I walked from the top to the bottom of Manhattan in 8 hours, checking an item off my bucket list. The walk was a great endurance exercise, a cardiologist told me, with health benefits similar to running a half-marathon.
Here’s what my journey was like:
and the doctor’s tips for people embarking on a similar journey. I walked from the top of Manhattan to the bottom in 8 hours — and lived to tell the tale. The hike from the top to the bottom of Manhattan is popular among locals and tourists, and was even the plot for a Broad City episode.
But, as a health reporter, I knew the ambitious journey was more than just a check off my bucket list — it was a great way to highlight how walking can help our heart. Dr. Tamanna Singh, cardiologist at Cleveland Clinic, thought so too. Singh told me walking — even if it’s not down the world’s most densely populated island — is an underrated exercise for heart health.
“Your heart really doesn’t care what you do, it can’t distinguish between walking,
running, biking, rowing, swimming, cycling,” Singh said. “There are so many benefits
from a cardiovascular perspective that you can get from walking, similar to running.”
Here’s what it was like to walk from the top to the bottom of Manhattan, along with Singh’s tips to get the most benefit for your ticker out of a long walk.
We started our walk around noon at Inwood Park at
the northernmost tip of Manhattan.
I woke up around 7 a.m. and had some leftover rice and tofu soup for a light breakfast but opted not to eat a huge meal in case I felt sluggish on the walk. At noon, I grabbed some coffee and a pan de queso, or Colombian cheese bread, at the start of the walk for some light fuel.
Singh said my instinct was a good one: it’s best to eat a light, carby meal ahead of a long endurance activity.
“Carbs are your friend when you’re trying to increase your exercise because your body and your brain run on sugar,” the cardiologist said. “It’s okay to have some simple sugars to help fuel your body.”
We walked along the Hudson River, taking in the fresh air and
breeze during the first leg of our journey.
To get from Washington Heights to Harlem, my friend and I walked down a greenway along the Hudson River. The weather was perfect for walking: a breezy day in the 60s, which ensured we wouldn’t overheat.
In Harlem, we moved from the greenery back to the bustling streets.
About 4 miles and 2 hours into our walk, we stopped to refuel for a lunch of veggies, shrimp, and rice from LoLo’s Seafood Shack in Harlem.
Energized from our meal (and another cup of coffee)
we power-walked the height of Central Park.
Caught up in deep conversation about religion, marriage, and people from our college newspaper, my friend and I breezed through Central Park. Though the height of Central Park is technically 2.5-miles, the winding paths probably tacked on an extra half mile to a mile, but to me they felt like the quickest parts of the walk.
Walking with a friend is actually a great way to keep you motivated.
On long endurance exercises, Singh said. “If you have a specific goal in mind, you can always look for someone to help you train or help motivate you, a partner-in-crime for your exercise.”
We reached the bottom of Central Park and took a well-needed water break.
My feet felt surprisingly fine after 8 to 9 miles of near continuous walking,
due largely to my well-fitted sneakers.
Singh said people interested in long endurance activities like walking and running need
to protect their feet, since discomfort can cause you to get burned out quickly on the trip.
“That kind of takes away a lot of willpower and motivation to keep going,” she added.
The next hour of my journey was by far my least favorite:
navigating crowds in Times Square.
Up until we got to Midtown, Manhattan, my friend and I — both fast walkers — maintained a pretty consistent walking speed. But our walking prowess was
no match for the packed crowds on the streets of Times Square.
From 59th Street to around 20th Street,
We kept needing to slow down to allow for mobs of passersby, and stop as we waited for the streetlights to change. The pauses made me more conscious of the pain and fatigue in my legs, which, combined with the frustrating crowds, put me in a more quiet, sullen mood.
In need of a pick-me-up, we stopped at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery
in Chelsea for some caffeine.
The Starbucks Reserve is high on the list of my friend’s fiancé’s — who had come to tag along with us as we trekked through Midtown — favorite places to go in New York City.
We caught our breath over some espressos and were off again after about 30 minutes.
The sun was beginning to set as we made our way from Chelsea
to Battery Park, the final 3 miles of our journey.
We had about 3 miles left, but the path was a straight line, meaning we could reasonably do it in an hour. We were less talkative compared to the first half of the day, choosing instead to power through the pain in our thighs to get to the finish line.
Interview with Dr. Tamanna Singh, Sports Cardiologist . M.T.A.
Eight hours and about 16 miles later, we arrived at Battery Park
all the way from Inwood Park. My friend and I were ecstatic and exhausted.
We spent some time taking photos and also looking at the Statue of Liberty
before heading back home to ice our thighs and go to bed.
Had we walked a straight line from Inwood Park to Battery Park,
The route would have been 13 miles, according to Google Maps, but we took some winding routes to explore the city. We didn’t track our total mileage, but I’d estimate we walked 16 miles — 3 more than a half-marathon. And Singh said the steps we took — and the amount of time our body stayed active — probably matched that of a half-marathon, too.
I took a well-needed break after our journey, and slowly made
my way back to regular exercise.
I took a week-long break from any sort of challenging exercise, and Singh said my laziness was what my body needed after the 16-mile journey. Cardiologists recommend a week of low-intensity mobility following a marathon or long endurance journey, she said.
I’m already planning my next walk — maybe this time around
the perimeter of Manhattan.
Human Race: Tamanna Singh (runnersworld.com)
I’d highly recommend anyone take the walk from the top of Manhattan to the bottom, especially tourists visiting the city. It’s a great way to hit a bunch of different neighborhoods and get a feel for the island’s diversity.
“There is no goal that you cannot hit,” Singh said.
“We’re kind of our own limiting factors. Just get out there and move.”
Tamanna Singh, MD, FACC is a clinical cardiologist and a member of the Sports Cardiology Center in the Robert and Suzanne Tomsich Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart & Vascular Institute.
She sees patients at Cleveland Clinic main campus.
Dr. Singh earned her medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine and completed her Internal Medicine Residency at Boston Medical Center.
She then completed a three-year fellowship in Adult Cardiovascular Medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, after which she returned to Boston to complete her specialty training in Sports Cardiology with the Cardiovascular Performance Program Fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital. She joined the Cleveland Clinic medical staff upon completion of training in June 2018. Her specific interests include: sports cardiology/cardiovascular care of competitive and recreational athletes, women’s cardiovascular health, cardiovascular care for female athletes, cardiovascular disease prevention and wellness, and diet and nutrition.
As a sports cardiologist, Dr. Singh has provided cardiac care for professional sports teams, competitive and recreational athletes and highly active individuals. She has significant experience in cardiopulmonary exercise testing specifically in athletes and has participated in multiple pre-participation screening events for collegiate and professional athletes to help ensure their safe participation in sports.
Dr. Singh’s current research interest lies in evaluating effects of a plant-based diet on heart health. She has published research papers in medical journals on exercise, sports and the heart, has presented at national medical meetings, and has presented on women’s cardiovascular health at multiple community events. In her leisure time, Dr. Singh enjoys running, yoga, plant-based cooking, reading, and spending time with her family and two dogs.
KABC (Los Angeles, CA) – Dr. Tamanna Singh reviews the effects
that COVID-19 has had on cardiovascular health. Watch the Story
Here’s How Many Extra Steps To Take To Lower Heart Disease Risk –
Parade: Entertainment, Recipes, Health, Life, Holidays
Long COVID and heart issues: What do we know about lingering symptoms —
and treatment? (yahoo.com)
How athletes can return to exercise after COVID-19 infection: New guidance released.
Here’s How You Can Significantly Lower Your Heart Disease Risk in Under 5 Minutes.
What Runners Need to Know About Heart Health | Marathon Training Academy
How Common Are Heart Problems in Athletes, Really? – Outside Online.
Athletic heart syndrome: What it is, and its symptoms and treatments.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest on the Field: Now What? | Cleveland Clinic
COVID-19: Impact on Sports and Exercise (clevelandclinic.org)
Heart Rate Training | Marathon Training Academy
Nutrition | Marathon Training Academy
To make an appointment with Dr. Singh, please call 216-444-6697
or visit the Cleveland Clinic Online Appointment Request form.
A man who noticed his pupils were mismatched said he ended up being diagnosed with
a brain tumor behind his eye: ‘I put it off for a few weeks telling myself it was nothing’.
Cardio workouts may protect men from deadly cancers of the lung, colon, and prostate.
How Good Cardio Endurance Might Help Protect Men From Deadly Cancers (insider.com)
Overthinking Is Bad For Your Health. It’s Time to Get Out of Your Own Head (msn.com)
Colon, lung cancer: Cardiorespiratory fitness may lower risk (medicalnewstoday.com)
Cardio exercise may help men prevent colorectal cancer, study finds | PhillyVoice
Physical Activity and Cancer Fact Sheet – NCI.
So, once you understand what life idioms are,
it’s time to explore some idioms about life.
28 Inspiring life idioms (with examples and meanings) (improving-your-english.com)
As the famous saying from John Lennon goes, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
This is more of a proverb, but still a wise saying to live by.
The phrase Don’t count your chickens before they hatch
is telling you not to be too confident in the outcome of a matter until it happens.
Equally, don’t make claims of success until after the event. Just picture it:
Although you may have ten eggs, they aren’t all guaranteed to produce healthy chicks.
You’ll only know after they hatch.
“Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater” is an idiomatic expression for an avoidable error in which something good or of value is eliminated when trying to get rid
of something unwanted.[1][2][3]
Earliest record of the phrase from Narrenbeschwörung (Appeal to Fools) by Thomas Murner, A slightly different explanation suggests this flexible catchphrase has to do with discarding the essential while retaining the superfluous because of excessive zeal.[4][A]
History
This idiom derives from a German proverb, das Kind mit dem Bade ausschütten.
The earliest record of this phrase is in 1512, in Narrenbeschwörung (Appeal to Fools) by Thomas Murner, which includes a woodcut illustration showing a woman tossing a baby out with waste water. It is a common catchphrase in German, with examples of its use in work by Martin Luther, Johannes Kepler, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Otto von Bismarck, Thomas Mann, and Günter Grass.[6][7]
Thomas Carlyle adapted the concept in an 1849 essay on slavery:[7]
And if true, it is important for us, in reference to this Negro Question and some others. The Germans say, “you must empty-out the bathing-tub, but not the baby along with it.” Fling-out your dirty water with all zeal, and set it careening down the kennels; but try if you can keep the little child![8]
Carlyle is urging his readers to join in the struggle to end slavery, but he also encourages them to be mindful of the need to try to avoid harming the slaves in the process.[8]
Life is like a box of chocolates.
This saying was made famous by the popular movie Forrest Gump starring Tom Hanks.
The full version of this infamous quote is:
“Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get.”
Think about it: if you dip your hand into a large box of assorted chocolates, you don’t know which one you’re going to pull out. You may not know what’s inside it until you take a bite.
In the same way, life is not always predictable and will probably give you some surprises along the way!
“We didn’t plan for our second baby, but I guess life is like a box of chocolates.”
This saying shouldn’t be confused with Life is like a bowl of cherries,
which means that life is a pleasure and very enjoyable.
Forrest Gump: He sure is fast! (HD CLIP) – Bing video
Forrest Gump – learn English through story – Bing video
Forrest Gump 2: Why Didn’t the Sequel Happen? (collider.com)
Forrest Gump 2 – Forever Jenny – 2023 Movie Trailer (PARODY).