In the first part of this reflection, we clearly distinguished between hunger and appetite: hunger as an unavoidable physiological need, and appetite as a psychological desire that opens the door to enjoyment and fulfillment. We concluded then that if hunger reminds us of our biological condition, appetite reveals our more sensitive human dimension; both linked to a conscious and unconscious need for survival.
Now, in this second part, we want to focus on appetite and its close relationship with daily walking.
Appetite as a Life Compass
Appetite isn’t limited to food; it’s a vital symptom. Having an appetite means our internal systems are working in coordination, that there’s a physical, mental, and emotional balance that allows us to desire, enjoy, and project ourselves forward. A lack of appetite, on the other hand, is often an alarm: something in our physiology or mood isn’t right.
We could say that appetite is a rudder, an internal clock, a compass, a weathervane that points to our capacity to feel alive (1).
Walking: An Appetite Generator
If appetite is the compass, walking is the key that winds the clock. The simple act of putting one foot in front of the other activates multiple processes that nourish, recreate, and expand our appetite in every sense:
Physical and Physiological
- The natural and rhythmic movement of walking stimulates digestion, oxygenates the blood, balances hormones, and regulates metabolism (Post THE WALK-RWD SYSTEM AND THE SELF-PRODUCTION OF ORGANIC SUBSTANCES, Future Post THE WALK-RWD SYSTEM AND METABOLISM).
- Daily, sufficient walking increases the sensitivity of the hormones ghrelin and leptin, which we discussed in Part I, allowing the body to naturally regain a healthy appetite for food.
- After a walk, the body responds with an “appetite for life”: it asks for water, nutrients, and restorative rest.
Technical and Functional
- Walking is an accessible, economical, flexible, and universal exercise. It doesn’t require special equipment or particular conditions but produces tangible results in balancing appetite.
- Studies on the physiology of movement show that even short walks of 20 to 30 minutes can reactivate a healthy appetite, especially in people with sedentary routines.
Mental and Emotional
- Appetite isn’t just about eating; it’s about desiring. And walking enhances the desire to think, imagine, remember, and project.
- Every walk clears the mind of what’s toxic and allows a renewed appetite for activities to emerge: reading, writing, drawing, talking, creating, loving (2).
- Walking improves the production of endorphins and serotonin, neurotransmitters that make space for an appetite for joy, enthusiasm, and well-being (THE WALK-RWD SYSTEM AND THE SELF-PRODUCTION OF ORGANIC SUBSTANCES).
Motivational and Existential
- Regaining your appetite means regaining your sense of purpose. Walking is a reminder that we can move forward, step by step, toward where we want to go.
- Each walk, each journey, is a metaphor that appetite is built in motion: the more we walk, the more we feel like living.
- Walking awakens an appetite for the world (3): to see, hear, touch, smell, and discover.
The Appetite for Food: A Privileged Mirror
Of all human appetites, perhaps the most visible and direct is that for food. And this is where walking becomes an extraordinary ally.
- A walk “opens the palate,” making food taste better and making the body receive it with greater gratitude.
- The difference between physiological hunger and enjoyable appetite becomes clearer.
- Food after a walk is transformed into a celebration: appetite is not just a need but conscious enjoyment.
Walking with Appetite
We could summarize it this way:
- The hunger to walk reminds us that we need to move.
- The appetite to walk inspires us to enjoy the movement, to prolong it, to seek it out every day, and thus also prolong our lucid years with all our senses (external and internal) attentive and awake (4).
And the wonderful thing is that walking, at the same time, generates more appetite in all dimensions of life. If in Part I we talked about the need not to confuse hunger and appetite, we can now conclude that appetite is the clearest sign that we are alive, that we continue to enjoy life and keep our desires alive. Walking is one of the simplest and most profound ways to feed that appetite.
That’s why going for a walk every day, even for just half an hour, is like winding our vital clock: it reminds us that life is there, waiting for us with all its flavors, colors, landscapes, and unexpected encounters (5) (6).
👉 Walk to open your appetite, not just for food, but for the world: for nature, life, air, new knowledge, readings, writings, discoveries, as well as for relationships, ideas, and new projects.Each walk will surprise us like every sunrise.
(1) Loya Lopategui, Carlos, Alteración Ficticia. Según la voluntad del delirio, EMULISA, México, 2009, Poema: La Vida, p. 36.
(2) Loya Lopategui, Carlos, Sistema de Reprogramación Erotanática, EMULISA, México, 2025. Available on Amazon, Kindle Edition: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0FJJRL2GX
(3) Loya Lopategui, Carlos, Apetito Existencial, EMULISA, México, 2025. Available on Amazon, Kindle Edition: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0FRDCPX3J
(4) Loya Lopategui, Carlos, GOVOT. El Susurro Inexorables de los Sentidos, EMULISA, México, 2025. Available on Amazon, Kindle Edition: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0DW2PTYNN
(5) Loya Lopategui, Carlos, Sincronicidad Dirigida. En la Era del Realsmo Tóxico y la I.A., EMULISA, México, 2025. Available on Amazon, Kindle Edition: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0FGDSMWNK
(6) Loya Lopategui, Carlos, Caminar con la Sincronicidad. Cuaderno de Trabajo, EMULISA, México, 2025. Available on Amazon, Kindle Edition: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0FGS96CX2