Walking

Lesson 1: The Benefits of Walking

Mental, Emotional and Spiritual Benefits

Mental Benefits

People who walk regularly report better mental clarity and ability to focus. This makes sense in that with improved cardiovascular function, someone who walks regularly is better able to deliver oxygen to all systems, including the brain. There is also a meditative quality to walking. The calming effect of walking quiets the mind enough to let clear thoughts emerge.

One of the other great mental benefits of walking is its relation to increased creativity. This has to do with the ability to relax and let your mind wander while walking and, if you are outside, there is something about seeing scenery from a different perspective that stimulates imagination and creative thought.

Emotional Benefits

As Mark Fenton stated so well in The Complete Book of Walking, "Burn calories and build muscle all you want, but remember that your brain and soul may be the pieces of your anatomy that benefit most from walking" (p. 15).

Walking has been known increase self-esteem and self-confidence as well as reduce stress, reduce anxiety and improve sleep. It has been reported to lift depression, and improve one's mood. Overall, walking contributes to a person's general sense of well-being. Taking care of ourselves tends to improve our self-esteem. Stress and anxiety are reduced for physiological and psychological reasons. The more obvious is that walking provides us with an outlet to blow off steam. However, the body produces "feel good" hormones called endorphins in response to aerobic exercise.

Spiritual Benefits

The spiritual benefits of walking address issues such as sense of connectedness, and ability to contemplate deeper values. They are not related to any specific belief system. At the most obvious level, walking gives us time to contemplate and also can be used as a meditation, connecting mind and body. When we are out walking and see beautiful scenery, we get that sense of wonderment of being alive, especially with the increased vibrancy that comes from being physically fit. Because walking is slower paced than driving or even bicycling, when we see people in our walks, there tends to be a sense of belonging and community which contributes to our spiritual well-being. And excellent book for exploring the development of spirituality through walking is The Spirited Walker by Carolyn Kortge.

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