Next Avenue Logo
Advertisement

Art + Medicine: Healthy Aging

Walking 10 Minutes a Day Could Change Your Life

Lower your stress and protect your brain by taking a mindfulness walk

By Grandparents.com

(This article appeared previously on Grandparents.com)

With the hectic pace of life, we all rush around doing a bunch of things at once. And when we are "relaxing" we're usually watching TV, while looking at the computer or doing a hobby and multitasking. But being too busy at once can be bad for your heath. "Multitasking is the one skill that gets worse the more you practice it," says Dr. Deepak Chopra, author of more than 75 books and founder of the Chopra Center for Wellbeing. "Multitasking can increase stress and make your brain deteriorate."

Walking

One of the best ways to combat multitasking and lower your stress level: Take a mindfulness walk for 10 minutes every day. What is a mindfulness walk exactly?

Mindfulness Walks

Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present to what's actually happening around you, says Lynn Koerbel, director of education at the Oasis Institute for Mindfulness-Based Professional Education and Training at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Mass. "It's seeing, feeling and experiencing all that is around you with a sense of kindness and non-judgment," she notes.

Says Chopra: "Mindfulness is being in the present moment and appreciating what's happening around you right now."

A walk is a perfect opportunity to practice mindfulness, because when you step outside, you change your environment and awaken your senses to what is around you.

Walking is also recommended as a great form of exercise. But there's a difference between just walking and taking a mindfulness walk. "We often get so caught up in life and in our thoughts that we miss things," Koerbel says. Our lives are filled with ordinary moments that we don't pay attention to because we are rushing through them. "Being mindful is about stopping and pausing and taking notice of them," says Koerbel.

Notice, for example, how the air smells or how it feels when it hits your skin. Take a look at the colors around you — in the leaves of the trees, the grass or even the brown spots where the grass isn't growing. Listen to the birds, the cars passing by, to the sounds of your particular environment.

Why Mindfulness Helps

When you are on a constant fast track, you are actually putting your health at risk. Stressed out people tend to be the ones who overeat, smoke cigarettes, drink too much, are sleep deprived and are constantly feeling overwhelmed. Conditions such as heart disease and cancer have been linked to stress. Being mindful can reduce your stress and improve our health, say both Chopra and Koerbel.

How to Start a Ritual of Mindfulness Walking

1. Resolve to walk for just 10 minutes each day. Dress appropriately for the weather, and start with a stroll in your neighborhood or near your workplace. Don't put on your headphones. If you invite someone along, be sure to tell him or her that the walk is about being quiet and noticing your surroundings, not about chatting.

2. As you walk, allow your mind to go where it wants. "Your mind will wander, " Koerbel says. "That's OK. Recognize that it's a thought and only a thought. Then say, 'Now I'm going to notice the breeze on my face.'" In other words, keep coming back to your observations about where you are now.

3. Be willing to be surprised by what's around you. You will notice birds. You will observe people. You might see nothing! All of it can be a source of wonder, if you allow yourself to see it that way. Wonder brings joy to those who observe it. And joy, says Chopra, brings better health.

Advertisement

4. Pledge to take care of yourself. This walk is for you and part of your effort at self-care, Koerbel says. Be comfortable. Be grateful for your ability to venture out and be faithful to your commitment to it.

Benefits of Mindfulness Walking

1. A settled mind   By staying open to what's around you, you will begin to feel more peaceful. It may be as simple as recognizing what is around you, but walking mindfully may also allow your mind to open and see things more clearly.

2. An appreciation of nature  Many studies have linked being in nature with a sense of well-being. In your mindfulness walk, you can notice the things that nature provides us and appreciate them in a more complete way.

3. A chance to breathe deeply  Unlike yoga or guided meditation, mindfulness walking does not urge you to breathe deeply. But it's likely that as you begin to walk, you'll naturally take deeper breaths, which has several benefits. You can slow your heart rate, lower your blood pressure, reduce tension, boost energy and improve your mood.

4. Problem-solving moments   Sometimes, insights occur when you're walking mindfully. And sometimes they show up afterwards. "Offering yourself time to come back to your center often frees us to think outside the box," Koerbel says. "Mindfulness walking can be a process of self-discovery and self-care. Mindfulness supports us in many ways to go toward wholeness and healing."

5. A sense of gratitude  Many studies have shown that feeling gratitude is a great antidote to stress. Mindfulness walking can stoke your feelings of gratefulness. "Those feelings often do arise when we are willing to be with ourselves and just experience everything around us," Koerbel says.

It might be as simple as feeling grateful for the first breath of air or a feeling of vitality. It might be a sense of thankfulness for a beautiful day or for the scenery. Even if it is feeling grateful for something small, like the sight of a bright red cardinal winging past you, it's a feeling you probably won't have if you're sitting in your home or office.

By Grandparents.com

Grandparents.com is a lifestyle website, social media community & peer group that unites & connects America's 70 million Grandparents to the best information and premier products & services just for them. Our goal is to promote well-being and give timely information on what really matters to you, from health and money to family and relationships to travel and retirement.

Next Avenue LogoMeeting the needs and unleashing the potential of older Americans through media
©2024 Next AvenuePrivacy PolicyTerms of Use
A nonprofit journalism website produced by:
TPT Logo