Hi Friends, I hope your week is off to a good start. The older I get, the more I find that the simpler solutions really do tend to be the best. Whether it’s because I don’t have the patience to work through eight okayish fixes or I don’t have the bandwidth to keep dealing with issues is less important than actually being able to solve things. I’ve also found that a walk will solve just about anything.

I pay a lot of lip service to walking around here, but it’s well deserved. There is really very little that a walk can’t do. And I want to preface my soapbox climb with two things. First, “walk” is a placeholder for any low intensity rhythmic aerobic exercise. Meaning biking or swimming or similar will also work. Second, going for a walk means outside. Jumping on a treadmill (or stationary bike) just won’t hit the same way.

From a physical standpoint, a good walk scratches just about every itch. It helps get the wiggles out. It will raise the heart and breath rate working the cardiovascular system. It helps balance blood sugar. It burns calories and body fat. Walks, especially if you can schedule them around the same time, will help regulate appetite.

But walks aren’t just physical. They help regulate mood by releasing dopamine and serotonin. Have you ever gone for a walk when you were raging mad? Or bummed? You are much calmer by the end of it. Maybe not perfect, but it’s hard to not feel like you are closer to yourself after a good walk.

Walks are like spring cleaning for your brain. When you’ve got too many tabs open, going for a walk allows you to examine what really needs your attention and close the unnecessary tabs. Meaning when you are done, you’ll be more able to focus. And you might even feel a bit more creative.

Walks can be social. The activity level isn’t so intense that you can’t have a conversation with a friend or neighbor. With so many of us busier and feeling less connected, taking fifteen minutes to move your body while having a good chat is amazing.

Walks are environmental. It’s good to get out of the usual four walls from time to time. Breathe the fresh air. See the sights. Feel the sun on your skin. (And that sun induced Vitamin D has its own waterfall of awesome.) I mean I even feel better just typing that out.

What I’m trying to say here is a walk is a hard reset. Nothing quite says turn it off wait ten seconds and then turn it back on for a human like a walk. The low intensity and stakes of a walk allow us to stay engaged without overwhelming and already overtaxed system. And the results speak for themselves. Suffice it to say, that I wholeheartedly agree with Maddie.

So, until next time, get out and take a walk!

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