Walking Affirmations Can Help You Achieve Your Goals and Keep You Healthy
by Melissa Halsted

What are walking affirmations and why are they so amazing? Let me answer that question with a true story. It all began on a cold winter day and my car ran out of gas. I had lent my car to a friend the previous day and although she told me that she would fill up my tank, my friend forgot. I was on my way to a meeting and in a hurried state of being, didn’t even think to look at the gas gauge.

I had quite a while to walk in below-freezing weather in order to get gas to add to my depleted tank. I hadn’t dressed properly for the weather. I wasn’t wearing gloves or a hat. I also had nothing to put gas into. Did I mention that I also forgot to bring my cell phone that day? This was as bad as it gets.

I was feeling pretty distraught and started blaming myself, my friend, the weather, even my entire life for screwing up my day like this. I had quite a trek to take to the gas station so I had lots of time on my hands and my brain was certainly fixated on how bad this situation was.

At that time, I did affirmations regularly and began to pay attention to how I was talking to myself. I noticed that I was spending this time walking berating my spaciness, absentmindedness, lack of awareness, my friend’s forgetfulness. I was also sad that I left the only thing I remembered to bring with me to the meeting back in the car: a bag of homemade chocolate chip cookies.

I decided that because I had some time on my hands, I should use my brain space for some positive affirmations. Why not? Why not affirm something good about myself and make better use of the time I now had available without distraction (outside of the bitter cold biting into my clenched knuckles.)

What is an affirmation?

In this instance, an affirmation is a positive statement that you make about yourself in the present tense and repeat for a set period of time or throughout the day. This type of self-talk is thought to re-program your subconscious mind toward an excellent outcome. Let me give you an example.

If you have trouble misplacing your keys, a positive affirmation that may help could be, “I am aware and organized when I put away my keys.’ Notice I didn’t say, “I never lose my keys.” That is because the word never is a negative statement and your subconscious mind will pick up on that. 

Affirmations Give You the Power to Change Yourself from Within with Just the Spoken Word

Whenever you repeat a statement over and over to yourself, your brain makes new connections and integrates that information into tangible results. 

Back in the freezing cold, I decided that a good affirmation I could make right then was, “The perfect solution will present itself.” I trudged through the biting wind and bitter cold quietly speaking this simple statement. With each breath I repeated the statement.

Before long I had a spring in my step and felt more confident. Without even thinking about it, my mind began to visualize me driving away. By the time I made it to a gas station my heart was steady and my mind at ease that somehow I would be able to get some gas back to my car.

I entered the gas station and went immediately to the counter and told them my tale of woe. The gas station attendant said that he did not have a receptacle to fill with gas. I wasn’t worried. I went out into the parking lot, still feeling confident. Right next to the gas pumps, there was an empty 1 gallon plastic milk container, slightly smushed.

I inspected it for holes, (it was fine) un-smushed it, and began filling the container when an elderly couple pulled into the station. As I was just finishing closing the container, the couple approached me and asked me if everything was okay. I explained that my car had run out of gas about 2 miles down the road and that I was on my way there right now to get things taken care of.

The sweet couple offered to drive me and I felt that these were good people so I agreed. In one minute I was back at my car depositing 1 gallon of gas into the tank. The couple made sure that my car started properly and was able to drive before they pulled away with the bag of cookies I had planned on taking with me to the meeting.

I usually do walking affirmations when I take hikes. Before the hike, I set my intention. For instance, if I have a goal I want to achieve or a bad habit I want to break, I compose my positive statement beforehand and focus on it throughout the duration of the hike. Here are some examples of walking affirmations I have used:

·       My body is healthy and my mind is wise.

·       I choose to forgive and forget every grievance and despair.

·       My mind is laser focused and I am organized and confident.

·       My heart is set upon giving and receiving love.

·       I am excited about my future and all of the opportunities I am about to receive.

·       I always make wise decisions.

(Click Here for an excellent site that offers some wonderful examples of affirmations.) 

While I am hiking, I become aware of my breathing and state my affirmation with each breath. During the hike, I can tell when the affirmation starts to become integrated into my subconscious mind because I start to visualize positive outcomes happening in my life. A feeling of joy sometimes begins to overtake me.

When you couple body movements with a mental exercise, the information is able to enter multiple parts of your brain. When you use these muscles later, the thoughts come back. This is muscle memory. It’s like re-programming a computer only it is your own mind.

I almost forgot to tell you the end of my story… I was able to drive back to the gas station and fill my car with gas. I drove to the meeting sans cookies and discovered that not only was I not the only person who was late, but was greeted with a cup of hot chocolate and a plate of freshly made cookies. Life has a way of coming full circle.

The next time you take a hike, try incorporating a walking affirmation into your journey. Who knows? You may just change your life for the better! 

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