Why Walking is the Key to Better Health
Walk or Die
To walk, or not to walk, that is the question.
Walking is a simple, yet some what of a complex movement (in its own right) that we have been hard-wired to perform everyday of our lives. And yes, I know some of you may say no we weren’t, granted, when we are first born we cannot walk, but we have the drive and willingness and some sort of inclination that we must and we will walk. And of course some diseases & disabilities could be prevent you from walking.
Walking is an action that we perform effortlessly and subconsciously which takes us to our destination, be it both physical and spiritual.
Do you know what one of the big problems is today? Decline is walking. “Shut up, you don’t know what you’re on about.” Says the person who is too lazy to walk and has accumulated an unhealthy life/lifestyle. Many people today cannot even be bothered to walk, you may have experienced people like this before. And we can all be honest here, we have also been in a situation where we can’t be bothered to walk and decided to take an easier route, or decided not to go at all. This is the fall of man today.
But, little did you know of the benefits of walking and why WALKING LEADS YOU ON YOUR WAY TO A BETTER LIFE. Listen, this article will open your eyes to the outstanding benefits of walking and why something so simple, can be life-changing. Are you sold? Great, I now invite you in to lead you onto to a path for a better you.
Walking is a very simple exercise/activity that doesn’t require too much of an effort. Some people do not view walking as a form of exercise. But with the right intentions and outlook, it is all the more a very beneficial exercise for you to carry out. Let’s take a look at the benefits of walking👇🏻
Physical Benefits
Cardiovascular Health
By going on regular walks, this helps to improve the health of your heart. How? It helps to boost the circulation of your blood as this lowers your blood pressure. This intern, reduces the risks of heart disease. Evidence from a study states that
“Walking briskly for 30 minutes a day for 5 days can reduce the risk of several age-associated diseases.”
“Low intensity physical exercise, including walking, exerts anti-aging effects and helps prevent related diseases.”
The multifaceted benefits of walking for healthy ageing: from Blue Zones to molecular mechanisms
Weight
Looking to lose weight, go for a walk. When you are walking, your body is required to use energy stored within the body in the form of carbs, and potentially fats. Walking helps to burn off excess energy stored as fat, which will burn more calories. Sounds great. Get this. A more brisker and challenging walk, the more calories you’ll burn. A very simple cheat code that most of you most certainly look past. Keep it simple.
Healthy Bones
Walking helps to promote and increase our bone density. This is important throughout all ages. The more dense your bones, then the more healthier are the bones and the less likely injuries will occur to those bones. Our ancestors’ bone density completely trumps ours today. Due to the fact that we have become very soy and sedentary, in others words, sitting about all day, little to no exercise, and eating fake foods that damage our overall health. Our ancestors had the opposite to these in abundance and what’s more, they used to walk far more than what we do now. This resulted in them having a greater bone density than us today.
Sleep Quality
Regular physical activity has been shown to aid in improved sleep quality and the duration of your sleep. Want deeper sleep, exercise more.
By going on a walk, this keeps you in check with your circadian rhythm. What do I mean by circadian rhythm? Your circadian rhythm is the 24hour clock of your body, in response to its light environment. Or, your sleep to wake cycle. By going for walks at different parts of the day, typically the morning and afternoon, you are getting your body prepared for the day or for physical activity, intern, waking you up accordingly. It’s important that you are exposing yourself to natural sources of light, ie, the sun. In times today where we are succumbed by artificial lights/blue lights, that affect our endocrine system and just as importantly, our circadian rhythm. It is a leading cause to the deterioration of our health today. I will make an article regarding this very shortly. Anyway, back on topic. Going for a walk through out the day will be very important for you in order to get natural light and to keep in check with your circadian rhythm.
Going for regular walks also reduces stress & anxiety. Walking stimulates the production of endorphins (endorphins are the brains feel-good chemicals), these endorphins help to reduce stress & anxiety which tend to disrupt your sleep.
Muscle recovery
Walking helps to increase blood flow, this helps to transport oxygen and nutrients to your muscles. It would be beneficial for you to walk after a workout in order to remove lactic acid build-up, which, after your workout, is now a waste product. Better circulation = better muscle recovery.
To add, if you’re someone, like most people, who at some point would have suffered from muscle stiffness or tension, walking helps to stretch out your muscles. As mentioned above, this helps to encourage blood flow which helps for the targeted muscle to recover faster. This helps in the prevention of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), and if you’re someone who works out regularly and trains with a high intensity whilst progressively overloading, you will know all about the Dreaded DOMS. Personally, I don’t mind it as such because I know that I have hit the targeted muscle group/s effectively.
Walking also boosts your lymphatic flow. Your lymphatic system helps to clear out toxins and waste from the body. The drainage has to be done some what manually. Walking is a great way to drain toxins, as well as lymphatic drainage such as body slapping, facial massage, Gua Sha, skipping and a body massage.
Final honourable mentions, walking supports long-term muscle health, promotes relaxation and improves range of motion (joint related).
When to walk for recovery? Throughout the day, after a workout, first thing in the morning. Whenever. Just Get Walking!
Walking after a meal
Have you ever gone for a walk after eating one of your meals? No? Well, you’re going to want to add this into your daily routine and make it a habit that lasts a lifetime.
Walking shortly after consuming your meal helps you digest your food much better than just sitting around. The walk helps to stimulate the muscles in your stomach and intestines which promotes better digestion. The body, when performing a physical activity, is required to use stored energy as a fuel source. So your body will burn off energy stored as well as the food (which is converted into energy in the form of glucose and fatty acids) you have just consumed. This leads to a drop in blood sugar levels. Why? After you eat, your blood sugar spikes. A 15 minute walk (minimum) uses up the sugar (glucose) to keep stable blood sugar levels.
And finally, a walk after a meal will help you with discomforts such as bloating. Walking initiates your body to speed up the process of food digestion to help to relieve you of gas, bloating or indigestion.
A study took place to further back up this point. The background of the study was to find a “way to cope with blood sugar spikes”. And this was related to “engaging in physical activity in temporal proximity to food intake.” The objective was to “identify the impact of pre and post meal exercise in glucose excursions in humans with and without type 2 diabetes.”
The conclusion to the study was that “walking has a greater acute beneficial impact on postprandial hyperglycaemia when undertaken as soon as possible after a meal rather than a longer interval or before eating.”
Sunlight Exposure
Is this suitable for everyone? Yes. Is this as beneficial to everyone? Yes! Will everyone reap the rewards of this all year round? NO. But why? Let me explain.
This is very dependent of where in the world you live. Period. If you are someone who lives in the tropics, or somewhere where there is mostly sun all year round, then you haven’t got much to worry about as you will have a lot of exposure to the glorious sun. However, if you are someone, like myself, who lives in Northwest Europe, then sunlight and the full ray of the sun, is hard to come by all year round. Does this mean you should stop going out for a walk due to the lack of sunshine? Absolutely not.
Through out the winter, autumn and the early parts of spring, there are some days where there is a bit of sunlight. I do believe, however, that this would be more prominent if it wasn’t for geo-engineering and for “the elites” who are trying to make us weaker. Don’t believe me? Look up at the skies throughout the day. What you deem as “clouds” are not clouds at all. They are described as some sort of crystals let out by planes - total rubbish. It’s fake weather conditions deployed to deprive you of the esoteric benefits of the sun. Hail Helios, Hail Sunna.
Sunlight is the natural source of Vitamin D. Vitamin D is very essential for your bone health, your immune system as well as your mood regulation. YOU SHOULD NOT FEAR THE SUN! The sun in your friend. The narrative today has been pushed alarmingly that “the sun is not good for you”, “the sun causes skin cancer”, “the sun kills”. All of those quotes, especially the 2nd quote couldn’t be further from the truth. What is causing the problems that you “suffer from the sun”, is 1. Your diet & lifestyle, and 2. What you put on your skin. I’m not going to dive deep into this today. I will make a separate post for my newsletter regarding the esoteric benefits of the sun.
As mentioned under sleep quality regarding circadian rhythm, the sun plays a KEY role in this. Exposure to natural light keeps your body in check, when to be awake, when to be alert, and the production of melatonin (sleep hormone) for the night and less during the day.
And finally, for my Aryan brothers originating and living in North West Europe, or parts of America and elsewhere around the globe where sunlight isn’t always accessible year round. Make sure you get outside in the summer, absorb the Vitamin D from the gleaming rays of the glorious sun, and embrace your Aryan spirit. Because, when it comes to the winter, as you’ll know by now, the sun is hard to come by. To add, our bodies have adapted overtime to store Vitamin D from the summer, so get as much as you can.
One final point to make, for you fellas. Do not be afraid to take your t-shirt off, when on a walk, to soak in all the Vitamin D possible. So what if someone looks at you. Embrace you’re physique. Do not give a shit about anyone else.
How walking solves problems - mentally, physically, spiritually
Now, I can tell you now, as I know I speak for myself and others here. That there has been a time when you been at home or elsewhere pondering about a problem, be it physical, mental or spiritual and you do not know how to solve it. You’ve hit a brick wall. Not sure how to solve this occurring problem. Do me a favour. GO FOR A WALK. I am telling you now, you will solve what ever problem is troubling you. I can speak of experience. Need questions answered (by you), go for a walk and ponder on the question, you will soon have an answer. Don’t come home until you have an answer. Seriously.
But the question you’re probably thinking is, “What makes this happen?”. As I have previously alluded to before, walking increases your heart rate, which leads to improved circulation. The more oxygen and nutrients that are delivered to your brain, helps to improve your brain function. This emphasises the growth of new brain cells (in the hippocampus), which improves your memory and learning.
Walking enhances your focus and attention. Hence why it is essential for solving problems. Being sedentary for too long, depletes your attention span. Walking gives you a boost/reset which improves your concentration. This makes it easier to focus on tasks.
Finally, walking reduces cortisol (the stress hormone). Stress leads to poor health and a reduction in testosterone production (the main male sex hormone that effects our overall health).
Walking solves your problems. So do me a favour. GO FOR A WALK!
To be one with nature
It’s important to be one with nature as nature is divine, we are nature, nature is all, nature is beyond good & evil. To be amongst nature, is very much blissful.
Walking outdoors, especially in green spaces or natural environments, enhances the mood-lifting benefits of walking and may provide additional therapeutic effects by reducing stress and improving relaxation.
The experience that I have received when walking amongst nature, is a far greater experience than walking around streets. A journey to my local woods didn’t just take me for walk (physical), but took me on a spiritual journey, a journey to observe and to understand the divine. Whilst walking amongst the vast array of trees, I took time to meditate on/under a tree, keeping constant contact with the tree. Feeling the life force of the tree and the energy in which it gives off. I also engraved the runic Algiz, representing the upper branches of Yggdrasil, to signify protection, affirmation of life, growth, luck and connection to the higher self. I further encountered in a light spa with my brother to test our physical capabilities and to push ourselves to be better and wiser. Something which I believe represents the good and evil that nature is. And finally, topping it off by gazing at the every flowing stream of water, where the sound of the water is oh so soothing to the ears. And this whole experience, gave me the feeling thereafter the 2 hour walk in the woods, a feeling that I have never felt before. I felt on top of the world, I felt the best I had ever felt. It was something that few words could describe. And it is a journey you must someday, embark on for yourself.
A study took place to measure the positive and negative effects of a single walk amongst nature in-comparison to urban settings. “Patients (37 adults with the mean age of 49) completed a single 60 minute walk in both nature and an urban setting. Different points of the walk (start, halfway and the end) and points after the walk (post-walk, bedtime, 24 & 48 hours after).” Results showed that those who walked in nature had lower negative affects, compared to those that walked in urban areas. The conclusion, Walking in nature is much more beneficial in diminishing negative affects. I must also add, these were patients with major depressive disorder.
Study: "The Restorative Effects of Nature: Toward an Integrative Framework" (2008)
Findings: Natural environments have a restorative effect on the brain, helping to reduce cognitive fatigue, stress, and mental exhaustion.
Conclusion: Nature walks can lead to improved mood and reduced stress
Study: "Walking Through Nature: Can the Benefits of Walking in Nature Be Recreated in a Virtual Environment?" (2015)
Findings: Walking in real natural environments produced greater improvements in cognitive function, including enhanced memory and focus, than virtual environments.
Conclusion: Nature walks appear to have superior cognitive benefits compared to walking in other environments, making them an effective tool for boosting mental clarity.
Study: "The Cognitive Benefits of Walking in Nature" (2014)
Findings: Walks in a natural environment performed better on creative problem-solving tasks than those who walked in an urban setting. The natural environment helped participants think more broadly and creatively.
Conclusion: Walking in nature can boost creativity by promoting divergent thinking and problem-solving skills.Walking after eating - improves digestion
Esoteric Benefits of Walking
Whilst you probably, actually you most certainly believe that nature only has physical benefits. But I must tell you, the benefits that walking goes way beyond the physical plane. Just as much as walking has its physical benefits, it too is esoteric and it also, more certainly spiritual.
Grounding/earthing paired with walking is something that will be very beneficial to you. The concept of grounding is natural grounds such as grass, sand, soil or even the sea helps you to tap into the Earth’s natural energy field. But what does this do? This helps to discharge of negative ions and absorb positive ions, and this helps to decrease inflammation over the body and improves sleep.
I cam speak from my experience that grounding made me feel so much better afterwards (connection with the earth). My feet felt a lot less lighter, I felt really good about my self, plus, I also done this whilst working out in the sun, which felt great (also helps with the health and strength of your feet).
Walking amongst nature greatly enhances your spirituality as your mind enters a flow state. Buddhist’s understand the power of walking as the walk itself brings you into the present moment which will deepen your spiritual growth and become a better you.
If you to are a fellow Pagan, life myself, then you will know and believe that nature is divine and is constantly surrounded/engulfed by the Gods and Divine Spirits. Whilst walking, meditate on/under a tree will connect you with nature, you will form a greater connection with the Gods and Spirits surrounding us, it will greatly elevate you spiritually. You can thank me later after trying this (I expect a thank you as well!).
Tom Roswell (STJ) post regarding walking and the esoteric nature
Additional Information
A man I must mention whose content who I have come across not too recently is David Weck. His methods are deemed as “false” or “incorrect”, but there is a lot of truth to what he displays. His philosophy, correct me if I’m wrong, is based around moving correctly, explosive, to spring, to not have a tight core, to be able to coil, to have a purpose in every step. It is referred to as the “Weck Method”. But what does this have to do with walking? As mentioned, to have a purpose in every step, be it walking, running or whatever physical activity you are performing, The ability to load up the weight on one side, and bring the power being coiled through. This has a lot to do with walking. Why? The way in which a lot of people walk today (myself included but this is changing as you are reading this) are very stiff when they walk. They have no courage, too tight (braced core), no confidence, looks very tiresome. His philosophy of movement does the complete opposite. For athletes, this is a must . This is a must for EVERYBODY!
Conclusion
Right, so what is the takeaway from all of this then?
Go for a walk and do it often.
Walk after your meals.
Walk for muscle recovery.
Walk to heal your anxiety and depression.
Walk in nature to become more spiritual and connect with nature.
Walk to solve your problems.
Walk for better sleep.
Walk for better weight management.
Walk for healthier bones.
Walk your way to a batter walk.
Walk, because you must.
Walk… because your life depends on it…
Further Studies:
1. Walking and Reduction in Depression Symptoms:
Study: "Effects of a Walking Program on Depressive Symptoms and Mood in Older Adults" (2005)
Published in: The Journal of Gerontology
Summary: This study examined the effects of a 12-week walking program on older adults with symptoms of depression. The results showed that participants who engaged in regular walking experienced significant improvements in depressive symptoms and mood. The walking group also reported increased energy levels and improved physical health.
Key Finding: Regular walking led to notable reductions in depression symptoms, particularly in older adults who often face challenges related to mobility and social isolation.
2. Walking and Mental Health in the General Population:
Study: "Physical Activity and Depression: A Review of the Literature" (2012)
Published in: American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine
Summary: This comprehensive review of numerous studies found that physical activity, including walking, was associated with significant reductions in depressive symptoms. The review highlighted the importance of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (such as walking) in preventing and treating depression.
Key Finding: Walking was found to have both acute and long-term positive effects on mood, reducing the severity of depression and preventing relapse.
3. Walking as an Intervention for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD):
Study: "Walking and Depression: A Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of Walking on Depression"
Published in: Mental Health and Physical Activity (2017)
Summary: This meta-analysis examined the results of multiple studies investigating the effects of walking on individuals diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD). The analysis found that walking was an effective intervention for reducing depressive symptoms, with the greatest effects observed in individuals who walked at least 30 minutes per day, several times a week.
Key Finding: Walking was found to be a cost-effective, accessible, and non-pharmacological treatment for depression, with effects comparable to more intensive forms of exercise or psychotherapy.
4. Walking Outdoors and Mood Improvement:
Study: "The Influence of Nature on Mental Health and Well-Being: An Overview of the Evidence" (2013)
Published in: The International Journal of Environmental Health Research
Summary: This study explored the mental health benefits of walking in natural environments (i.e., parks, forests) compared to walking in urban areas. Participants who walked in nature showed a significant improvement in mood, stress reduction, and feelings of relaxation, compared to those who walked in urban settings.
Key Finding: Walking in nature (or "green exercise") was found to be particularly beneficial for reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety, with the natural environment offering additional therapeutic benefits beyond the physical exercise itself.
*NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. SEEK ADVICE FROM A PROFESSIONAL. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH*