If you’re feeling mentally out of sorts, not bad enough to seek help, but definitely not your best, walking can be a good way to boost your mood. It can be done anywhere and if it’s cold outside, walk in a shopping mall. Some even have walking paths already marked and measured. Walking is something everyone can do and you don’t need special equipment. However, if you plan on walking a lot, make sure your shoes are comfortable. If you plan on maintaining walking as a form of exercise, shop for some good walking shoes. You can do that while you’re walking in a shopping mall. They will help make the walk better on your feet by ensuring proper placement and boost your endurance.
You don’t have to stress your body either.
While breaking a sweat or boosting your heart rate helps improve the benefits, even leisurely walking can help. However, the best way to walk is to modify your pace while you’re walking, doing a few minutes at higher intensity and then dropping back to a recovery pace for the same length of time and then moving back to high intensity.
There’s scientific proof that aerobic exercise like walking can help improve your overall attitude.
If you have a serious depression or feelings of anxiety, always seek help from a professional, but for others, you can increase your exercise, eat healthier and get adequate sleep. Walking is one way of increasing exercise and studies show that it helps. In fact, the studies using people with anxiety or depression as subjects are quite convincing. They used walking as an adjunct therapy and found it just as effective as medication, but without any side effects. Not only did the action of walking burn off hormones of stress, but it also boosted circulation, which improved not only the mood of the individual, but also their brain’s performance.
Activity is a natural response to stress.
If you’ve ever been in a room where families are waiting for the results of a loved one’s surgery, you’ve probably noticed at least one person pacing, rather than just sitting stressing. The action of pacing is a natural way to help the body deal with the changes that are made due to the stress hormones. Depression can occur due to chronic stress, so it only makes sense to burn off the stress and start a program of walking.
- When the weather permits, walking outside in a setting with trees and other greenery, like a park or nature preserve, can add to the calming feeling and improve your mood even more.
- Some people find an area where they can walk barefoot. It may be at the beach or in a park. They believe that the grounding that occurs when your bare feet touch the ground also provides benefits.
- You’ll not only improve your mental attitude, but you’ll also improve your overall health when you walk regularly. Feeling good can also improve your overall mood.
- If you want to make your walk more challenging, carry weights or use arm or leg weights when you walk. No matter how or where you walk, just getting out and moving can be a way to improve your mood and ultimately life a far better mood.
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