One of the easiest ways to feel good is to simply put one foot in front of the other.
This isn’t a deep analogy on how we must keep going through life, we’re literally just talking about walking 😋.
We’ve found that significantly increasing our walking over the last few weeks has vastly improved our mental wellbeing. Not to mention, it’s also great for the bod.
When we walk, we try to be as mindful as possible. It’s not easy, but we’ve seen a vast improvement with practice. Mindful walking is the key to unlocking the mental health benefits from your regular walks.
It’s not complicated. As often as you can during your walk, simply refocus your attention on your senses. Notice what you see, smell, feel, and hear. We don’t normally taste things on our walks, but hey everyone’s different.
The goal is to bring a sense of curiosity to everything that arises in each moment. That helps strengthen that muscle of focus and remain as present as possible.
That’s really all there is to it. To give you some motivation to try it out, we’ve dug into our scientific study vault to bring you just a few of the proven benefits of mindful walking:
- Both mindfulness and walking have been linked to improved creativity. Although more research is needed, combining the two actions could exponentially increase the benefits.
- Two studies have shown that walking is more effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression when combined with mindfulness.
- A 2016 study showed that mindful walking had a positive effect on blood sugar levels and circulation when compared to traditional walking.
- Not a huge fan of exercise? This study shows that incorporating mindfulness into activity made it significantly more enjoyable!