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Episode 3494:
Justin Malik shares a bonus episode from Step Into Calm: a ten-minute guided decompression walk of roughly a thousand steps that you can take anywhere, no gym and no plan required. It is a reminder that moving your body is one of the simplest healthy habits available to you, and one of the fastest ways to let stress drain off before it stacks up.
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[00:01:00] This is Optimal Health Daily, and I'm Dr. Neal Malik. Hey there and welcome to another bonus Sunday episode where I usually share an article from one of the other podcasts in our network. But today, I have something a little different. An episode from a new podcast in our network called Step Into Calm, Walking Meditations. A common complaint with meditation is that it's frustrating and painful to sit still.
[00:01:24] But on the show, my brother, Justin, walks you literally through a 10-15 minute meditation. So you can get some steps in while also practicing mindfulness meditation. If you enjoy it, you can find Step Into Calm wherever you're listening to this. And you can show your support by following or subscribing in your favorite podcast app. I have a link in this episode's description.
[00:01:48] So with that, I'd recommend getting your sneakers on now and coming along for the walk as we optimize your life. Hey there. If you're walking right now, maybe with a long day behind you, or one you're already trying to shake off, then you're in exactly the right place. We're going to use this walk to do something simple and surprisingly powerful.
[00:02:18] To leave some stress behind. Not in your head, but physically. One step at a time. There's nothing to change about your pace. Keep walking as you normally would. Eyes open, aware of the world around you. It's just that now, each step is going to mean something. Everything. Everyone carries you forward and a little further from what's been weighing on you.
[00:02:47] So as you keep walking, take a moment to notice how you've been carrying the day. Maybe there's a tightness in the shoulders, a clench in the jaw, a heaviness in the chest or in the pit of the stomach. You don't have to fix any of it. Just notice where the stress has been sitting in the body.
[00:03:25] Now let's begin to set some of it down. Take a slow breath in. And as you breathe out, let your shoulders drop, releasing a little of the weight. Again, breathing in and breathing out. Softening the jaw.
[00:03:55] Letting the hands unclench. And now bring your attention down to your feet. And the steady rhythm of your steps. Feel how each step moves you forward. Always forward.
[00:04:32] Always forward. And with each step, you might picture the tension draining down through the legs into the ground and left behind you. One footprint at a time. There's nothing to push or force.
[00:05:01] The walking is doing the work. Carrying you on and away.
[00:05:34] Away from the desk. The screen. The conversation that's been replaying. The list that never seems to end.
[00:06:11] All of it a little further behind you now with every step you take.
[00:06:16] Just keep walking.
[00:07:13] And you might notice you already feel a little lighter.
[00:08:15] When the mind pulls back toward the stress. And it will. That's completely natural. Just notice it. And come back to the feeling of moving forward. This step. And this one.
[00:08:29] And you might let your gaze lift a little.
[00:09:30] To the space opening up ahead of you. The air. The room to breathe. A world so much wider than whatever was on your mind.
[00:10:48] As you walk these last few moments, notice what may have shifted. Perhaps a little more room inside. A little more ease. You've put some real distance between yourself and the weight of the day. And that distance is yours to keep.
[00:11:25] Whatever you're walking toward, you get to arrive a little lighter. And that brings our practice to a close. Let your attention open fully back to your walk. Carrying this lighter, steadier feeling with you. Take good care.