By Rich Niccum, Education Services Manager
There are many healthy activities you can do in the parks, from running to biking to hiking. Personally, I most enjoy walking. I have never been a runner. I have tried it, and let’s just say running and I are not a good match. For me, my daily walk in nature goes a long way in helping me feel better both mentally and physically. Usually I am alone when I walk, sometimes with my ear buds in listening to my favorite music; but most times I hit the trails sans music, enjoying the cacophony of sounds around me.
Walking is an easy form of exercise typically requiring only a pair of comfortable tennis shoes. The physical benefits of walking just 30 minutes a day are many. Walking can help you maintain a healthy weight, increase your metabolism, prevent or manage conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes, strengthen your muscles and bones, improve your mood and creativity, and improve your balance and coordination. Studies have found that regular walking lowered blood pressure by as many as 11 points and can reduce your risk of stroke by 20-40%. People who walk 30 or more minutes, five days a week, were found to have a 30% lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared those who did not walk regularly. Walking in your favorite park or outdoor space can also help you sleep better at night. The natural light you receive while walking helps regulate the melatonin production in your body. Melatonin is a hormone produced by your brain when darkness sets in that controls your internal clock and makes you sleepy. The right amount of melatonin in your body helps you achieve a good night’s sleep.
The mental health benefits of walking in nature are just as great. It helps you destress, and trust me – many of us have a lot of stress in our personal and professional lives and really can use the time to unwind. Surrounding yourself with natural surroundings provides refreshment for your brain which in turn can improve your focus, creativity and problem-solving abilities. It gives you an important break from your daily work and gets you looking at something other than a screen. This provides a break for your eyes and is important for their overall health. Being out in nature also provides more opportunities for you to interact with other people and engage in social activities. While we need time to ourselves, interaction with others in our community provides important social connections that can help us fend off anxiety, stress and depression.
These benefits are great, but I have also found that on my daily walks I get to see some amazing things happening in nature, like the appearance of slime mold and the flittering of butterflies. These walks make me feel connected to the natural world and the changing seasons. Listening as I walk, the sounds of katydids, crickets, blue jays, and the sorrowful call of the mourning dove, take me back in time to childhood experiences in the outdoors. A couple of weeks ago I was walking the trails at Hogback Ridge Park and I heard something rustling in the bushes off the trail. The next thing I knew, a cooper’s hawk came flying out of the understory with a barred owl chasing immediately behind. The two birds swooped across the trail right in front of me, barely avoiding a collision, and back into the woods they went. On another walk at Hogback Ridge, I heard a loud hissing sound originating in the woods along the park road. At first my mind went to an angry song bird, but then as I stopped and listened closer, I quickly realized that it was the sound of a juvenile barred owl. I did a little searching through the trees and sure enough I spotted the young owl sitting on a branch. As I watched, the young bird flew from tree to tree, calling for its parents or possibly a sibling. I tried to get a couple of good photos, as I try to do on most of my walks, but they came out looking like those grainy Big Foot shots you see on the internet. Still, I never tire of these experiences on my walks.
So, if running, biking, or hiking isn’t for you, try a walk in the park. Keep at it and those walks will become a healthy habit that will yield many benefits. I can also guarantee that you will see some very cool things: just look and listen. It will be worth your time.
