Fall and winter are times of the year when the weather feels crisp, while at times cold and windy. The sky is often cloudy and seems to call people to sit indoors and curl up by the fire. During these seasons, keeping yourself active is more important than ever to fight off the effects of the cold weather.
One of the most helpful exercises it turns out is walking. This low-impact exercise is free to take up, yet offers all of the benefits of more stressful workouts. Walking attunes the body to the rhythm of nature and the planet. Walking has been shown to improve both the human spirit and emotional well being. Mental tasks are more efficient after a good walk. One type of walking from ancient times is becoming anew again. This ancient branch of science is called “earthing.”
Modern Science Meets Ancient Science:
“Earthing” is walking that contacts with the bare earth. This includes dirt roads, sand, grass and any part of the planet that is natural. This does not include walking on pavement, cement or tiled walkways. Modern studies have shown that earthing exposes the body to electrons on the earth’s surface. These electrons can travel through the skin of the feet and offer the body some great benefits. These studies have shown the following benefits for practitioners of earthing:
**Increased Antioxidant Levels
**Strengthens cardiovascular functions
**Less Pain
**More viscous blood
**Improved cortisol and hormonal balance
**Increased restful sleep
**Other benefits for some people
These studies show that our ancestors used this simple method to obtain good health.
Walking To Beat Cancer
Even if you need to walk on the pavement for practical reasons, such as poor gait, there are still benefits to simply walking. One of the best is for the prevention of cancers. There is a direct correlation between cancer improvement and the motion of the body. This also holds true for other chronic diseases including diabetes, heart problems, lung disorders and joint problems. Walking has a known effect on efficient circulation, muscle strength, immune response, toxin removal and oxygenation. Even if you don’t earth, put walking into your daily schedule.
Other Secret Benefits to Walking
Sometimes when we walk, we do not obtain all the benefits from it. If we are not concentrating on the rhythm of nature, some of the benefits are missed out. By walking with nature, our bodies become slowly in tune with the earth. This has a number of secret benefits, ones that might not occur if we do not allow ourselves to listen to the birds and our natural surroundings.
Two types of healing happen when we are walking with nature. One, a physiological rhythm develops a biological response that releases endorphins into our body. This leads to a heightened feeling of well-being that athletes speak about. The other response is an emotional rhythm. When we walk, certain feelings and problems come out to be reprocessed by our brains and body systems. From this rethinking, we find that many of our problems are easier to face and sometimes we come up with missing solutions. If we walk often enough and long enough, we find ourselves reprocessing our feelings and actions about the past in a new way.
As we walk, our breathing and walking pace become joined together. The walk becomes about keeping this rhythm together. This combination of movement and breathing together helps us reach higher levels of understanding and deeper abilities to process life around us. This is the secret benefit of walking – a healthier life both physically and mentally.
So, make a decision today to add ‘earthing’ to your life. The benefits to your health and well-being are all waiting there for you.
Val
