Walking Is Good For The Brain
One of the specialists who supports this is the neurologist Jose Angel Obeso, director of the Integral Center of Neurosciences in Madrid. His daily activity in the hospital and experience with depressed people helped him realize how therapeutic it is to walk for at least an hour a day, in a natural setting.
Depression, or even periods of stress and anxiety, can cause a deficit in the fundamental cognitive processes in the brain. They affect our memory, understanding, creativity, etc. If we walk every day, all these processes will be improved.
Therefore, you have no excuse. After you finish reading this article, we are sure that you will put into practice this simple and effective remedy: walking!
The brain on “autopilot” and unhappiness
There is another interesting aspect that we should take into account. We all have habits that, without realizing it, put the brain on “autopilot”, causing stress. Remember the following information:
- The biggest enemy of the brain is routine. The fact that we do the same things every day causes us to fall into a kind of depression and inevitable discouragement. Gradually, the brain slows down. Due to lack of motivation, memory is less active.
- Routine decreases our enthusiasm, and the resulting feeling of discouragement considerably affects the brain, as a result of the reduction in the number of nerve connections, synapses, etc.
- With each passing day, the brain begins to function in an automatic manner. There are no more moments of joy or creativity. The brain is governed by predetermined directives. This endangers our mental and physical health.
According to Dr. Jose Angel Obeso, the “autopilot” brain is a widespread phenomenon in big cities.
We are talking about those people who are especially concerned about their own emotional needs. People living in large, heavily polluted cities face high levels of stress.
Walking, an act of expressing personal freedom
“People who walk are not burdened with obligations, but are surrounded by the simple pleasure of freeing themselves step by step from everything that presses on them.”
Dr. Jose Angel Obeso claims that the benefits are not visible from day one, but after at least a week of constant walking. Only then will we notice the following therapeutic results:
- When we walk, the brain is not preoccupied with anything else. Walking is a simple activity that gives you a generous amount of oxygen. Clean air manages to accentuate your well-being.
- In these moments the frontal lobe is stimulated, this being associated with creativity and mood. If we add to the equation the natural release of endorphins, the magic happens. The brain is full of euphoria and optimism.
- As your mood improves, so does your creativity. We don’t feel any pressure anymore. The hormone called cortisol, which is secreted during stress, disappears. At this point, we begin to look at things from a different perspective. We become more relaxed, more excited.
- In general, we operate in very narrow places. These are limited and crowded spaces. These familiar places usually make us more tense. But when we take a walk in nature, the open space is perceived as an act of freedom and expansion.
Contact with nature and walking
According to Dr. Jose Angel Obeso, we must seek contact with nature. It’s like going back to my mother’s womb. It is not a spiritual act but an organic necessity. If we walk around the city, we are only contaminating ourselves with the air we breathe.
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A half-hour walk – benefits and tips
Through this article, we invite you once again to adopt the habit of walking every day for at least half an hour. Walk in the park, in the mountains, on the beach.
You will see that in just a few weeks your physical and mental health will improve. Walking is definitely better than painkillers or vitamins!
