You know walking is good for your physical health, but did you know it can boost your mental health, too? These 7 walking perks may inspire you to lace up your shoes and hit the trails or your neighborhood sidewalk for a quick well-being treat.
Most people start walking within the first 18 months of life. And the gleeful grin babies sport as they move around upright for the first time could be the earliest of many signs that the activity isn’t just good for our bodies, but also for our minds.
There’s little question that routine walking can boost your well-being and overall quality of life in valuable ways. Consider these seven mental health reasons to take a walk today.
1. Walking Reduces Stress
Walking helps your brain release endorphins, which brings about relaxation and improves your moods. In other words, more walking = less stress.
Want to bring these benefits up several notches? Bring along a furry friend! Certified health and wellness coach and therapist Kristin M. Papa, LCSW, says walking a dog can alleviate stress by reducing levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. “Many pet owners also express gratitude for the love and sense of companionship shown to them by their pets [during walks], which also improves mental health,” the expert tells DailyOM.
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2. Walking Helps You Better Manage Depression
Walking won’t cure clinical depression, but it may make managing this extremely common condition a good amount easier. A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine in 2015 showed that women with depression who averaged 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 200 minutes of walking per week were more energized and less limited by their depression after three years than those who didn’t walk.
3. Walking Makes You Less Socially Anxious
If spending time in social settings gives you far more than butterflies, you may want to add walking to your treatment plan.
“Walking [alone or with someone else] can help social anxiety since exercise can help relieve stress and body tension while you’re also embracing nature,” says Papa. If you find it difficult to make small talk, asking someone to take a walk with you is a good way to get together without the awkwardness of, say, sitting across from one another at a restaurant. Walking “in parallel without the constant direct eye contact allows some people to feel more at ease while talking,” Papa says. “This can help with social anxiety while still providing an opportunity for connection and communication with others.”
Like some other psychotherapists, Papa even offers walk-and-talk sessions outdoors, so if that sounds appealing to you, seek out a counselor who meets clients outdoors as part of their practice.
4. Walking Boosts Self-Esteem
Walking routinely may also help raise your self-esteem, or prevent it from plummeting. A study published in the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology in 2010 involving middle-age women showed that activities like walking can enhance how women perceive their bodies and abilities.
Papa considers walking “an accessible way for us to practice self-care while also fostering a sense of accomplishment.” And as your sense of self-efficacy and physical health improve, so too can your self-esteem as a result.
5. Walking Together Improves Intimacy and Connection
Getting moving with a partner can deepen intimacy, bringing you closer together. “You are getting your heart rates up together [during a joint walk],” sex and relationship therapist Megan Fleming, PhD, tells DailyOM. “That’s arousal. Add some flirtation and what you most appreciate or look forward to, painting an explicit picture…to build both emotional and physical intimacy.”
Or use your joint walk time to work through a conflict. “Walking and talking side by side is not as confronting if you are discussing a more heated topic,” she adds. Even walking on your own may help your partnership.
A study published in the journal Family Relations in 2018 linked exercise with higher daily marital satisfaction and more positive marital happenings.
6. Walking Sharpens Memory
Your ability to recall information may play a significant role in staving off anxiety and depression while keeping your moods in an overall better place. And a daily walk may be just the way to get there!
A study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2018 showed that 10 minutes of gentle exercise can immediately improve memory. The college student participants could all recall images more easily after the exercise. More proof was in the research pudding: Brain scans from an fMRI machine showed that low-intensity exercise elevated activity in the hippocampus and surrounding brain regions, increasing processes known to support memory processing.
7. Walking Bolsters Gratitude
One of the biggest benefits of mindful walking, in particular, is a chance to count your blessings and feel more present. And research has linked mindful walking with reduced psychological distress and heightened life quality.
Papa experiences these perks personally. “As a person who has a congenital heart defect and undergone two open-heart surgeries, health and gratitude are two of my core values,” she says. “Walking has given me the opportunity to align my actions with my values of health while also embracing nature and being grateful for what my body is able to do despite my medical condition.”
Getting Started on the Right Foot
To make the most of the mental health perks of your walks, go a step beyond proper gear (quality shoes) and a water bottle to stay hydrated. Papa suggests connecting your walking practice with one of your own core values.
“Values allow us to align our actions with what is most important to us and can motivate us to make changes,” she says. If you value adventurousness, for example, choose a new path or park to walk around each week. To feel less stressed, make a mental gratitude list or listen to relaxing music as you walk. Adding this to our walking practice can “give us a sense of purpose and meaning in what we are doing,” adds Papa, "thus improving our mental health.”
