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One of my oldest friends, an avid mover and walker, and someone I admire very much is Susan Hunter Yates. Susan is a Certified Nurse Midwife and a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner who has had the privilege of working (and walking!) all over the globe. Currently, Susan is sharing her talents in South Sudan with Doctors Without Borders. Susan has created a life that prioritizes women's health, the environment, and movement. She says, “Nature is my calm and walking and running are my modes of transportation.” 

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Susan and I caught up a couple of months ago and we were talking movement and how to move more. Because Susan is one of the most inspiring movers I know, I asked her if she would be willing to share some of her best movement tips and inspirations for my newsletter audience.

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Here is the interview:

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[Annie] What are your reasons for walking? 

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[Susan] Movement has been a part of my life since I was young. My mom said I went from crawling to literally running out the door at 9 months and I never stopped. I was a pretty active child and teen, but started walking/running for the majority of my transportation in my late high school, early college years.  I grew up with environmentally conscious parents where it wasn't uncommon to carry plastic bags to pick up trash along the side of the road when walking or running and recycling long before it became the norm.  In college, I became more environmentally disciplined and desired to tread as lightly as possible on this earth.  I started running everywhere, sometimes up to 26 miles a day. I would run/walk to the store with my backpack, to school, to my grandparents from Seattle to Olympia, WA.  Not only was it better for the environment, but also for my physical and emotional health.

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[Annie] How do you carve out the time in your day to take dedicated, intentional walks, as well as other kinds of exercise and movement? 

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[Susan] Walking and other exercise/movement is crucial to my physical and emotional well being, so I make it a priority. I choose to live in communities that are within walking or biking distance. I used to live up a canyon outside of SLC and would bike 50 miles round trip per day to and from work.  I recently moved from Denver where I lived about 4.5 miles from my work. I worked 9, 12 and 24 hour shifts and ran to and from work for all of these. 

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[Annie] Could you share your walking routine, i.e do you aim for a certain distance every day, at a certain time? 

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[Susan] Since I use walking/running as my transportation, I do not have a traditional exercise routine. The days I work, I walk or run to and from work. Days that I don't work, I walk to and from the store, post office, friends' houses, and to and from other errands. 

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[Annie] What other exercises do you do?

I also use biking as my transportation. I love to hike/backpack, swim in lakes and oceans, cross country ski, snowshoe, dance, play pingpong, tennis. I do pushups and pullups at home (with a bar and on door frames). When I am at the gym, I use the elliptical or stationary bike and do upper and lower body weights. 

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[Annie] What tips do you have for someone who wants to walk more, especially people who work full-time? 

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[Susan] We all have the same 24 hours in a day. Time is continuous, constant. How you choose to spend this time is a reflection of you, your priorities and values. It is easy to fall into the trap of "business" and think one doesn't have time, yet someone may spend hours in front of a tv or on the phone, etc. I encourage people interested in incorporating more movement into their life to consider doing a week long around the clock diary of how their time is spent. It is an eye opening exercise seeing how much time we actually have and how it is utilized. I also recommend incorporating walking/biking/running as transportation. Put aside the car and walk to the store or to the post office. If you have phone calls you need to make, put on a headset and make the calls while taking a walk. Incorporate movement into time spent with friends and family.  Find a group of friends, colleagues, or family members and have a movement challenge for the month. If you are at work, take a walk during your breaks. . Choose stairs over escalators or elevators. If you are a stay at home parent, strap your baby on your back or place in a stroller and go out for a walk. 

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Susan Hunter Yates Bio:

My grandfather, the first Obstetrician in Olympia, planted the seeds of awe and beauty of the birthing process through the stories he told me when I was a child. As a CNM and WHNP, I have had the privilege of being surrounded by women and families from all over the globe as they bring new life into this world and share their GYN concerns. My career has taken me from a freestanding birth center in the southeastern tip of Texas to Bentiu, South Sudan through Doctors WIthout Borders, with many stops along the way. Clinical teaching is at the forefront of my work. It is not uncommon to see me sitting on the floor with a baby and pelvis in hand, with a group of learners circling around. I love learning about and from others. Nature is my calm and walking and running are my modes of transportation. I am passionate about environmental movements, women's reproductive options, gardening, good food shared with loved ones, books, art, dance and music, and looking up at the stars and spinning wisdom.

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