Definition
Combining two things that are good for you - walking and being outside - is easy to do and can be hugely beneficial for your creativity and psychological & physical well-being.
How to Do It
Walk outside on a regular basis, at any speed you’d like (faster walks are better for fitness). Each walk should be at least 20 minutes long - or thereabouts. To get the most out of being outside, walks should occur within natural features like parks, forests or merely a few trees planted along an avenue. In general though, greener is better.
Benefits
- May boost creativity
- May improve mood and stress management ability
- Brisk walks can reduce the risk of heart disease
Time Commitment
At least 20 minutes a day
Why it works
- Literally wandering around can make your mind wander too. And this helps the creative process. Counter-intuitively, being distracted by irrelevant trains of thought can increase the frequency of idea generation and improve creative reasoning.
- Being near natural, green, features provides a setting for separation from the demands of the modern world. This improves mental health by giving your mind a change of pace.
- In terms of physical health, the activity involved in walking is far better than being sedentary. It can develop muscles and burns calories.
Suggested Frequency
Daily
Supporting Studies and Articles
- https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/6/9/2332
- https://academic.oup.com/jpubhealth/article/33/2/212/1585136
- https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2014-14435-001
- https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0051474&__hstc=201303217.1bb630f9cde2cb5f07430159d50a3c91.1520640000085.1520640000086.1520640000087.1&__hssc=201303217.1.1520640000088&__hsfp=528229161
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10734-015-9926-2
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0956797612446024
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0013916507308524
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091743506005172
Side Effects
Scientists have identified no risks associated with walking outside. However, walking in dangerous areas during dark hours is not advised.
Gurus/Celebrities/Doing it
Julia Roberts
Bethenny Frankel
Katherine Heigl
Category Health/Productivity/Mood:
- Health
- Productivity
- Mood
Suggested Time of Day
Ideally you want to be outside when it’s daylight as there are benefits of sun exposure. But avoid dangerous sun Between 11am and 3 pm. So best times are 8am to 11am and 4pm to 7pm.
Notes
- A walk outside can replace a journey you’d usually take in a car or public transport. Why not save some money while you improve your well-being?
- Walking inside (on a treadmill, for example) can also boost creativity. Walking outside is more beneficial but if the weather is terrible, staying inside is a good alternative. Having a view of a green environment, like a park, while walking inside would be optimal.
- Morning times can be great for a walk to calm and focus your mind and get some good sun exposure.
