I learned something new about Hot Girl Walks (and all walks) recently - they’re great for boosting creativity. Walking comes with a whole host of benefits, which we’ll get into, but creativity was a new one for me. The American Psychological Association put out a study looking at the relationship between walking and creativity, and interestingly, they found that there were similar levels of increased creativity whether someone was walking outdoors or inside on a treadmill. This surprised me, but it drives home an important point - it doesn’t matter where you’re walking, it’s just important to get moving. As a bonus, the study found a residual effect on creativity even when participants were seated back at their desks. 

Shout out to Tik Tok for bringing walking back, because there are very few downsides and the upsides are massive:

It’s great for your heart. When we think of aerobic activity, we usually think of running or jumping rope or rapid popcorn squats, but it doesn’t have to be that serious. Walking gets your heart rate up, which is all you really need to improve your heart health (and most people would argue that walking is a lot more enjoyable than burpees).

It improves cognition. This ties in a bit with the creativity piece. Research shows that walking can help lower the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia. It can help stimulate your problem solving capabilities and help you approach a difficult task from a different perspective. The next time you feel like you’re getting nothing done at work, take a 30 minute walk and see if you notice a difference when you come back to your computer. 

It’s been shown to improve mood. Research in young adults found that walking specifically helped them regulate their emotions. Regular walkers were less likely to get angry and let small things bother them. The world could use more of that energy. 

Helps improve sleep quality. And we all need better sleep. 

Can help fight depression. It seems like every day, scientists are finding more and more evidence of the mind/body connection. In addition to all of the other benefits walking has on the brain, it can also help fight depression. I would imagine this effect is even greater if the sun is out and you can couple your walk with a healthy dose of Vitamin D. 

Walking may help you live longer. If you’re anything like me, you’re looking to not just live long, but live well. Walking can help you accomplish both. 

Maybe it’s the San Diego sunshine, or maybe it’s just seeing how much joy it brings Rasta, but either way, I’ve been very into our walks lately. They help me take a step back from the wild ride that is life and reset my mind and nervous system. Most problems seem smaller to me after a good long wander. I’m partial to the outdoors, but you do what you gotta do when it rains, my beloved Pacific Northwesterners. Happy walking to all! 

Sources:

https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/xlm-a0036577.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6064756/

https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/hormone-links-exercise-cognitive-benefits

https://www.goodrx.com/well-being/movement-exercise/benefits-of-walking

https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12966-014-0132-x 

https://www.prevention.com/fitness/a20485587/benefits-from-walking-every-day/