Walking is a Superpower - yes really!

While running an ultra-marathon or lifting more than our body weight may not be accessible (or desired!) to all, one form of movement, in most cases, is – The Humble Walk.  It’s low impact, requires no special equipment and we can pretty much do it anywhere.  It is quite simply – a Superpower.

When we walk, we establish a rhythm, a rhythm that our brain waves match and mirror. This in turn tunes us into more creative states and prime us to apply better, more creative solutions to problems post-walk.

There IS a raft of evidence to support the claim that walking increases creativity.

In his recent studies, Neuroscientist, Professor O’Mara saw 70-year-old walkers outperform 20 year old sedentary students in tests of creativity.

Neuroscientists agree that moderate exercise increases the size of the hippocampus – the part of the brain responsible for memory – by increasing the level of BDNF. This reduces our risk of developing dementia by 30%.

Further studies have shown that it’s never to late for your brain to benefit from walking – put simply:

“We don’t stop walking because we get old, we get old because we stop walking.”

Until recently, many of us walked with the sole purpose of getting somewhere. Over the last 18 months, we have grown to love walking for walking’s sake. Now as we begin to see light at the end of a long tunnel and a gradual return to a way of living and working that we recognise slightly from pre-Covid times - how can we retain the joy and benefits of walking as our working lives shift and change once more?

This article gives some suggestions to tap into increased productivity and creativity while retaining the positive physical and mental wellbeing gains of walking.

1. Focus on a challenge or issue and make walking time thinking time

Before you leave your home/desk for your walk. Write down a challenge or issue that’s troubling you on a piece of paper. Read what you have written and then pop the piece of paper in your pocket. This will bring the issue to the forefront of your mind and set an aim for your walk - to explore potential solutions before you return inside.

2. Make it a walking meeting.

Check out your next planned 1 to 1 meeting in your schedule and contact that person suggesting that you “walk and talk” - in person or on the ‘phone. If you really need access to tools or equipment suggest splitting the meeting in two. First 15 mins walking to get the creative and problem solving juices flowing and then pick up online or in the office.

Or join one of our NETwalks and build your business network while hitting your step count.

3 Rehearse a presentation or reinforce learning

Mentally rehearsing a presentation or pitch while you’re out walking has the added advantage of being able to set memory cues from your route/environment. Use a route that you know like the back of your hand to rehearse a presentation or embed learning. Take a physical walk while reciting your talk, pitch, study notes etc in your head, hanging key points on landmarks along the way.  Next time take the walk “in your head” and I guarantee that you will be able to remember the key points.  Your brain will have attached these to the physical landmarks and only needs you to think of the land mark on the route to help you retrieve the associated part of your presentation.

4. Listen to an audio book or podcast

It’s far from a new suggestion, but listening to an audio book or podcast while walking works in much the same way as the previous tip – you’ll remember more of the content for some time after a walk and the learning points will return to you when you next take the same walk.

5. Turn it into a gratitude walk

Use your walk as time to give gratitude or be more mindful.  To get you started decide on for example a colour theme for your walk and then really notice your surroundings and acknowledge everything you see in that colour OR work through the alphabet while walking naming something you are grateful for for every letter from A to Z – good luck with X!

Here’s to creative walking!