Walking – Nature's miracle cure

Dry leaves crackle underneath your feet and silky mud sticks between your toes, you feel the tickling sensation of little twigs on the floor. Whether you enjoy this bare-foot sensation or prefer to put on sturdy footwear, your health benefits greatly from walking. As you move up hills and deep into forests, your stagnant thoughts and pulsating sources of stress appear in a new, less intense light. Suddenly, overwhelming problems transform into minor hurdles. A wall you have desperately been hitting your head against disappears without a sound.
But the advantages of walking were not a sudden discovery of modern humans. The most successful and famous people in history knew about those benefits, which we often belittle in today's society. Most of us feel there are better things to do than mindlessly wandering around.

The erect posture of man has had an impact as far back as the times of our neolithic ancestors. In pre-industrial societies, the natural resources of one's habitat primarily determined the chance of survival. The transformation of our forefeet into hands enabled us to make better use of fruits, rocks, and other natural products through tools. Furthermore, upright walking made it possible to identify sources of danger and food a lot earlier and made the transportation of life-sustaining structures during migration possible. Therefore, our walk is a sign of progress, a symbol of something new, and an invitation to embrace the constant change in our lives. Many famous scientists, actors, and politicians accepted that invitation. They pondered decisions, artistic endeavors, or the meaning of life while strolling through the middle of a forest or a city's cavernous alleys. Steve Jobs, founder of Apple and often described as a modern renaissance man, was known for his extensive walks. While enjoying the fresh air he used to solve problems, let his mind wander, or hold meetings. Aristotle and his peripatetic school were in constant movement through the academy's patio during their lectures, with the name of said school fittingly translating to writing walk or walking writing. Søren Kierkegaard saw a meditative connection between walking and writing. To him, a literal standstill resulted in negative thoughts and physical pain. He once said: "Every day, I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness."

Strolling, however, is not merely the pastime of an intellectual elite. Instead, each of these individuals understood the benefits of integrating the movement of one's feet into their daily routine. As our bodies wander and our eyes fleetingly catch the impression of something, we notice a change in perspective that can unexpectedly turn our world upside down. Often we find the solution, the thread of thought, or just the relaxation, which seemed so unattainable just a moment ago. A walk also has a tremendous influence on our mental condition. In a perfection-obsessed world, our physical image is constantly subject to the growing pressure of unrealistic beauty standards. As a result, physical activity becomes more of an overwhelming social obligation than an enjoyable hobby for most of us. Walking short distances, on the contrary, is an easy way to influence one's body image positively.
In addition to that, a month-long study discovered that participants who walked more exhibited a more positive sleep pattern. A slightly increased body temperature during walking signals a heightened sense of alertness, with a decreasing body temperature causing sleepiness afterward.
Arguably the most prominent benefit of walking, though, is stress reduction. The ever-growing expectations of our competitive work environments and financial liabilities drive us to find recluse in the digital spheres of televisions and smartphones. They suggest an escape from the never-ending desolation of our daily lives. Yet the effect is often contrary, as the infinite scroll drowns us in a current of ephemeral stimuli, causing our synapses to overload. Everything blinks and rinks. Our attention has never been as strained as right now, threatening to rip apart like an overstrained tendon at any moment. Consequences of our HPA axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis) working overtime include insomnia, anxiety, panic, or even hypertension and depression.

Each of us will have felt overwhelmed by life at some point. Going on no longer seems possible as impending deadlines and the pursuit of happiness trap us in our misery. It is a constant state of emergency, therefore forcing our sympathetic nervous system to focus all its physical resources on the few bodily functions necessary for survival. A short walk can work wonders in that regard. It increases blood flow and gradually improves our mood as our body levels return to normal. Slowly, our emotional regulation initiates a process of reflection, enabling us to formulate positive thoughts and imagine brighter futures for ourselves. Therefore, the recovery of positive thinking through movement and fresh air is not the work of some God, but based on biological facts.

Despite society's progress that drastically changed our lives, the number of challenges we face doesn't decrease. Harmful and long-term consequences for our health are the result. Walking in nature can have a healing effect and reduce those risks. Between the woods and meadows, there are no distractions. We smell subtle scents and notice soft noises as we saunter outside modernity's overstimulation. No appointments or flickering images overload our senses. Our body relaxes. We can breathe freely. It is a mental break and time for ourselves in this speed-obsessed world. So if we ever feel as though heaven is about to collapse and might bury us underneath it, we should remember our ancestors. Our walk is a sign of progress, a symbol of something new, and an invitation to embrace the constant change in our lives.