Fresh Air Drives Fresh Thinking, and 7 Other Creative Benefits of Walking
I often mention walking as one of my favorite ways to get myself out of a writing rut. Lately though, walking has risen in prominence on social media and among news outlets as a way to get the most out of your creative life. Never mind the physical health benefits (which are numerous)—walking might be one of the best ways to reset, reflect, and nurture yourself as you forge ahead with a manuscript.
7 Creative Benefits of Walking
From encouraging joy to letting your mind wander, here are seven benefits of taking things one step at a time.
1. The Guardian. Scroll down to #3, where you'll discover that when you're walking, you're “physically removed from many of the sources of distractions that might otherwise interfere with deep thought.”
2. Fast Company. Walking isn't just good for your personal projects, it can enhance your work life as well, and a few staffers took a week-long walking challenge. “A quick jaunt around the office allowed me to let my mind wander and invigorated my focus,” said one participant.
3. The Huffington Post. Need a mood boost? Walking in nature can do the trick. According to one study, “walking is an inexpensive, low risk and accessible form of exercise and it turns out that combined with nature and group settings, it may be a very powerful, under-utilized stress buster.”
4. The New York Times. This 2013 article claims there's a new pedestrian class sprouting up in Los Angeles, and that's a very good thing. “I love that people can’t be checking e-mail or Twitter during walking meetings. You’re awake to what’s happening around you, your senses are heightened and you walk away with something office meetings rarely give you — a sense of joy.” (It's also written by someone who lives in LA and doesn't have a car. Check out her blog on the subject.)
5. Ted. People sit longer than they sleep—9.5 hours a day! In this talk, sitting is called the smoking of our generation. It's a kick in the pants for anyone who needs a little encouragement to get outside of the box. I love the idea what she closes with: "Fresh air drives fresh thinking."
6. The New Yorker. Since the deep connection between walking, thinking, and writing has been documented by Greek philosophers, the walking has a long history of making us feel good. There's also a scientific reason, too. "When we go for w walk, the heart pumps faster, circulating more blood and oxygen not just to the muscles but to all the organs, including the brain."
7. Street Haunting. Not a news story, but a classic Virginia Woolf essay (one of my favorites, actually) on the pleasures of strolling London's streets in the hours between afternoon tea and dinner in search of a led pencil. Along the way, Woolf expands on the idea that walking simply isn't a mode of transportation, but a source of pleasure for the mind.
Cheers to the fresh air (and maybe a fresh insight or two).
