RECLAIMING HUMANITY: WALK AND PLAY (AN ANNEX TO "CHAOS IS THE PLAN")

One of the most positives things I ever did for myself, in terms of physical transformation, was include at least 2 miles of walking into my daily routine.  Writing out that sentence is odd, both because “how can walking be that significant” and “why weren’t you walking at least 2 miles a day before you were”?  And those two questions co-existing explains WHY walking is so significant: we’ve fallen out of the habit of engaging in basic human movement as a result of the luxuries of technology and, in turn, have lost some of our humanity.  We traded it for technology.  In turn, in order to transform physically, we must regain that aspect of our humanity, so that WE can be whole and, in turn, transform in totality.

No matter what we transform: let's go in a good direction

Which is WHY daily walking is NOT part of the 3 sentences: walking should be a foregone conclusion.  As a human being, you should simply be walking in general.  That was do not walk regularly these days is a reflection on how technology has pacified us, and is, in turn, quite alien to our design and our biology.  Your parents and grandparents walked a TON, and they did NOT consider it exercise or training: it was simply how they were going to get from point A to point B.  This resulted in a significant amount of daily non-exercise activity, which, along with significantly less access to process junk (which we resolve by a nutritional protocol of meat and eggs) resulted in a populace that could not FATHOM the notion of an obesity epidemic.  In point of fact, when you read writings about muscle and health and fitness from that era (The Complete Keys to Progress is excellent in that regard) the primary concern among adolescent males was how to stop being so goddamn SKINNY.  It’s how Charles Atlas rose to fame with his comic book advertisements, guaranteeing the ability to turn a 98lb weakling into a He-man.  When you look at the physiques that were being pursued, they were most pro-wrestler than bodybuilder: beefy, burly, and smooth.  

There are TONS of resources and opinions out there on the subject of walking.  I started walking 2 miles a day because Jamie Lewis said to do so in his “Feast, Famine and Ferocity” protocol, and once I saw what a gamechanger it was, I kept it up.  Dan John likes to do 1 hour workouts in Easy Strength, where whatever time is left after the weight workout is time spent walking.  If you like, you can add load (weight vests or heavy hands), distance, vary your speed, etc, but ultimately, this is simply about getting back to your roots and engaging in regular, basic physical movement.     

Don't make it stupid

Part of the other missing element of our humanity is the element of play.  Once again, prior to the boon of technological entertainment, humans engaged regularly in “play”: physical entertainment.  Kids would climb trees, play war, engage in all manner of pick-up sports, go swimming, hiking, exploring, adventuring, and, in general, getting hot, dirty and sweaty until the streetlights came on and it was time to come inside for dinner.  Adults regularly engaged in some manner of play as well, even if it was simply getting together with the guys for a few rounds of bowling (you know you’re getting old when you’re sore the next day from bowling), playing in the company softball league, some friendly neighborhood basketball, golfing, etc etc.  Again, these are NOT significantly taxing physical activities, they’re NOT training, but they’re NOT supposed to be: they’re simply “play”.  It’s basic, human physical activity which, over enough repetition, will contribute toward a fully functioning physical system and, ultimately, a fully functional human.  “Play” is NOT prescribed in the 3 sentences of “Chaos is the Plan”, because it’s simply an assumed activity that one will engage in AS A HUMAN.

Which is to say, if you are not regularly engaging in some manner of play: start.  Yes, “intentional play” tends to be something of an oxymoron, but we’ve been so inundated with non-physical play these days that it’s going to take some intent in order to turn the ship around and get headed in the right direction.  Find some sort of physical play activity to engage in and do so regularly.  Take up some shadowboxing or rope skipping, go buy a cheap Frisbee or football and throw it around, go for a fun-run, go out into nature and hike, explore and see what kind of trouble you can get into.  Don’t turn it into a workout, don’t time yourself, don’t try to be the absolute very best at something: just go out and play.  

Work and play: you gotta keep 'em separated

No joke: a dog is a great way to take care of these two bits of reclaiming humanity.  Dog is man’s best friend and, in turn, loves it when we are being ALL that is human.  A dog wants to be walked, and it wants to be played with, and they will be a great companion for both of those activities.  And if you’re a parent, the next time you’re blitzed out on your couch from a hard day at work, give a look over at your kiddo and ask if they wanna go for a walk or go throw the Frisbee around.  Kids honestly just want to BE with you, and they tend to help us maximize our own potential because we want to raise THEM to be the best THEY can be.  And if you are childless and dogless, you can most likely find adult recreational leagues to join or new activities to try out.  YMCAs are still around and still offer classes and courses, there is almost always a martial arts program out there for someone, I bet someone on your facebook market is teaching Tai Chi or Yoga or something.  Heck, I went to a renaissance faire a few weeks ago, and there are communities of people that put on armor and fight with swords: that sounds absolutely awesome!  Just go out and play.

Aside from being additional activity, the benefits of walking and playing are numerous, and wholly beneficial under the banner of “Chaos is the Plan”.  Walking and playing can have outstanding physique transformation benefits: if one is overweight, while one is walking and playing, they are NOT eating, which is a plus.  I’ve been a big fan of going for a walk when a craving hits, then seeing if it’s still there when the walk is done.  If it is: I’ll indulge.  I clearly want the food, and at least I built up some appetite for it.  Which also shows the opposite side of the coin there: walking and playing can build up a substantial appetite, and it’s very easy to “eat back” the calories lost from either activity.  One can easily “undo” 60 minutes of walking with 30 seconds of eating.  But regularly engaging in walk and play also helps build up and maintain the physical qualities that don’t get touch from picking things up off the floor and putting them overhead.  Engaging in a VARIETY of play (please don’t use this as an opportunity to master one new activity: that’s training) means developing mobility, flexibility, stability and strength through a variety of different movement planes, along with improving general physical preparedness (GPP) by, well, being GENERALLY prepared for just about anything.  Walking, in turn, is simply outstanding low impact activity that can aid in digestion, reduce blood sugar levels, and give us a chance to engage in quiet inner reflection, listen to podcasts, and ultimately clear our heads and get ourselves centered and sorted.

Check out The Rock walking AND ready to play!

Chaos is the Plan.  You have your 3 sentences to dictate how to eat and TRAIN for physical transformation, but don’t neglect reclaiming your humanity as well.