Feeling Down? Go for a Walk!

When I’m feeling blue, all I have to do is… take regular walks? That’s right – turns out that this simple exercise can be a huge mood booster! We already know that regular exercise is helpful for your mood but let’s face it, how many of us want to run 5km every day or sign up for kickboxing classes we often miss due to work commitments and urgh, traffic.

Which is why experts advocate you do something as simple as walking to lift your mood! Why walks? Easy – because it is something we already do regularly (you know that 10,000 steps?) and it’s something you can do without feeling completely out of breath.

Even 10 minutes a day is better than nothing! When it comes to walking, it’s not how far you go or how fast you walk – it’s more about how consistent you are. With walking, it can be easy to incorporate into our already busy schedule, and with some hacks, you can pack in even more steps daily to hit your daily steps target.

Here are ways walking can help boost your mood:

#1 It increases your endorphin levels
Like other exercises, walking can help enhance the natural release of endorphins which will stimulate relaxation and ultimately improve your mood. When you walk, your brain reduces the perceptions of stress and instead emits feelings of wellbeing.

#2 It enhances your focus
Feeling out of sorts? Go for a walk. It may seem like nothing compared to 10km run but like running, walking will increase blood flow to the brain, which stimulates concentration. As a result, daily walks can help with your concentration level and focus at the workplace. Also, research shows that regular walks can help reduce diseases such as dementia.

#3 It promotes mindfulness
Love how the world looks around you when you’re talking your daily walks around the park? That’s the beauty of walking – it is a mindful practice that emphasises on the present moment. There’s no aches or pains to experience; it’s a simple exercise that lets you absorb the world around you. In fact, many have said that walking is akin to meditation, and we all know the positivity meditation can bring!

#4 It helps you sleep better
When you do it regularly, you will increase the amount of deep sleep you get. This will help your brain and body rest, improving your sleep quality. And when you have good quality sleep, your mood is a whole lot better!

#5 It’s a great exercise
Just because you aren’t breaking a sweat like you would if you ran or did spinning, walking too has many health benefits – it gets your heart rate elevated, it controls your blood pressure and cholesterol, it helps with weight management. When you achieve all of this, you feel so much better!

Phew, so much to love about walking. Now here are some clever ways to squeeze in more walks every day.

#1 Walk in place
When you are watching TV at home, reading emails at work, proofreading that document – stand up and march in place to get your heart rate pumping. Research suggests that standing up and moving for about three minutes every half an hour may lessen the negative health effects associated with prolonged sitting.

#2 Make it fun
You know that Pokémon GO game on your app? Time to launch it again when you go for your morning walks! This way, you can make your daily walks more interesting… just make sure you’re not distracted by it instead of walking!

#3 Send an email – in person
Whether it is sending a WhatsApp message or email, if the person you’d like to talk to is nearby, walk there instead to have a face-to-face conversation. Whatever little bit counts when it comes to walking!

#4 Change your parking spot
Park further from the store so you can take more steps per day. Ask your e-hailing driver to stop you a little away from your destination so you can make it up with steps. Taking the MRT? Head to the furthest staircase and make your way up that instead of the elevator. You not only get extra steps walking to the furthest staircase but also when you climb up to get to the platform.

Photo by Julian Hochgesang on Unsplash.