Solvitar Ambulando—It is Solved by Walking

    Can you mend a bad mood with a walk around the block? Could a stroll in the park ease the pain of a slammed door? Maybe!
    Perhaps St. Augustine exaggerates the impact of a walk in his declaration that “It is solved by walking.” Walking won’t solve everything, but it does help “solve” and “dissolve” the daily stress that compromises physical and emotional wellbeing. When problems mount and moods sag, a good walk can make a difference.
    Walking changes perspective. It moves us forward, literally and figuratively, on a path that reorganizes, refreshes, and revitalizes problem-solving skills. Equally important, walking boosts energy, and it doesn’t take a long walk to produce surprising benefits. Researchers at California State University Long Beach report that a brisk, ten-minute walk can bring an increase in energy that lasts up to two hours! Two hours of energy for a ten-minute walk? That’s an investment worth making!
    You’ll get even more healing benefits from that ten-minute walk when you add mindfulness to your steps. Start with a simple chant that puts your focus on your breath. “In, Out, In, Out, In, Out,” I often repeat in my head at the start of a walk. The words match the flow of my breath, encouraging deep inhalation and exhalation. They also block the to-do lists and conversations that play endlessly through my thoughts, stirring up anxiety and harping on well-worn themes.
    “In, Out, In, Out,” I respond when I notice my thoughts have zoomed away to probe another problem. “In, Out, In, Out,” mutes the mental banter that underlies much of the tension we experience. Research has shown that walkers who repeat “In, Out,” mentally as they walk achieve measurable stress release faster than walkers that let their minds “relax.”
    By stopping stressful thought patterns, even for a few minutes, you allow the chemistry of the body to return to healthy, balanced performance. A walk may not make a problem disappear, but you’ll increase the resourcefulness of body and brain. You’ll prepare yourself to feel better and perform better.
      “It is solved by walking.”

copyright© 2010-2011 Carolyn Scott Kortge. All rights reserved.