The Simplest Act In The World Which Brings You Tons Of Benefits At No Cost
The Simplest Act In The World Which Brings You Tons Of Benefits At No Cost
Chose walking as your ultimate navigational tool
NUDGE
We are living in an “always-on” culture, with constant stimulation and distractions where the simple act of walking will give you a break and some space to combat that busyness.
Here is what is so great about walking:
It refreshes, clears your mind, and exercises your body
When you leave your headphones at home you can actually hear the sound of nature and your own thoughts (or the bus trying to hit you from behind)
It allows you to notice stuff around you, such as everyday beauty
You train your perception, your skill to pay attention, and your focus (read: life skills)
You are way more productive and creative when you return to work (IF you return….and not happen to keep walking till the end of the day)
Walking is the simplest act in the world
I cannot imagine not taking walks. I love it. It makes me feel good, it clears my mind, ideas pop up, I notice things around me, and it is quiet time with myself.
Perhaps walking was installed in me from an early age by my mom who pushed me in the stroller through our city forest. And from the time I could use my legs I walked with her. And later I just kept taking walks, alone or with her or with friends.
Living abroad didn’t keep me from walking to conquer a new city, hiking any nearby mountain, or just simply walking (or, admittedly bicycle) to work or to run errands. (Which doesn’t mean that I don’t have a car.)
Taking a walk makes me immediately feel refreshed and replenished when work and life get too busy and overwhelming.
But here is the thing.
I always felt walking is normal. The most natural thing. These days it seems to have become a thing.
New wisdom has been discovered: walking is good for you! Go figure! (…rolling eyes)
But let’s be fair and check out all the great benefits of walking.
Walking to think and be creative
Some of the world's greatest minds swore by the benefits of taking a walk or a stroll.
Your thinking gets clearer, and your blood is flowing and stimulating your brain cells, it reduces stress and hence gives your mind more relaxation to get creative.
Research conducted by Stanford University showed that walking meetings can increase creative output by 60%. University of Victoria’s associate professor Nevin Harper, Ph.D. describes that taking a break from your “regular to-do’s to simply stroll outside” sparks your creativity, and your ability to focus, and helps you “feel at ease with the demands of your day”.
Walking for work meetings
Business meetings while walking, "walking meetings", have been proven to be productive and make all walking participants less stressed. And probably less aggressive.
Aristotle took his students on walks through Athens, Barack Obama and Steve Jobs took walking meetings and many leaders today are big fans of it. Besides sitting too much in our jobs, walking stimulates your thinking and creativity.
Walking to access space
The professor and scientist for walking, Martin Schmitz, explains that walking is the most accurate method of accessing space.
I love discovering a new city on foot. I get a feel for the layout of a city and a much better sense of its people, culture, and daily life than if I were driving through a city.
If you practice Street Photography you engage in an excellent walking activity that makes you grasp, notice and perceive all kinds of aspects of a city or place. Most likely you also engage with people, see life from a different perspective and notice details others don’t see.
Walking to reintroduce fascination into your life
A study by UCSF, University of California, San Francisco, looked at the effect of introducing awe into everyday life, by walking. The awe walks can shift your mindset and outlook on life by just taking a regular walk, even just 15 minutes is beneficial.
How great is that, that walking can help us to be fascinated by the things around us, like when we were children and discovering everything with a sense of awe?
The UCSF study demonstrated that this fascination and awe could
be reintroduced through intentional walking and paying attention to what you see and what you have never noticed before.
I suggest, just taking regular walks and keeping your eyes and ears open (ears unplugged) to notice the world around you and find every day something that fascinates you.
Walking without the ears plugged up
To this I day never walked with earplugs or headphones. It never actually occurred to me to do so. When I walk through a park or forest, I want to hear nature, the birds, and the trees, and hear my own thoughts. I don’t want my thinking to be distracted by a podcast and prefer to let my mind wander or come up with ideas or solutions.
When I walk in a busy place, a city, I want to be able to hear what is going on around me, so I don’t get run over by a bus.
I suggest, unplugging while walking to be plugged in with yourself and your surroundings.
Walking…
Walking might seem like the simplest act in the world, but it brings you peace of mind, stimulates your fascination and creativity, gives you tons of health benefits, and makes you more productive, happy, and less stressed.
And all of this doesn’t cost you a dime, just time, as little or as much as you like.
But you got to do the walk.
Walk more. Stress Less.
BOOK Recommendation
Do/Walk - Navigate earth, mind and body. Step by step
by Libby DeLana
In Do Walk, the author Libby DeLana shares the transformative nature of this simple yet powerful practice. She reveals how walking each day provides the time and space to reconnect with the world around us; process thoughts; improve our physical wellbeing; and unlock creativity. It is the ultimate navigational tool that helps us to see who we are - beyond titles and labels, and where we want to go.