Taking That Outdoor Stroll May Be Healthier Than You Think
Changing your outlook and perspective on daily life is an absolute necessity for maintaining mental stability. Studies and research have shown that a constant routine of walking can help you combat the stress and the emotional struggles that we all go through, but handle differently. In this modern age of quarantine that we live in, walking can serve to help you combat everything from the feeling of being trapped in the house to stimulating your creativity.
Walking Is Better Than Taking Medication
Substances like Prozac and Ritalin are taken to give individuals a positive sense of well-being. However, it is widely known that a routine pattern of walking can bring on those same endorphins that going to the gym brings. With gyms and communal workout areas being closed, it can be hard to find that euphoric feeling of happiness. When many turn to medication, others have discovered that walking a few miles at a brisk, yet purposeful pace will help you feel the same way.
Depression Can Be Directly Linked To A Lack of Exercise
You may not already know that millions of Americans suffer from serious clinical depression. According to the National Institute of Health, depression affects 9.5% of the American population every year. Among those individuals that participated in the study, a significant reduction in depression symptoms was widely recorded. Those participants were given a routine workout schedule of 4 times per week, 30 minutes per session, for 6 weeks. From this study, we can see that it doesn’t take a hardcore schedule to benefit from the energizing effects of walking. Four, thirty minutes walks every week for six weeks is enough to curb your depression and live both a mentally and physically healthier life.
Aimless Walking Just To Enjoy The Breeze Should Be Your Daily Routine
Just get outside and walk. You don’t need to understand the science behind it. It helps to learn why walking is good for you, but it’s not necessary. Just get out and walk. Leave the headphones at home and think about yourself, the world around you, and where you want to be. This sort of spontaneous thinking while walking will help enhance your life’s purpose. Give it a try.
What Are You Missing Out On By Not Walking?
While there is a lot of information that discusses what you stand to gain by walking, we want to talk about what you stand to lose by not walking. The following points below are not an exhaustive list but will shed some direct insight into how not walking will negatively impact your life.
The Onset of Adult Attention Deficit Disorder
Stopping your regular exercise routine has been proven to bring the onset of adult attention deficit disorder. This phenomenon has been documented to arrive in addition or separate from clinical depression. Suddenly stopping or not engaging in a routine exercise like walking will eliminate the possibility of successfully stimulating your mind in the right ways. Clinical research shows evidence that points to a whole set of cognitive benefits that occur as a result of routine exercise. So do yourself a favor and start walking today.
Your Adult Brain Can Be Stimulated To Grow
Adding brain cells is not the only way to become an overall mentally healthy person. We’re also talking about helping you better manage emotional hiccups, anxiety, stress, and tension. Not walking regularly serves to make the brain even more lethargic and slow to handle complex emotional reactions brought on by the outside world.
Forgetfulness & Aggressivity Is Normal For Those Without A Routine Exercise Schedule
Many of the cognitive benefits associated with a routine walking regiment stand to protect you from becoming forgetful and easily aggravated. You may have already experienced that moment of euphoria that comes after a satisfying walk. Stimulating your mind with exercise serves to enhance the brain’s ability to both retain information and keep you satisfied enough to avoid frustrating aggravation.
Stanford Study – Walking Can Boost Your Creativity
Think back to every renaissance movie you’ve seen. There is usually some point where the king and his advisors go walking through the famous labyrinth of Versailles or other elaborate hedge maze or forest setting. In today’s world, large enterprise-level leaders like Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs are famous for holding walking meetings. These coincidences only serve to support the study that walking boosts creativity. Both indoor and outdoor walking has been directly correlated with higher levels of creativity. But what are the implications of this finding:
Implications of The Study
The neurological and chemical effects of walking deliver profound implications when trying to understand the human brain. This shines a light on the fact that cognitive activities like meetings, brainstorming, education, retaining information, and thinking outside the box can all be done more efficiently and creatively when walking versus sitting.
Another implication of the study has discovered that creativity and focused thinking are two distinct things. The Stanford researchers have proven that when trying to perform tasks involving focused thinking while walking, participants performed “mildly worse.” The specific term used by the researchers of “mildly worse” suggests the results are significant enough to prove that walking should only be directly linked to creative thinking and not focused thinking tasks involving memorization and/or association. Researchers suggest that only tasks that involve, “a fresh perspective or new ideas”, can be considered to be improved when walking is involved.
Find Your Favorite Place To Walk
Do you prefer being surrounded by water? How does being on a well-maintained track sound? Whether you would prefer to be in nature or an indoor facility, walking has many benefits you will enjoy. Find your favorite place and make it a routine. You can also find the link to the Stanford study discussed above here.
