Walking is Good for Your Health and Your Soul

I’ve been walking every day since my surgery last fall.  (The surgeon took out all of my abdominal lymph nodes and told me I needed to walk to prevent lymphedema.) Walking is good for a lot of reasons – physical and mental.  I walked in the gym during the winter.  Now that it’s spring, I’m walking outside again and seeing new flowers pop out every day. Even if I walk the same route, the view is different from one day to the next.

 

Most of the snow is gone, but there are still a few patches of dirty snow here and there.

 

At the bridge park, the sakura and mokuren (magnolia) are just starting to bloom. I just noticed this trash can yesterday.  The trash can is there, but they would rather you take home your trash.  They really want you to take home your dog’s poop.

 

 

At the track near the library, elementary school children were running.  One child ran right out of his shoe.

 

Winter is harsh here in Hokkaido, but spring totally makes up for it.

 

(To find out more about the benefits of walking, check out Walk Talk, an inspirational blog for walkers.)