When you’re in a tense or anger-inducing situation, taking a walk can calm your mind – because it calms your body. Walking reduces stress in the body in several ways:
- It helps to eliminate stress hormones (such as adrenaline) from your body.
- It reduces tension in several large muscle groups – the glutes (buttocks), the quads (front of thighs) and hamstrings (back of thighs).
- It increases the production of beta-endorphins, which are thought to calm the body and promote restful sleep.
- It promotes an overall sense of wellbeing, inner and outer strength, confidence, and enhances self-esteem.
When you feel stressed, don’t take a pill or make an unhealthy food choice but walk away; walk toward a healthier life and coping strategy for dealing with stress.
Believe In Yourself,
Cathy
The absolutely most EFFECTIVE method I have found to “establish” a walking habit was to begin taking my dog for a morning walk!
They say it takes 6 weeks for a human to adopt a “habit” but it only took my dog 3 days to determine that this was something he LIKES and wants EACH AND EVERY DAY!
Every morning, rain or shine, at 6:30 AM he begins barking and carrying my walking shoes around the house. There are a LOT of mornings that I don’t FEEL like walking, but he can’t be talked out of it (unlike my human walking companions).