Saturday Health Tips : Walk, The Walk & Never Underestimate It

Walking is one of the simplest yet most beneficial things you can do for yourself. For many of us, it takes little preparation, minimal effort, no special equipment, and it can contract or expand to fit the exact amount of time we have available.

When you go for a stroll:

🚶🏿You perform better on tests of memory and attention.

🚶🏻Your brain cells build new connections, staving off the usual withering of brain tissue that comes with age.

🚶🏽You can actively change the pace of your thoughts by deliberately walking more briskly or by slowing down.

🚶Your attention is left to meander and observe, helping you generate new ideas and have strokes of insight.

🚶🏿You sleep, think, and learn better.

🚶🏻You reduce anxiety.

Don't just walk for exercise or to get where you need to go. Walk when you can, where you can. And if you're unable to walk, or if walking is a challenge to you, spend some time outside each day to get in touch with nature and the world outside your front door. Your body, mind, and soul will thank you for it.


Adapted from Don’t Underestimate the Power of A Walk, by Deborah Grayson Riegel. Art credit: Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images.