Health Benefits of Walking: Walk Your Way to Better Self Care

I am not the first person to tell you about the health benefits of walking. It is more than just a way to get from point A to point B. Walking, especially walking outdoors, is a great way to improve your overall health. From your physical fitness to your mental health, this is one self care activity you can easily incorporate into you daily routine.

Whether you live in the city or a small community, there are ways you can incorporate walking into your routine. Where I live now, I have access to forest trails but it is difficult to include that into my regular routine. However, one routine task that I can incorporate walking into is retrieving the mail. Where I live, the mail does not come straight to my door. We have a community mailbox about 1 kilometer away. When the weather is nice (although I have been caught in the rain a couple times too) I walk to the mailbox to retrieve the mail. Along the same lines, when you do your routine errands, park further away or use a centrally located community parking lot, and walk to where you need to go.

Benefits of Walking

Because walking is simple and doesn’t require memberships or special equipment, it is the most popular form of exercise. Research has shown that people who walk regularly reap several benefits compared to those who do not.

Some of the benefits include:

Improved overall health
Increased longevity
Better weight management
Better quality sleep
Lower risk for heart disease
Lower blood sugar
Lower blood pressure
Lower cholesterol
Better management of stress
Improved moods
Better management of anxiety and depression symptoms
More vitamin D

Mental Health Benefits of Walking

One of my favorite parts about walking outdoors is how I feel mentally when I do it. It is one of the few times in my day that I can be alone with my thoughts and away from technology. It also forces me to concentrate on my breathing. And I intentionally pay attention to small things I might miss otherwise like the smell of cedar as I walk along the edge of the forest or the wildflowers popping up in the ditch along the side of the road. And, like I said earlier, it is a great way for me to think.

No matter what has been going on during my day, taking a walk is a great way to separate myself from a problem I need to solve or gain insights about something. It also provides me with new creative inspiration if I am experiencing a creative block. And, when I return from my walk, I am usually ready to approach my problem with new eyes. The walks don’t have to be long, either. Just taking a few minutes outdoors and walking through the yard might be enough of a break to get you motivated again.

Some things you might want to think about while going on your walk could be:

What am I worrying about?
Why am I procrastinating?
What needs to come off of my really long to-do list?
What’s the best solution to this problem?
Where can I look for some new inspiration?
Who can I look to to help me solve my problem?

Science-y Benefits Of Walking For Mental Health

Here is some of the more science-y benefits walking can have on your mental health:

Walking releases endorphins which some have noted can be just as effective in treating depression as taking medication.
Walking outdoors has special benefits. Researchers have proven there are mental health benefits to hearing birdsong. Some have even linked the happiness of a community to the number of bird species that live there.
It improves blood circulation which in turn improves the health of all your organs. And, when your body feels better so does your mood.
It triggers the release of a protein known as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is one of the key molecules that encourage the growth of new brain cells.
Walking improves our connection to our body. Many of us have lost the connection with our body, so regular movement provides an opportunity to be mindful of how our body feels as it moves. And by practicing this mindfulness we can improve the care we give to our bodies in return.
Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to mental and mood disorders. The best source of vitamin D is the sun, so any opportunity you can get to walk outdoors will boost your vitamin D intake.

Where to Walk

Here are a list of places you might find where you live so you can take advantage of the benefits of walking:

the beach
city parks
state or provincial parks
neighborhood sidewalks
main street
high school or college campus tracks (after hours)
the mall (you won’t get all the benefits of being outdoors but you can reap most of the physical benefits indoors when the weather is not great)
your yard

Are You Convinced?

Are you convinced to add some walking into your regular self care routine? We all knew the physical benefits of getting in our steps but now that we know it will benefit our whole selves it’s kind of hard not to want to give it a try, am I right? Do you include walking in your routine? Where is your favorite place to walk?