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The positive effect of walking on creative thinking (2014) [pdf]

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Re: The positive effect of walking on creative thinking (2014) [pdf]

#121

Post by jdironman »

lqet wrote: post #65
kqr wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm the same way when cycling. Solved many of the tougher problems I've faced while commuting to and from work. I have yet to take the bike out with the only intention of clearing my mind, though.

I noticed that I often hold conversations in my head while biking. It's quite strange: I start cycling a route I know by heart (work commute, for example), and after a few minutes, the conversations start. Last week I avoided a discussion with another person because I knew my argumentation had a serious flaw, and I couldn't find a way to argue around it. After biking to the supermarket on Saturday and holding that ex…

Almost like image training from DBZ

https://dragonball.fandom.com/wiki/Image_Training

Re: The positive effect of walking on creative thinking (2014) [pdf]

#122

Post by andrepd »

KVFinn wrote: post #58

I listen to audiobooks while walking and it makes it easier to focus and overall more enjoyable. I also discovered that human memory is weird as heck. When I walk my mind is somehow mapping my physical location in the world to the content, down to the sentence. If I rewind an audio book I can fairly often remember where exactly I heard a particular sentence. The precise street corner or park trail I was on, to like a…

>Does anyone else have this experience?

Oh absolutely. I'll be listening to podcasts while I do chores, walk to work, or work out, and if I rewind to a clip I've already heard, I'll instinctively visualise the place I was walking past or the set of weights I was lifting, lol.

That's indeed how memory palaces work, but funnily enough, when I try to apply that technique intentionally it never did work for me... x)

Re: The positive effect of walking on creative thinking (2014) [pdf]

#123

Post by olooney »

leobg wrote: post #7

"Sit as little as possible; do not believe any idea that was not born in the open air and of free movement — in which the muscles do not also revel… Sitting still… is the real sin against the Holy Ghost." -Nietzsche In fact, he composed most of his works during long walks: "I would walk for six or eight hours a day, composing thoughts that I would later jot down on paper."

He also said:

"It is only ideas gained from walking that have any worth." - Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols, 1889

Re: The positive effect of walking on creative thinking (2014) [pdf]

#124

Post by mpreda »

kashyapc wrote: post #85

I don't know about creative thinking ... but consistent walking sure as hell helped jump-start my running life. Here's my little story. I'm 37 and was never a runner, but last October a friend dragged me out for a run. We ran a 5K straight-up (at ~6m:30s/KM). It's not a "couch to 5K", as I'm lean and bicycle a lot ("zone 2" cardio) as part of my daily life, eat healthy, and put in many walks and some hikes over the p…

You mean, you ran HALF-marathons in 2:12, 2:09, right? (a big difference there)

Re: The positive effect of walking on creative thinking (2014) [pdf]

#125

Post by randomsearch »

Doxin wrote: post #44
cnagesh wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does the quality of shoe matters here ?

Yes, but in my experience the quality of your socks matters much more. A single wrinkle is gonna give you a nice blister within 5km. Get nice socks and pack blister bandages. Those things are like magic.

+1 for Compeed. A miracle bandaid.

Re: The positive effect of walking on creative thinking (2014) [pdf]

#126

Post by kashyapc »

mpreda wrote: post #124
kashyapc wrote: post #85

I don't know about creative thinking ... but consistent walking sure as hell helped jump-start my running life. Here's my little story. I'm 37 and was never a runner, but last October a friend dragged me out for a run. We ran a 5K straight-up (at ~6m:30s/KM). It's not a "couch to 5K", as I'm lean and bicycle a lot ("zone 2" cardio) as part of my daily life, eat healthy, and put in many walks and some hikes over the p…

You mean, you ran HALF-marathons in 2:12, 2:09, right? (a big difference there)

Yes, I mentioned the words "half-marathon" and "half marathon" combined seven times in my original post. :-) (Only the first occurrence in the last para had an unfortunate thinko, I acknowledged it and fixed it immediately.)

FWIW, I shared the story because going from "no runner" a year ago to "finishes half marathons without stopping" with a modest pace might still be interesting (sorry for bragging :-)).

Re: The positive effect of walking on creative thinking (2014) [pdf]

#127

Post by lee »

I discovered the 12 hour walk from a podcast (https://12hourwalk.com/) where the idea is to really contemplate and analyze your life by walking alone, without any music or distractions, for 12 hours. I've yet to try it, and am thinking maybe doing a shortened version at first (3 hours maybe?).

But I could see how it would be a way to wrestle with your thoughts.

Re: The positive effect of walking on creative thinking (2014) [pdf]

#128

Post by winReInstall »

kashyapc wrote: post #109
scotty79 wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I had no idea I could run these longer distances, and was not even planning to run. I know I can't run. Never could. My lungs just close up after even a short run and the rest of my body promptly follows. I could walk though but despite walking few kilometers each day this summer best I could do was squeeze a minute or two of running into my walking. And even walking ended when my feet arches began to hurt from ove…

I hear you. The first rule is: "don't injure yourself". On feet: try out "Superfeet" insoles (not affiliated). I recently learnt about 'em and been trying for a month; they're working well for me. I have a flat left-foot, and it starts paining after 18K. And I limp a little bit for a day with pain, and it goes away. I hate this, and have lived with it for too long. Finally, I began with a specialist (podiatrist) to s…

Be aware of the dangers that cortison can do to your bones though. Defeat asthma today, wrestle with a half disolved spine tomorrow..

Re: The positive effect of walking on creative thinking (2014) [pdf]

#129

Post by samuell »

KVFinn wrote: post #58

I listen to audiobooks while walking and it makes it easier to focus and overall more enjoyable. I also discovered that human memory is weird as heck. When I walk my mind is somehow mapping my physical location in the world to the content, down to the sentence. If I rewind an audio book I can fairly often remember where exactly I heard a particular sentence. The precise street corner or park trail I was on, to like a…

Yes! I wrote about my experiences with running and listening to audiobooks here, and we got a nice discussion about spatiality:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26596690

Re: The positive effect of walking on creative thinking (2014) [pdf]

#130

Post by mahathu »

cnagesh wrote: post #40
bjarneh wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 20 km per day (~12.5 mi) That is some serious distance. I remember thinking I would be able to do at least 25-35 km per day, a few years ago when I walked parts of the camino de Santiago in Spain. Blisters and destroyed feet in just a few days, not ever reaching 30 km per day I think.. How long did it take you to get used to this kind of distance daily?

Does the quality of shoe matters here ?

I'm going to go against the grain here but probably not. I walked 500+ km (300 miles) on the Camino Del Norte in a pair of 20£ under armour running shoes I bought 3 years ago. I only had one blister that went away when I put a blister plaster on it.
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