Have you ever thought of combining your workout with meditation?
When I first started walking seriously, I was often bored by the lack of stimulation walking provided. I started in the early morning in the dead of winter, and there was nothing to see. Listening to music was awkward because it was all different beats. Listening to nothing caused my mind to wander in a thousand directions (I'm ADD) and I found that frustrating and exhausting.
I had recently heard about the Anglican Rosary and as someone who is fascinated by all things contemplative, I had begun to explore it. Unfortunately it was hard to find the time to sit and meditate with it.
I finally landed on the idea of praying the Rosary while I walked. I typed up the prayers on business cards, filed them in a business card wallet with lots of pockets, and headed out the door.
At first, it was awkward because I needed to read the cards. In the dark. Without tripping over something and killing myself. After a while, though, I began to memorize the prayers, and as I memorized, I added new ones to the list. Soon I had a system of prayer that took 5 kilometers to walk out. Not only that, but I found the rhythm and repetition of the prayers helped my mind focus and stopped the constant flood of “vain imaginations” that tended to fill my mind. I also found that when worries or concerns popped into my head, I would just allow them to co-exist peacefully with the prayers I was chanting. Often the problem would be solved or erased by the prayer I was chanting at the time. Usually I found that I was able to simply give God the issue, and the simultaneous verses and prayers I was reciting would allow me to truly let the issue go, allowing God to deal with it as He saw best.
The Anglican prayer beads are prayed with prayers you can make up yourself by putting Bible verses together, or by formatting ancient prayers of the church. The series that I use has a combination of both. If you're interested, you can check out these sites:
· King of Peace
· Prayer Beads for All
· Gigi Beads
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Darlene Hull is an “ever-morphing mom”, passionate about her faith, her husband (married 18 years), her kids (two teenagers whom she home schools), and all the wonderful facets of health. She is currently working towards a ministry degree, in addition to getting her qualification as a fitness and nutrition coach. You can read more about her adventures with walking and prayer (along with other topics!) at her website
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