The Not So Secret Secret To Feeling Better For Free…
What if I told you there was a new supplement on the market that could improve mood and physical health, lower stress and increase emotional resilience without any negative side effects, and on top of this it was available now and it was free of charge - would you be interested? I certainly would!
Ok, so what if I told you it's not actually a supplement, it’s something much less novel, but still as effective; walking. Yes, walking can improve mood, lower stress, and increase emotional resilience, as well as the obvious physical health benefits. The impact of introducing daily walks in green spaces could be the thing that changes everything for some people, it certainly had a huge impact on me.
Now I know we all know exercise is good for us, and I know this might not be anything you haven't heard before so why is it so many of us find it so hard to implement on a long term scale?
Maybe we want the advice to be new, different or more exciting in some way - the idea of walking as a way to improve our wellbeing might just seem too.. well… simple. Or it could be that although walking is free, there is a cost, and that cost comes in a form we can feel scarcity around: Time. Whether it’s working through your lunch break, picking up the kids, sorting our life admin, or any other of life's responsibilities these things seem to take precedent.
However I want to remind you of the incredible benefits of walking which might help get you out walking, even just for just 10 minutes a day.
Your body is designed to move, your muscles are designed to be used. Our ancestors used movement as the primary way to gather food, discover new land and find shelter, it is what is natural to us. Walking is a gentle way to loosen up in a low impact, low risk way, especially for anyone experiencing muscle tightness or chronic pain.
When walking in green spaces or parks we are reunited with our natural habitat, we hear sounds that are innately soothing and see things that biologically signify survival.
Going outside and getting moving allows you to focus on the outer world which moves you away from rumination and mental stress cycles.
When we observe nature around us, especially when using techniques from mindfulness, this lets our body know we are safe and therefore it calms and grounds us by activating our parasympathetic nervous system.
Nature is full of healing metaphors that can help us move through our problems. For example: signs of new life, transformation, growth, life cycles, seasons, change.
It promotes the production of endorphins, dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin - our happy and healthy hormones.
Getting your vitamin D - Increasing your skin's exposure to daylight allows your body to naturally produce vitamin d in its purest form. Nearly ⅔ of our energy comes from sunlight.
One of the things I noticed about my own commitment to walking more was the lasting benefits that accumulated over time, so as well as the instant boost either during or at the end of the walk, it was once I had build up a routine that the more rewarding benefit came through - an overall increase in a feeling of calm, connectedness, improved sleep and emotional resilience and reduction in physical pain.
Each of us has to find our own preferences when it comes to walking; so test things out, see if you like walking with a friend or alone, what routes feel most enjoyable, what times feel suitable or beneficial to you.
My advice would be to try not to wait for motivation to strike before you step out the door. If you are feeling low, perhaps allow yourself to go on a walk with whatever feeling is present and encourage yourself to just commit to a short walk, because once you're out doing it, this is when motivation can grow.
Why not give it a go and see if you can start getting out a little more in those daylight hours - start with little and often to build up your confidence, and who knows, this could be the thing that changes everything.