Benefits of a daily walk
Do you ever feel just overwhelmed with to-do lists, meetings, phone calls/texts, etc? Sometimes it can be just too much. You go from working on the computer, to your iPad/phone, to the TV, then back to your Kobo at night. We never take a break!
If you have not seen my instagram lately, I've been doing a 4-week walking challenge with @parksofclagary. I wanted to put this challenge on for several reasons; first, I wanted to highlight the beautiful parks in our city. Sometimes we get stuck in our same locations that we never get out to explore what this beautiful city has to offer! Secondly, I’ve seen the value of a walking routine and wanted all of you to experience the same thing!
You are probably thinking, “a walk, that’s it?”. Yep. Trust me. Go for a walk everyday for at least 30 min and see what happens.
It's the best thing you can do for your health: Since the pandemic, we are likely sitting a lot more than we usually do. Just by standing up it leads to changes in blood pressure, blood flow and the rate at which we use energy. When you walk, the flow of blood and chemicals go through your brain and body systems. This could be from production of new molecules to your behaviour.
Helps your gut: I mentioned in a post earlier that walking before or after a meal can help curb your cravings. If you’re planning on making changes in your diet, a good step is to distract yourself and get out and walk. When you arrive home, you will likely reach for a big glass of water instead of the sugary treat calling your name.
Boosts your mood: Being inactive can lead to negative personality changes. Personality is fluid, not set in stone from birth. According to “In Praise of Walking: A New Scientific Explorations” by Shan O’Mara, lower levels of physical activity were associated with changes in three of the “Big Five” factors of personality. These include openness, conscientious, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism (OCEAN). Whenever I’m irritable or too overwhelmed, I go for a quick walk and my husband thanks me. I’m less likely to snap or be irritable when I get back from calming down. There is also a great book by Neil Pasricha called “The Happiness Equation” that talks about 3 things you can do for 15 minutes each day to lead to a happier life. I won’t spoil the whole book for you, but one of those three things is a 15 minute walk in nature! Moral of the story: your partners and friends will thank you for going for a walk.
Increases productivity and concentration: We are living in a world where we are getting outside less and less. The increasing pressures of our life are increasing mental fatigue and burnout, however, experiences in nature may decrease this. Attention restoration theory is the idea that nature has profound effects on our well-being. Psychologists are prescribing “nature therapy” more and more to clients, as it has three critical elements to be fully restorative.
It gives you a sense of being removed from your normal life and surroundings,
It contains visual and sensory elements, and
It is expansive in that you’re enlarging your view or surroundings.
Some tips on how to get into a walking routine:
Commit: decide why you are going to get out and walk
Stay curious: notice the leaves, the colours the sounds
Get out even when you do not feel like it: you will likely never regret it when you get back from a walk
Repeat: Maybe you have an alarm that goes off on your lunch break at the same time every day
Start small: Switch up your routine; maybe you need something quick from the store and it is within walking distance and you can walk to the store instead of drive
Keep a log or journal: Instagram can act like your journal- do a collections of posts or stories of your adventures
Go gently: this does not have to be a sweat session, just get outside in nature
Resources: https://www.thismorningwalk.com/resources
