May is Mental Health Awareness Month and here on MMW, as I always do during this time, I concentrate my content on some of these topics. If you would like to read past content, click the Mental Health tab under the Dimensions of Wellness Menu.
Something that I find really interesting has been the proliferation (that’s my three dollar word for the post) of high intensity, and in some cases very high intensity, exercise modalities in recent years. Research dropped that HIIT workouts provide many different benefits and all of a sudden everybody and their grandma decided that the best thing to do was to add a whole bunch of high intensity training to their routines.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a good HIIT workout. I’ve posted several of them in this little corner of internetland, and on my Instagram, in fact. There is something very satisfying in knowing you completed a tough workout. Sometimes it feels good to really sweat. And, let’s be fair, the research on HIIT doesn’t lie. Those types of workouts are great ways to really up your game and make progress on goals like weight loss/body composition changes and increasing speed and power.
But there are two reservations I have about high intensity workouts. OK, three, if you count the higher incidence of injury. The first reservation I have has to do with the mental load these workouts require. Sometimes you have to really psych yourself up to start. Or to get through it. And, sure, developing mental fortitude is important. But if you are in need of a personal pep talk before every single workout, that’s not good either. That much mental load can wear you down over time. And you will be less likely to want to exercise. And you guys all know how I feel about consistency.
The other reservation I have is also mental health related: long term effects. Yes, the research shows that the physical health benefits from HIIT workouts are amazing. Longer post exercise calorie burn, larger increases in muscle, etc. But what about our long term mental health?
Research clearly indicates that moderate level activity (especially cardiovascular exercise) provides long term benefits to our mental health. Moderate level activity would include any exercise that can be sustained for around a half hour. Longer yoga practices, moderate intensity and volume strength routines, walking, biking, swimming, or slower jogs all fit the bill.
These types of exercises allow us to engage our physical bodies fully enough to allow for benefits (heart health, strength gains, etc.) without taxing our mental capacities so much that we can’t enjoy the actual exercise. And I mean all aspects of the exercise. How our bodies feel when they move. Concentrating on which muscles are pushing and pulling. What our other senses tell us.
And it is for those reasons that I love walking so much. I started walking when I was in high school (and I won’t embarrass myself by telling you how long ago that was). As soon as the weather turned nice in the spring, I would walk the four mile loop between my house and the high school almost every single day. And I have never really stopped.
My exercise routine has changed and adapted over the years for sure. When I got to college and started studying to be a “scientist of muscles” (as my four year old calls me), I added regular strength training. I also started jogging regularly and kickboxing (HIIT before it had a fancy acronym). In grad school I added yoga and sometimes Pilates into the mix. And of course I have changed the frequency, intensity, and duration of these, too.
But walking has always been there. Even if it’s not my “workout” for the day, when the weather is nice, I am out lapping my neighborhood. That time when it is just me and my thoughts, with no real place to go is special. I can tune in to what I am thinking and feeling. I’ve solved some of my life’s biggest issues while walking. When I was in counseling, I used walks to help me process information.
I can also just let my mind wander. I am free to think about whatever I want. I have always valued “free play” for my brain, but since becoming a parent that time is especially important. There is no other time during my week that I can push aside my to-do list or just listen to myself, than during a walk.
In short, my time walking is double bonus territory. I am not only doing something awesome for my body, but I am doing something great for my mental health, too. Physically I feel healthy after a good walk. And mentally I feel clear and focused. It is moving meditation.
Do you walk? Tell us why in the comments!
