Walk your way to happiness
Will you be one of the thousands walking in the New Year, spurred on by Operation Transformation? Walking is the single best accessible exercise. Findings show that people who walk 15 to 30 minutes a day are healthier than people who don’t—they have fewer diseases and have better bone density. Walking improves digestion and decreases the risk of intestinal cancer, reduces risk of type II diabetes, and reduces insulin dependency of diabetics. Walking recalibrates energy/fat storage so the body becomes more efficient and trim. It’s just good all round.
Mindful walking exercise
With all our advances in technology, getting back to nature is the real deal. Mindfulness is the practice of bringing your awareness and attention into the present moment. Mindfulness takes us from the ‘doing’ mode, where we are trapped on auto-pilot, into the ‘ being’ mode. When mindful, you work from the standpoint of compassion, curiosity and acceptance towards yourself and your experiences. Mindfulness offers many ways to deepen your awareness, insights that can anchor you in the present and help you to keep things in perspective. It offers tools you can use in your daily life.
Have a go at mindful walking. It’s an excellent way of staying in the moment and letting go of your anxieties and worries. Try going to the garden, park, forest, river walk, lake or seaside. Become aware of your breath. Notice how many steps you take on your in-breath during this time. Count a few breaths in and out. This helps you to become aware of your breathing. Don’t try to control it. Just go along with what happens naturally. When you see something beautiful – such as a flower or ducklings on the water or children playing – stop and look at the scene. Notice that life exists in the present moment.
Plug into the great outdoors
Our natural environment is such a treasure that it pains me to see rubbish strewn in ditches. It’s a fundamental health resource, particularly in terms of disease prevention. Nature allows us to move from doing to being. Go get connected, to yourself and nature. Plug out and then Plug in to what’s around you in 2020!