Don’t Underestimate the Power of a Walk

I was reading this great article in HBR https://hbr.org/2021/02/dont-underestimate-the-power-of-a-walk

I was speaking with people over the past few weeks and the general consensus - no shock horror to hear - it's hard enough to motivate yourself over January but with lockdown #3 its been a very hard this time to get yourself motivated to walk .

What I got from reading the article is that you really need to get out at least once a day for a walk!

The summary of the article is "Walking is one of the simplest and most strategic things you can do for yourself. It takes little preparation, minimal effort, no special equipment, and it can contract or expand to fit the exact amount of time you have available. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a single bout of moderate-to vigorous activity (including walking) can improve our sleep, thinking, and learning, while reducing symptoms of anxiety. When we go for a walk, we perform better on tests of memory and attention; our brain cells build new connections, staving off the usual withering of brain tissue that comes with age; we can actively change the pace of our thoughts by deliberately walking more briskly or by slowing down; and our attention is left to meander and observe, helping us generate new ideas and to have strokes of insight."

I am a runner and I love going out and clearing my head.

100% it helps with your thoughts and ideas come to me when I am out there, but its really interesting to see walking has as much of an effect on the thought processes.

With spring in the air and the summer months ahead I will be making sure I get out more for walks at lunch time, especially now the HBR have told me it helps us generate new ideas and to have strokes of insight.

What do you do to clear the mind and get the thoughts flowing?

What was your biggest idea when out walking or running?