What walking make to your mind and beyond

For many people walking can be just moving physically from one place to another. A tedious and boring activity, with no purpose. For many others this can be a way to burn calories and work our legs, increase heart rate and lower blood pressure. For me it is much more than this, it can be a metaphor for a larger life journey. Things you’re walking towards are goals and dreams. Feelings you’re walking away from are fear and negativity. Bear in mind, that this can be applicable to any kind of exercise. Particularly those in which there is a transition from one location to another; for example cycling, swimming, running, climbing or canoeing.

The advantages that walking (or other sports) on a regular basis can bring to your body are quite obvious. Even if you are in the first category of people who see no point on walking, your body will experience benefits anyway. But taking it to the next level implies something else. Using your brain in cooperation with our bodies can be an incredibly helpful for the development of a fit and healthy mind. Let's investigate how can we make the most of our walking routine:

Use that wonderful gift: your imagination

I would recommend that you connect this idea with those that you can find in the Personal Development section of this blog. Spend a few moments identifying things you would like to walk into and things you’d like to walk away from. Then, with each step, see if you can release gently things you would like to walk away from. Now let's try and walk towards the better part of you. Each step embodying the qualities, traits and goals you wish to fulfill.

I'm going provide you with another method you can use to engage your imagination in order to make you exercise more towards a better impact on your day-to-day life. The effort we have to put into walking is also a metaphor of the sacrifices enable us to overcome our challenges. They can be both huge or minor, but can work in many cases. The feeling of success on the day that we were walking and having the temptation to give up. Because we decided to keep moving can prove to be very useful. It can work as a trigger to make the extra mile at work or to control our temperament dealing with our relatives and friends. If we learn how to use our imagination while we are doing our walk we will be able to enjoy this exercise and improve our performance. Not only can this happen in the precise moment, but we can also transfer these emotions to other aspects of our life.

Protect your memory and thinking skills

In a study undertaken at the University of British Columbia, researchers found that regular aerobic exercise, the kind that gets your heart and your sweat glands pumping, appears to boost the size of the hippo-campus, the brain area involved in verbal memory and learning. We can try to increase our heart rate, especially by walking faster or even jogging.

There are two methods in which exercise helps memory and thinking, through both direct and indirect means. The benefits of exercise come directly from the ability to reduce insulin resistance and inflammation, the growth of new blood vessels in the brain, and even the abundance and survival of new brain cells. Indirectly, exercise can improve mood and sleep, and reduce stress and anxiety levels.

Many studies have suggested that the parts of the brain that control thinking and memory (the prefrontal cortex and medial temporal cortex) have greater volume in people who exercise versus people who don’t. 

Practice an alternative way of meditation

Sometimes it could be difficult to find that hidden place to sit down and practice meditation. Walking can also clear the mind and make you more focused and productive. Practice focusing your attention on the act of walking itself. Having the mobility, strength and neuromuscular control to walk is a gift we often take for granted. Instead of letting the mind drift carelessly, focus on your breathing and look at what’s going on around you; notice the color of the trees, the clouds in the sky, architecture in your neighborhood, how it feels when your touching mother earth, the sounds around you. You’re likely to notice many things that might have passed your attention. You will notice how calmer you feel.

In this way, walking empowers you to unite your mind, body, heart and soul in a way that supports your dreams and desires.

Empower your coffee breaks

As we've just seen, when we walk, our body falls into a rhythm, the heart starts pumping a little harder, blood flows faster and the brain works in a much more improved way. Walking can help to get ideas flowing easier. 

I consistently feel refreshed and more alive after a walk. Not only does it get me out into the fresh air, it gets part of my brain working again after being stagnant. Ideas come easier and I think more clearly. If you want to better focus in the afternoon, trying going for a stroll rather than sitting and doodling.

So what should you do? Start exercising! Stop making excuses! I don’t know exactly which exercise is best for you, but find what motivates you and go for it!