Breadth. Depth. And Big Red Barns.
Breadth. Depth. And Big Red Barns.
Lessons from Walking 25,000 Miles
The Why
"Initially, walking was this opportunity to explore my own ecosystem. I learned to truly see things. And just not look at them. By adding motion to my emotions, I could understand them better." - Libby DeLana
Libby DeLana walks every day. Every. Single. Day. It's a practice she started 12 years ago. And since she began, Libby has walked over 25,000 miles, the equivalent of the Earth's circumference.
She walks the same 8-mile loop when she's at home. But if she's traveling, it's common for her to do a few airport laps.
At 61 years young, Libby DeLana is feeling pretty "fucking awesome." But it took a decade of mindfully walking to get here.
When Libby started her physical meditation, she was thriving. She is an award-winning creative director. She co-founded the strategic creative agency Mechanica. She's written books. She's a national champion rower. She's traveled the world. And, in her words, she raised two tall, smart, kind men.
But she felt the absence of something. "I woke up one day, and one of the key things that makes me who I am wasn't part of my life anymore," says Libby, smiling. "I was doing conference calls in the car. I was running an agency. But my happy place is in the outdoors. I grew up outside, backpacking and slightly feral."
The simple act of walking was tough for her at first. Your ego has difficulty rationalizing how something so routine can also yield so many benefits.
"I decided to start getting up an hour earlier," says Libby. "It wasn't meant to be a workout or exercise. But my ego kept saying, 'This is only a walk. Why aren't you running or getting your heart rate up.'"
You don't have to go far to learn what walking can do for you. Walking improves brain health by deterring Alzheimer's. Low-impact activities such as walking help reduce cholesterol and blood pressure levels.
Walking also supports your immune system. In a 2021 study, researchers found that walking in nature reduces stress, which boosts your immune system.
Even the 10,000-step rule is being challenged. In a recent study from the Medical University of Lodz and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the authors found that 2,300 steps or 15 minutes is all you need to reap walking's benefits.
Walking also is an excellent way to practice mindfulness. In a world where everything is designed to compete for your attention, unplugging and going for a walk is an act of self-care.
"I wanted to build one thing into my day that makes me who I am," asserts Libby. "It's not about travel or the destination. It's about mindfully saying, 'I'm going to carve out time in my day where I'm not managing a to-do list."
But even prioritizing yourself can be difficult. Again, your ego gets in the way. You're afraid of what the idleness and the boredom will reveal. So, your ego protects you by making excuses about why you can't walk.
"But boredom is revealing," proclaims Libby. "I describe my walking practice as a game. The more you play, the more keys you unlock. The more you play, the more you learn. It's the same with walking. In year 12, I received this beautiful lesson. But you have to be faithful to the practice."
Continuing to find those keys is why Libby continues to practice walking. Walking has become a dear friend to Libby. It's gotten her through heartbreak. It's made her more curious. Empathetic. Courageous. It's made Libby more Libby. And it's never asked for anything in return.
When Libby first started walking, she had this insatiable wanderlust. It was like she was finally embarking on her voyage home, and the wind was at her back.
"Initially, walking was this opportunity to explore my own ecosystem. I learned to truly see things. And just not look at them," says Libby. "By adding motion to my emotions, I could understand them better."
After Libby got used to her new system, self-doubt began to creep in. The middle four years for Libby were marked by a popular question: what the fuck am I doing?
This question can lead you to fill the silence that walking induces with noise. You start thinking about your to-do list. And your weekend plans. And that one day in high school when you told the girl you liked, she had nice eyes.
You fill the quiet because doing so postpones self-reflection. But, learning how to negotiate with boredom can yield surprising benefits. Boredom can stimulate creativity. It also motivates a search for novelty, which is a prerequisite for self-exploration.
"Those middle years were about learning to embrace the quiet," says Libby. "I learned how to navigate boredom and honor the subtleties. Walking became a pilgrimage of sorts. It was no longer academic. It graduated from systems and tip-toed into a spiritual realm."
It's no coincidence that Libby uses exploration to define the last four years of her walking practice.
She's uncovered many self-limiting beliefs through her walking. Narratives that she believed were true, so she clung to them like a security blanket.
But things or stories that once brought you comfort or protection also have sunsets. As Libby DeLana approaches the back nine of 12 years, this realization is the latest magic key.
"Can you look at things that you hold true and shift them?" asks Libby. "Things that we hold tightly aren't as solid as we think. Things change. They're out of your control."
The Community
When a loved one experiences tragedy, wanting to help is natural. You immediately want to resolve the issue. And make them feel safe. But is that what's best for them? Or for your ego?
Sometimes, the best thing you can do is be fully present with no agenda or desire to offer a solution you think is best.
This approach is how Libby's community supported her when she received life-altering news. To cope, Libby walked her 8-mile loop all night.
After each loop, she'd check in with herself. And after each loop, she was reminded that she was not alone.
"Community makes you feel safe, seen, and supported," says Libby, smiling. "After I got that life-changing information, people knew I needed to walk alone. But my community still made me feel seen by putting soup on my porch."
Since starting her walking practice, Libby has also curated a thriving digital community. Libby began documenting her walks on Instagram as part of a digital journal. And this digital community makes it a point to show up for one another.
"When I first started walking, I walked solo. This was by design. That disconnect was important," mentions Libby. "But everyone wants to feel seen. And the digital community initiates that. Everyone is supportive and nourishing."
"Can you look at things that you hold true and shift them? Things that we hold tightly aren't as solid as we think. Things change. They're out of your control." - Libby DeLana
The Training
You don’t need a training regime to walk 15 minutes a day. So, think of walking as training for other areas of your life.
Walking teaches you to be where your feet are. It can show you how to navigate your emotions. Walking can equip you with the tools to deal with life’s challenges.
Committing to the practice of walking can be the foundation from which you pursue other physical challenges.
But, to acquire these skills, you need fidelity. Libby gained new perspectives in year 10 that she wouldn’t have received if she stopped after 30 days.
So, Libby recommends developing an accountability system. For her, it’s her Instagram account. She also lays out all her gear the night before.
“Waking to walking can’t have any hurdles,” laughs Libby. “Having a system in place helps silence the impulse to not get out of bed.”
The Food
How you do anything is how you do everything. Shout out to Martha Beck for this lovely nugget. You may have heard this when you were young. It was usually uttered when your parents were trying to get you to make your bed.
At the time, though, you were too young to comprehend the larger meaning. How could the act of making your bed determine how you approach life?
Well, as it turns out, your parents weren’t wrong. And the same goes for walking. How you approach the simple act of walking parallels how you engage in other areas of your life.
If you’re scattered, wobbly, or unengaged while walking, you could bring the same energy to another part of your life.
Libby is intentional about her walking practice. So, she’s mindful of how she’s showing up in other pillars of life, namely her nutrition.
“I prefer foods that actually rot,” says Libby. “I’m a carnivore. So, I eat grass-fed burgers. But I also juice a lot of kale. I practice intermittent fasting, as well. Every quarter, I do a three-day fast. I’ll stop eating around 4 pm and won’t start again until around 10 am the next day.”
“Whatever you do that’s unique, the world needs that. I am This Morning Walk. This is what I want to tell the world. Don’t let comfort get in the way of happiness.” -
The Gear
Because walking is meditative, Libby prefers gear that enhances her experience. The last thing you want when sorting through life's curveballs is for poor arch support to distract you.
Libby is a Hoka ambassador. Lately, she's been rocking the Hoka Trail Code GTX. The Trail Code's midsole provides extra stability during Massachusetts's winters.
"I put a date on every pair of shoes I wear," says Libby. "I want to know how many miles I put on them so I know when it's time to get a new pair."
Much of Libby's gear is determined by her environment. Winters are brutal where she lives. So, Libby mixes her DIY skills with technical apparel.
One of her go-to's is a men's cashmere sweater. Libby uses this piece as a base layer. Then, she'll rock a pair of Fjallraven leggings for added warmth.
And because Libby walks in the wee hours of the morning, she's adamant about wearing safety items. She prefers to bring a headlamp or flashing bands.
The Advice
Libby comes from a creative background. She founded an ad agency and is an accomplished creative director.
Being a creative director is a demanding job. You must be comfortable working in the trenches on the smallest of details. But also understand how those details translate to the larger creative vision.
But it wasn’t until Libby started her morning walk that she began to see with depth, not just breadth.
Details cause a ripple effect. Take the red barn along Libby’s route. Libby walks the same 8-mile loop every morning. And every morning, she passes the same red barn.
At first glance, there’s nothing special about this red barn. But as Libby continued her morning walk, she began to notice the barn’s pulse.
“It (the barn) looks different every single day. Honestly, that barn taught me how to see. It’s so easy to miss if you’re in a car or on a bike. But if you slow down and look at it, you think about what that barn offered to this community and what it housed,” says Libby, smiling.
You have a distinct quality that will benefit someone in some way. But bringing it forth means digging into the details of what makes you, you. And that can be uncomfortable.
“Whatever you do that’s unique, the world needs that,” asserts Libby. “I am This Morning Walk. This is what I want to tell the world. Don’t let comfort get in the way of happiness.”
My $0.02
Slow down. Breeeathe. And go for a walk.
Who knows what you’ll find?