When it comes to health, following the guidance of nature is honestly the best advice out there. Nature knows how to heal, it knows how to grow, and it knows how to prosper. Really, the only time Mother Earth doesn’t function properly is when we (humans) mess with it! No matter what your health goals, a daily nature walk will benefit you in ways you never even imagined.
In today’s article, you’ll learn why nature walks are so powerful and the importance of daily movement when it comes to health.
The healing power of nature walks
We all know how calming a walk in nature is. You get to hear the crunch of twigs and leaves under your shoes, your see and hear the beautiful birds, and you smell the grass and the fresh air and scent of flowers; it’s so refreshing.
I recently read the book, The Japanese Art and Science of Shinrin-Yoku, which details how beneficial daily nature walks are for your health. Shinrin-Yoku, also known as Forest-bathing, is the act of spending time outdoors, in a forest, undisturbed and away from technology. In other words, a nature walk. The book cites research that shows a 1-3 hour walk in nature increases your cancer killing T-cells by about 300%; those levels remain that high for about a month after just one walk!
Besides that health benefit, the time spent during the walk will allow you to clear you mind and refocus on what matters to you. You’ll probably have a lot of thoughts zooming through your mind at the beginning of your walk, but as your continue, you’ll notice your mind and body both start to calm down.
Daily nature walks relationship with movement and health
As I’ve posted before, there are many avenues to health. Healthy eating is actually just one out of many ways to lose weight faster and reach optimal health. Exercise, is often an area that faces a lot of resistance in reaching one’s health goals.
A lot of people don’t like it, don’t feel like it, and think it’s just too strenuous on their bodies. If you want to get healthy, these are definitely excuses you’re going to need to work through, however, there’s something easier than running and lifting weights… it’s going for walks.
When it comes to exercise, consistency and daily movement and way more important than big, scheduled workouts. These workouts are obviously important and you should progress towards them, but daily movement is the action that’s going to move the needle the most. Often times, people workout during the morning, then the rest of the day they are sitting on their butts. That’s not bringing about good health.
With a daily nature walk, you can get consistent exercise everyday and explore all the cool areas where you live. I don’t know anyone who would turn down “exercise” that is fun, refreshing, and exciting! That’s the power of a daily nature walk. It’s so easy that you can’t turn it down!
Daily movement is better than big exercises
Don’t stress yourself out with hard workouts and long hours at the gym. Exercise should be fun, not painful. Making more of an effort to move throughout the day will not only speed up your weight loss, it will energize and make your feel good for the whole day. Our bodies were meant to move, so move them!
Tips to move more throughout the day
Here’s a few areas where you can add more movement into your day:
- Get up and move for 5 minutes after sitting for 30 minutes
- Have exercise snacks ready to go (put a pull-up bar in your office, have a yoga mat nearby, have little weight around, etc)
- Use a standing desk
- Go for a daily nature walk on your break
- Schedule in times to move throughout the day and set timers at work or home if necessary
- Take the stairs whenever possible
- Bike or walk somewhere close instead of taking a car
One of the best ways to practice moving more throughout the day is to get an accountability partner to keep you on track and remind you to move. Even better, a health coach to guide you through the process of making tiny modifications to your lifestyle. No matter what you do, remember that it’s the consistent movement that’s important for your health.
Wrap-Up
Nature walks are refreshing, energizing, and good for your health. They keep you moving and are great to clear your mind and organize your thoughts. On top of that, they are the best form of exercise because they can be done consistently and with ease! Take time this week to incorporate more movement and nature walks in your own life and watch as the benefits start to come to fruition.
Do you like to go on nature walks?
What’s your favorite type of exercise?
Let me know in the comments below.
