding its way downhill.
Peter Gray, an evolutionary psychologist, wrote an article on the value of social play in hunter-gatherer societies:
" Hunter-gatherers everywhere seem to have been acutely sensitive to the possibility that, at any time, hierarchical, dependent, dominance relationships could arise within their society and destroy the equality and unselfish sharing upon which their survival depended. To prevent that from happening, they developed cultural practices aimed at reinforcing their egalitarianism and nipping in the bud any tendencies toward hierarchy and domination. To me, the striking, unifying aspect of the practices they developed lies in the degree to which they involved play or playfulness."
Kids in urban areas of course often use playgrounds for free play- monkey bars, swings and climbing domes for example. And yes, this is purposefully structured developmental physical and social play and it's generally outdoors in natural light in a green space or park-like setting.
Soo...one of the ways of incorporating some play into staying fit as an adult is reclaiming some of that youthful spontaneity and fun by participating in a walking workout. For example, my walks around my neighbourhood are sometimes upgraded to 'survival' refresh fun-during appropriate seasons-by including some picnic bench yoga moves and some barefoot earth walking/sprinting. As well I've also located a few trees with appropriate branches for pull ups/chin ups and add in sets of dips on suitable benches along the route. Also it's been fun for me doing this with friends and/or family members, it has included activities like spontaneous dashes, rock tossing, leap frogging and cartwheeling across the local tundra (aka soccer fields ; ). For now, it's dashing through the snow season though.
What's your experience with playful activities and keeping fit?
Towards being happy, healthy and wholesome
Don
But not the earnest endeavour that seems to unfold from 'play ball', rather more the playground experience of free play or even the more structured play of games that may involve a verse, a rhythm or repeating controlled movements or like the natural energy and flow of a stream finding its way downhill.
Peter Gray, an evolutionary psychologist, wrote an article on the value of social play in hunter-gatherer societies:
" Hunter-gatherers everywhere seem to have been acutely sensitive to the possibility that, at any time, hierarchical, dependent, dominance relationships could arise within their society and destroy the equality and unselfish sharing upon which their survival depended. To prevent that from happening, they developed cultural practices aimed at reinforcing their egalitarianism and nipping in the bud any tendencies toward hierarchy and domination. To me, the striking, unifying aspect of the practices they developed lies in the degree to which they involved play or playfulness."
Kids in urban areas of course often use playgrounds for free play- monkey bars, swings and climbing domes for example. And yes, this is purposefully structured developmental physical and social play and it's generally outdoors in natural light in a green space or park-like setting.
Soo...one of the ways of incorporating some play into staying fit as an adult is reclaiming some of that youthful spontaneity and fun by participating in a walking workout. For example, my walks around my neighbourhood are sometimes upgraded to 'survival' refresh fun-during appropriate seasons-by including some picnic bench yoga moves and some barefoot earth walking/sprinting. As well I've also located a few trees with appropriate branches for pull ups/chin ups and add in sets of dips on suitable benches along the route. Also it's been fun for me doing this with friends and/or family members, it has included activities like spontaneous dashes, rock tossing, leap frogging and cartwheeling across the local tundra (aka soccer fields ; ). For now, it's dashing through the snow season though.
What's your experience with playful activities and keeping fit?
Towards being happy, healthy and wholesome
Don
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