A woman named Silpa recently shared a video on Instagram that showed her walking home from her office in Bengaluru, India. She had been doing it for two weeks and found that she had “way better energy than before” and could easily meet her step goals.
The downside of walking home, she said, was that during her 3-kilometer walks she had spent 840 rupees on coconut water. (The coconut vendor considers this an “upside.”)
Walking home from the office is apparently so rare that several Indian news outlets carried articles about Silpa’s feat. “BREAKING NEWS: Bengaluru Woman Walks Home From Office, Lives to Tell About It.”
Her video received more than 500 likes and 45 comments on Instagram. “What about me,” one man wrote. “I walk 5.5 km daily to and from, and 30 minutes of evening walk.”
Another man wrote: “What’s the big deal of just 2 weeks? I’ve done this at Nashik for a year. … Neediness of vehicles is just an annoying absurdity when timing can be matched with low UV index.”
I asked my wife if this qualifies as “mansplaining.”
“No,” she said, “it’s mansneering.”
I applaud anyone who walks to and from work, or even just one way. Walking to work is not practical for most people, of course. They either live too far away from their workplaces or face other obstacles, such as the absence of good footpaths or the presence of wild animals. Yes, in some parts of the world, wild animals can make walking hazardous, especially if they have two legs and know how to whistle.
Not everyone can walk to work, but most people can find time to do a little walking. The benefits of walking are numerous. One of the most underrated forms of exercise, walking offers you many health benefits, including helping you lose weight, reducing your stress, protecting you from certain diseases, keeping your heart healthy, and increasing your consumption of coconut water.
Studies have shown that walking can also improve your thinking and memory. When I take my dog for walks, I do a lot of thinking — at least one thought per kilometer. Walking — without listening to music or looking at my phone — has produced some of my best ideas. It was during a walk that I decided o encourage my wife and kids to take a vacation to India in late December and spend quality time with their relatives, leaving me alone at home to spend quality time with the football playoffs.
Unlike other forms of exercise, walking is something that most people can do at almost any age. Young people can generally walk faster than old people, but I’ve seen some 70-year-olds walk incredibly fast — and not just when there’s a Black Friday deal on blood pressure monitors.
One of the best things about walking is that it can be done in many different places. You can go to a mall or large store and just walk around in circles — nobody will care. But if you start running, you might soon find yourself being strip-searched in the security office.
Walking can be done in almost any attire, even a suit. But running in a suit is usually reserved for those running for political office.
What about the downsides of walking? Well, walking exposes you to the elements, perhaps severe weather or even air pollution (depending on where you live). Walking also exposes you to everything in the street, even the guy on the corner who keeps asking if you’d like to go on a date and won’t take “I’d rather get Ebola” for an answer. But think of all the extra steps you’ll be getting whenever you cross the street to avoid him!
