For over a year, we have been under a Provincial Health Order that prohibits us from socializing in person, exercising, and performing our daily activities in ways we were accustomed to. Nevertheless, going for a walk or a hike is an activity that remains open and termed safe as per the order. We have been encouraged to walk while staying safely apart just because of the innumerable benefits attached to walking.
Suddenly, working and attending school from home has become a routine in many households. We switched the commuting, the walk for a coffee, or the simple changing classes into just moving in and out of the many zoom meetings. Call it unintended, but we’ve pressed pause on the usual reasons to take casual strolls and all the socio-personal benefits that are derived from them.
We are all aware of how these times have influenced our lives, but if there must be some positive aspect to it, then it is that we’ve reassured ourselves that being able to go for a walk is like a lifeline. Walking might be a light physical activity but it comes with a huge mental exercise bonus!
This isn’t something new or an unexpected habit change; this has been well known from ancient Greek times. The great philosopher Aristotle’s students were required to walk along during class as he taught them. This walk up and down behaviour is called peripatetic, from the Greek word περιπατητικός (peripatētikós), which means, ‘of walking’.
Walking is great for increasing blood circulation, which also means that it helps to relieve stress from our brains. This boosts creativity, problem-solving, improves our mood making us feel happier, and allows for better concentration. The physical aspect of it builds and maintains a healthy body and promotes well-being and decreases feelings of anxiety and depression. A particular relevant remark is if you practice mindful walking. This too isn’t a novel idea. For generations and in different cultures, the practice of pilgrimages, religious walks, and meditation existed. When you are walking, focusing on your steps, breathing, or simply noticing your surroundings, and how it makes you feel, you are nurturing your mental health.
You can imagine such a walk to be very relaxing. However, it will work as an energizer at the same time. Just as you hit that point in your day that all you want to do is take a nap, you should try going for a walk instead. You will probably start slow, even grumpy, but as the walk progresses (especially in a nice environment like a park or a quiet neighbourhood street), you will feel how your energy levels start going up again.
There, now you have all that you need to know about walking and that it does work wonders for your physical and mental health. Congratulations! Happens to be that today is not only our Walk30 start day but also the day on which the World Health Organization (WHO) formally instituted Move for Health Day.
Happy walking!
This blog post is written by BEST’s Isabel Garcia. #walkability
