We happily go out into the open and nature to appease the dogs in our lives (well we do it, even if we're not happy about it), but actually it's also vital for our own full health and wellbeing. Here at Dru, we try to get out and about for a walk every day – read on to find out why!
1. Lift your mood
Simply by heading out for a 20 minute brisk walk your body starts to release endorphins – or the ‘feel good’ hormones. This then helps us to feel positive about ourselves and our lives and enthusiastic about our day ahead.
2. Get fit
Brisk walking is also beneficial aerobic exercise for helping to promote weight loss. By getting out and about you are naturally using more energy and therefore helping to use up any extra calories from that sneaky packet of crisps!
3. Get a change of perspective
When we are out of our ‘normal’ environment it becomes much easier to see things from a different perspective. Those things which seemed too big or overwhelming can now become clearer and they can feel more manageable.
4. Dedicate those positive vibes
When we walk with an awareness of gratitude it can become a powerful act of dedication. If we think about how amazing it is to be able to walk, run, play and get easily from one place to another, we can then choose to dedicate that feeling to others who may be less fortunate than ourselves. We can hope that someone close to us may also feel the beauty of movement today, or that those who are not able to walk will feel some improvement in their health.
Why not give it a try next time you’re striding out in nature!
5. Keeping it up…
It’s not necessarily easy to keep up your daily walk… When it gets really busy at work, or you get home late and you are tired, a walk round the block can feel like the last thing in the world you want to do! At these times the best thing is to put on your shoes (without thinking too much!) and just walk out the door!!! Once you start – it’s much easier to keep going.
Here are some great ideas about how to integrate your walk into your daily life!
- Have a ‘walk buddy’ – when you are with another person you can help each other to keep up the good habit.
- Walk the kids to school.
- Park about a mile away from work – then you have to walk there and back again!
- Don’t get enough milk… (This is a crafty one to get the other half out the door!)
- Use the stairs instead of the lift.
- Make it a family habit to go for a stroll after dinner every evening or at least at the weekends.
6. Yogic walking
The literal translation of yoga is: ‘to unite’ and when we walk with awareness we have a wonderful opportunity to be able to connect to nature and our surroundings.
As we allow ourselves to fully enter into the joy of walking we start to experience other potent benefits. For example, it can help us to tap into a more subtle part of ourselves, allowing us to feel more emotionally balanced, physically energised and to enjoy a deep sense of connection to our inner self and the world around us. Discover more about yoga and walking at one of our yoga weekend retreats in Snowdonia.
Discover the amazing benefits of walking today!