Sure – a brisk walk may be more advantageous than a leisurely one for physical health, but sometimes a leisurely walk is better for mental health. You might even learn things – or at least find something to wonder about.

During a recent trip to Nashville [ask about our new grandbaby!], I often took advantage of a nearby walking trail, part of the Smyrna Greenway System.

One sunny Sunday afternoon five of us decided to hit the trail, which lent itself to what I would call a conversation walk.

I love conversation walks. You’re not just sitting and talking; you feel like you’re accomplishing something. You’re going somewhere, even if when you get there you turn around and come back. It takes little physical energy and even less mental energy.

Walking in a group also give us a chance to wonder out loud.

About Horse Apples, for instance…

“What are those big green round bumpy things?”

“I think they’re called horse apples.”

“Why do they call them horse apples? Is it because horses eat them?”

“Are they edible? Why do we see them on the ground all over the place, but rarely in the trees above?”

…Disc Golf…

As we strolled into the more open spaces of the trail, we noticed a strange-looking metal pole about five feet tall. Metal chains hanging from the top gathered above an open iron basket.

Signs along the way indicated this was an area designated for disc golf. Sure enough, we saw some golfers flinging Frisbees not only into the open spaces but through narrow forest corridors.

More questions.

I understood the baskets – they catch the Frisbees. But what are the chains for? If you throw the Frisbee into the chains, do you get more points? How big is the course?

Is it like throwing horseshoes? The closest one to the target wins? Or do you have to keep trying until you get it into the basket, just like “regular” golf?

…and a Red Caterpillar

We also came across a fat hairy reddish caterpillar crawling across the path. I don’t remember seeing a red caterpillar before – is that a color stage they all go through? [Duh. No.] Do certain types of butterflies come from different colors of caterpillars? [Yes, unless they’re moths.] Are they like squirrels – different colors in different parts of the country? [It’s an insect. My eyes start crossing when I get into too much bug research.]

The Cure for Temporary Ignorance

These questions may indicate that up until now, I haven’t been curious enough.

You know what, though? That’s okay!  Because “at my age,” I’m beyond caring that I may sound ignorant. How will you know if you don’t ask – or at least Google it?

So this is my suggestion to you. Sure – walk for exercise. But even if you walk the same route every day, walk also for the discoveries you make along the way. Look up to see if you can find horse apples on the trees or – better yet – to find the source of a bird’s song. Look into the distance to catch a fleeting sunset – or to watch out for flying Frisbees.

Go ahead and look down, too. You may spot a caterpillar, just trying to survive until it morphs into a butterfly – or a moth – and can fly into the sky.

Answers?

No room here for the answers to my questions, except to tell you that horse apples are AKA hedge apples and osage oranges.

For more about disc golf, check out the Professional Disc Golf Association.

And caterpillars? Too many varieties for a simple answer, but I did find some pictures of some very colorful specimens: The Top 10 Most Beautiful Caterpillars.

Talk to me. What discoveries have you made on recent walks? When was the last time you engaged in a significant walk conversation?

Who, me?

Well, it looks like living to 107 is out! A recent blood test indicated that my total cholesterol level is way too high!

Needless to say, I was shocked. I thought I was taking care of myself!

Surely it’s not diet!

I think I eat well: lean beef and/or chicken breast maybe twice a week, no bacon in months, a quarter-cup or so of grated cheese on salads, occasionally indulging in desserts at potlucks, fresh fruits and vegetables always available.

Fried foods? Rare to non-existent in our house. Pasta? It’s been weeks since we’ve eaten either macaroni and cheese or spaghetti, though we’ve had some rice lately.

Maybe it’s genetic.

Diabetes, maybe, but not heart disease. My mother, who admits to being overweight, was diagnosed with high cholesterol in her 70’s, and although he was a paraplegic the last two decades of his life (the result of a high school football accident), my dad’s heart and lungs were still strong into his 80’s.

What to do now?

First thing, see a doctor for a long overdue checkup. We don’t have many choices in this little town, but from what a friend said, I thought Dr. G would not be quick to recommend medication. And I was right.

So what did the doctor say?

No dietary changes, except to recommend plenty of fruits and vegetables – not surprising.

His strongest recommendation?

1) Walking. 30 minutes a day. Every day. Not 45 minutes one day, 15 minutes the next, none the next.

2) One baby aspirin every day.

3) Another blood test in 6 to 12 weeks to see if the cholesterol level drops in that time.

(He’s a good example of what he preaches, by the way. He walks two hours every morning, no matter what his schedule.)

Putting my theories to the test

I have been pretty cocky about my theories of good health, so this blood test is a personal challenge to my simplistic assumptions.

Assumption #1. Good health is simply a matter of eating the right foods and getting enough exercise. Bolstered by the words and work of Dr. Joel Fuhrman, I have believed that – most of the time – when we suffer from a chronic illness, it’s because we’ve broken either a rule of good eating or been too sedentary.

Assumption #2. Long-term medication is meant to make up for our nutrition-starved bodies. They treat the symptom and mask the cause. Rather than taking an aspirin for a headache, for instance, determine what’s causing it and, if possible, fix it.

Test time

I say I’ll do anything to avoid becoming dependent on a pill. We’ll see about that, won’t we? But here’s the plan:

1) More walking. A quick check of my pedometer shows 139 minutes in the last seven days – an average of 20 minutes a day. Not that great!  Why not make this a real challenge and double my current walking time to 40 minutes a day – 7 days a week, rain or shine, sleet or snow? (There’s always the walking track at the high school gym.)

2) Oats for breakfast most mornings, not just a couple of times a week.

3) Fish oil supplements, maybe?

4) Lose weight. Though I’m not considered overweight, I’m 6 or 7 pounds heavier than I was 20 years ago. Three months is a reasonable length time to shed that extra weight.

And if it doesn’t work?

Accept the situation and take the medicine. Be thankful it’s available. Determine to maintain healthful lifestyle habits. Never, ever adopt the attitude, “It’s okay to abuse my body or neglect my health – there’s a medicine that will take care of it.”

Talk to me: You’ve no doubt overcome greater health challenges than I’ve mentioned here. Were diet or exercise part of your recovery?