Rumi， the 13thcentury mystic poet， was fond of saying， “Beauty surrounds us， but usually we need to be walking in a garden to know it.”
　　 I get it. So many times I whiz back and forth in my car， covering the same areas time and time again. It’s not until I get out there on my feet and slow down with a walk that I’m able to notice and take in the beautiful and tiny details of my surroundings.
　　 I don’t know about you， but lately， walking is on my mind a lot more than it’s ever been. Why？ Well， for one thing， ever since I purchased a FitBit （in case you’ve been living under a rock and don’t know what that is， it’s a device worn around your wrist that measures your steps）， I’m a lot more mindful of getting my steps to 10，000 a day （inspired by the Surgeon General’s recommendation to accumulate 30 minutes of activity most days of the week）.
　　 I suddenly don’t mind getting up off the couch to fetch something in another room， or getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom， or parking my car in a faraway spot in a parking lot. It all yields more STEPS！
　　 And for another， all this dire news about how dangerous sitting is to your health （when the majority of my day is spent sitting in front of my computer， writing） scares me. “It’s the new smoking！” headlines scream. And Health pioneer Dr. Andrew Weil says that putting in 45 brisk minutes a day is “quite simply the best practice I can imagine for a lifetime of health.”
　　 Among walking’s benefits， he lists：
　　 Longer life： A study of some 8，000 men published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that over 12 years， walking two miles a day dropped the risk of death by nearly 50 percent. Walking seems to be particularly protective against cancer. The walkers cut their risk of death from cancer during the study period by about 65 percent.
　　 Lower weight： Several studies have shown that walking from 8，000 to 10，000 steps a day—roughly four to five miles—is highly effective as a means of weight loss.
　　 A better brain： The National Council on Aging found that walking 45 minutes a day， at a rather brisk 16-minute mile pace， significantly boosted cognitive performance in people over age 60. Another study found that walking 40 minutes three times weekly slowed the normal， age-related shrinkage of the hippocampus. This part of the brain consolidates short-term memory and is one of the first regions to be damaged in those who have Alzheimer’s disease. 　　 Dr. Weil suggests that even though walking is a gentle exercise， you need to put some effort into it to get the real benefit. “You should be able to cover about three miles in 45 minutes，” he says. “You should breathe more quickly and notice a slightly elevated heart rate， but still be able to carry on a conversation.”
　　 So get up， and get walking！
　　
　　 13世纪神秘派诗人鲁米喜欢说这么一句话：“美丽存在于我们身边，可是我们总要在公园里漫步时才会发现。”
　　 对此我深有同感。多少次了，我开着车，在同一片区域反复穿梭来回。直到我推开车门，踏上这片土地，放慢脚步闲逛，我才有机会发现和体会围绕在我身边的美丽和微小细节。
　　 我不知道你有何体会，不过最近，散步比以往任何一个时期更常出现在我的脑海中。为什么呢？噢，第一，自从我买了一个计步器（以防你与世隔绝，不知道那是什么东西。计步器是一种可以戴在手腕上帮助你计算步数的装置），我就一心想达到每天步行一万步的目标（我被卫生局局长所启发，他建议每周大部分的日子都应该有累计30分钟的运动量）。
　　 突然间，我不再介意离开沙发去另一个房间拿东西，或者半夜起来去洗手间，抑或是把车停在停车场里比较远的车位。因为这都能带来更多步数！
　　 其次，所有这些久坐会给身体带来危害的可怕信息让我感到害怕（我一天大部分时间都是坐在电脑前面工作，撰写文章）。新闻头条大呼：“这是一种新型吸烟方式！”而健康先锋安德鲁·威尔博士说，每天45分钟的步行时间“可以说是我能想象到的保持一生健康最有效的方式”。
　　 关于步行的益处，他提出以下几点：
　　 延年益寿：一篇涉及8，000个被调查者的研究在《新英格兰医学杂志》上发表。文章提出，12年来，每天步行2英里，被调查者的死亡率几乎下降了50%。步行似乎对预防癌症特别有效。研究期间，步行者的癌症致死率下降了65%。
　　 减轻体重：多项研究表明，每天步行8，000-10，000步——相当于4-5英里——是一种非常有效的减重方式。
　　 脑袋更灵活：美国老年人委员会发现，每天以每英里16分钟的速度步行45分钟，可以显著地提高60岁以上人群的认知能力。另一项研究发现，每周步行三次、每次40分钟，可以减慢大脑海马体正常的、因年龄增长而导致的收缩。这部分大脑组织是巩固短期记忆的地方，也是阿尔兹海默症患者大脑中最早受到损坏的组织之一。
　　 威尔博士指出，尽管步行是一项温和的运动，人们仍然需要付出努力方可真正受益。“你必須在45分钟之内走完约三英里路，”他说。“你的呼吸会加快，心跳也会轻微加速，但不会影响说话聊天。”
　　 那么，站起身，“走”起吧！