Walking Probably Has More Benefits Than You Think

Don’t underestimate the benefits that a simple walk can have for you!

Most people associate going for a walk with physical health – and that is certainly one of the benefits – but there are far more.

Outside of the physical health benefits, there are potentially even more benefits for your mental health.

A long walk can help clear your mind, get creative juices flowing, and help you to come up with powerful solutions for your problems.

I am fortunate enough to go on daily walks with Smokey, typically multiple times a day. Sometimes I walk with a family member, sometimes I listen to an audiobook or podcast, and sometimes I walk alone. When alone, I reflect on my thoughts typically thinking about work, or this blog, or my personal life. All of these different walking methods have great benefits.

Physical benefits

If you are out of shape, walking is a great starting point for exercise. There are many physical benefits to walking and it is an underrated source of cardio.

I often advise people – especially those that are extremely overweight or have never exercised before – to begin their day with a morning walk. Just walking one mile in the morning while fasted around your neighborhood or local park will have a tremendously positive effect on your body. Especially if you are notably overweight, you will find that the walk helps you shed weight very quickly.

Walking with Someone

Walking with a family member or a friend is a great way to catch up with somebody while doing something healthy and good for you. You will be so fixated on the conversation that you are having that you won’t even notice all the steps you are taking!

It’s also a cheaper and healthier way to catch up with someone rather than going out to dinner with them or sitting on the couch.

Listening to a Podcast/Audiobook

There are so many podcasts out there today that it isn’t even funny. Finding the time to listen to them all might become an overwhelming task. Finding the time to listen to audiobooks raises a similar problem. Especially if you have a short commute or are working from home, as being in a car is primetime for audio listenings. A walk is a great time to get caught up on your different podcasts/audiobooks. It will make the time fly by, and if you are especially interested in what you are listening to you might choose to go for an even longer walk to keep on listening!

Walking by Yourself

Walking by yourself is powerful. This might seem boring or even frightening to some people as we are often not used to being left alone with our own thoughts. However, the results can be both therapeutic and expand your creativity, two concepts that go hand in hand:

Therapy from Walking

You will begin to feel a sense of relaxation and peace on your walks. It is your free time where there are no distractions and no worries. Just you and your thoughts. This allows you to ponder on and work out problems that you are currently facing.

You don’t go to a therapist for them to tell you what is wrong and what you need to fix. You go to a therapist to talk out your problems and as you talk it out, you begin to realize the solution. That is the magical thing about humans; we often know the answer deep inside us, but we just need to talk it through to come to that realization. However, we are often so busy and preoccupied that we end up not doing so.

Going for a walk allows you to be your own therapist in a sense and talk through your problems to yourself. You will notice that without any distractions, you will come up with solutions and alternative views that you never thought of before.

These walks by your lonesome will help your thoughts travel to places they otherwise may not, but for serious and traumatic events, walks will never be a replacement for actual therapy with a licensed professional.

Creativity from Walking

Another crazy thing you will experience from these walks is that you will come up with great, original ideas. Walking does in fact get your creative juices flowing. You might want to walk with a notepad for this very reason. You will be struck with creative genius at the most bizarre times and you will want to capture that lightning in a bottle.

Go Walk 🙂

There is something so freeing about going for a nice walk and getting fresh air. The walk does not need to be super long either. It can be a short walk. Like most things in life, the key is consistency. Try going for a walk every day. Whether it is by yourself, with a great audiobook, or with a friend, go for a walk and reap the amazing benefits!

Best,

Eric