Written by Brooke McCracken
Article
Exercise, Health & Wellness
Want avoid the afternoon slump and improve you mood? Get out of the office during lunch and take some time for yourself. Just a 10-minute walk can help you with the following:
1. Walking reduces stress and helps you clear your mind to improve cognitive functioning.
A morning of work can be stressful and by the time lunch rolls around, being able to step away from our tasks is necessary. Even when it may be tempting to work through your lunch break, it is important to get up from your workspace and move your body. By stimulating muscular contraction, your nervous system activates endorphin-releasing cells, so you are not only getting the chance to include some activity in your day, but you also will begin to relax, even experiencing a decrease in anger and hostility. By releasing built-up stress from the morning, you will be more alert and even calmer to attack your post-lunch tasks.
2. Walking gives you a break from technology (phone/social media/email)
In today’s world, we are not only more locked into technology, but we are also more sedentary, and not as mobile as in previous years. Whether you are working from your home, inside an office, or at a desk somewhere, it is important to take time away from screens. It may be tempting to scroll through recent posts during your lunch break, but walking is an easy exercise that can give you a break and allow you to stay in touch with your surroundings, not just the notifications you’ve been receiving all day.
3. Walking improves sleep
The National Sleep Foundation discovered that low-impact physical activity has a positive correlation with sleep quality. As previously mentioned, blue light from computer, phone, or TV screens can disrupt the sleep/wake cycle. By including regular physical activity into your day, it will naturally encourage a regular melatonin release, which is the sleep hormone that promotes quality, restful sleep.
4. “Motion is Lotion” – move your body
Incorporating a once-a-day walk can help you lose or manage weight, prevent conditions such as high blood pressure, strengthen your bones, and improve balance and coordination. Also, walking for at least 10 minutes a day (or an hour each week) has been shown to prevent disability and arthritis pain in older adults. The Arthritis Foundation dictates that walking not only helps individuals lose and maintain weight (which in turn removes unnecessary stress from your joints), but it also decreases arthritis symptoms. Having regular, low-impact exercise, will make it more than likely that joint pain will be kept at bay, along with increases in muscle strength. To build lean muscle, a walking exercise routine can be a great way to stay active and build lean muscle. While it may not produce the same physical results as weight training offers, picking up the pace, changing the terrain, and adding hills into your walking route will further strengthen your lower body.
5. Walking increases your heart rate
To stimulate your cardiovascular system, walking briskly 5-7 times per week has been proven to lower the risk of developing heart disease, as well as improving heart function. Just as you train your skeletal muscles, the heart needs to be trained, and with regular exercise, it will strengthen over time. Also related to cardiovascular health, evidence suggests that regular walking regulates blood pressure, improves pulmonary function, and lowers cholesterol, all of which are correlated to cardiovascular health.
6. An opportunity to get some fresh air
After a long stuffy morning at your desk, a walk outside in the fresh air can be all you need to reset and recenter with nature. A positive relationship has been found between time spent outdoors and overall mental well-being. Not only boosting physical health, physical activity, or walking in our case, it is a safe exercise which requires no special skill.
7. Time to rediscover the community where you work or live
Whether working from home or at the office, becoming acquainted with your surroundings is key. You may have been living in a community for years, but without time to simply think and look around, it can be hard to appreciate the beauty in all that is around you.
8. Your brain is more creative when moving as compared to sitting.
Due partially to increased blood flow during exercise, your brain works better as you move, or just after you move. According to a 2014 study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, Learning, Memory, and Cognition, going for a walk can spark creativity.
9. Walking can improve your mood.
As mentioned above, there are many similarities between an increase in exercise and improvements in mental health. It has also been shown to boost self-esteem and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.
10. Walk with a friend and enjoy a little social time
Meeting up with a friend or coworker in the middle of your day is a great way to incorporate some physical activity while also enjoying social time. This can help you to feel connected, improve self-confidence and interpersonal relationships, as well as lifting your spirits and inspire you to continue through the rest of your day with determination.