Find out what makes a ‘wellbeing walk’ and how you can get started
When was the last time you went for a stroll just because? Typically, we’re walking with purpose – to get from A to B, to walk the dog – and, often, we might not even be paying that much attention to our surroundings, perhaps head-down in a mobile phone as we quicken our pace.
The benefits of getting out in nature have been studied for many years. We know that being outdoors has the power to lift our mood, reduce stress and keep us grounded, and that’s why more and more counsellors and therapists are taking their sessions beyond the four walls of the therapy room. In fact, ecotherapy (in its many forms) has gained a lot of momentum in recent years.
When chatting with walk-and-talk therapist, Nigel Moyse, it quickly became clear to Kathryn – features editor at Happiful – why the combination of nature and therapy is becoming more popular. “I put it to Nigel that there’s something less confrontational about opening up when you’re walking, and he agrees.”
“You’re walking side by side, you’re not looking into each other’s eyes,” Nigel says. “That might be intimidating for some people, having someone looking at them the whole time.”
The principle can be applied to coaching sessions, too. Life coach Shawn Leek (known as ‘the mental health runner’) has held regular walks for the last few years after experiencing the benefits of keeping active himself, following his own mental health struggles. Exercise “kept him afloat”, he says in a recent BBC article.
In her article, ‘Coaching in motion: An introduction to walking coaching,’ Kim Furnish explores how you can benefit from taking coaching sessions outdoors. “Often, when we are attempting to find solutions to our problems we can get stuck in our heads – in habits of intellectualising and over-thinking. Walking coaching engages the body in physical exercise, leaving the mind free to focus on the here and now.”
What is a wellbeing walk?
A wellbeing walk, also called a ‘health walk’, is all about walking with the intention towards fostering health, wellbeing and happiness.
You can do a wellbeing walk on your own but the term more commonly refers to group walks, which are organised by walking communities. These walks are promoted as being anywhere between 10 and 90 minutes, free and, most importantly, accessible. The Ramblers' Association notes that their routes are designed for all abilities and are wheelchair-friendly.
Walking for around 30 minutes a day (or as often as you can) helps improve and maintain health and wellbeing. So, naturally, doing it with friends or having the opportunity to meet new people only makes it more enjoyable.
What makes a walk a ‘wellbeing walk’?
The truth is, there’s no definitive answer to this. What you do on a walk to take care of your own wellbeing might look very different to the next person. There are so many aspects to wellness that it gives you the scope to determine what fills your cup and what works best for you.
Remember that you can implement pretty much any wellness strategy into a walk, such as:
- breathwork
- forest bathing
- gratitude practise
- listening to feel-good music/podcasts/audiobooks
- self-reflection
- repeating affirmations
- cloud spotting
- setting intentions
- mindfulness
- yoga
… the list is endless.
4 steps to a wellbeing walk
Here we’ve outlined four ways to get started with wellbeing walking and how to really make the most of it.
1. Find a route
The first step to going on a health walk is to pick a route. If you can walk in nature to reap its benefits simultaneously, great! But if you live in an urban area, remember that you can still find alternative ways to get the most out of your walk (think back to the examples above).
You might already have a route in mind that you walk regularly, or you could reach out to someone close to you and plan a walk together. If you want to walk as part of a group, you can use walking sites such as Accessible Countryside for Everyone (ACE) or the Ramblers to find your local group. There are over 500 groups across Britain, so there’s bound to be one near you.
2. Consider walking with others
We might need a little escapism from time to time, so we take ourselves on a stroll at our own pace – but this can sometimes mean we get stuck with our own thoughts. Consider doing a wellbeing walk with a close friend or family member, or even joining a group of people you haven’t met before. You might also meet another passer-by and stop for a brief chat. Pockets of interaction with others can be so beneficial to our mental health, particularly in an age where many of us might be solitary during the working day as more of us work from home.
3. Practice mindfulness
Walking alone (or with others if you’re both up for it!) can be very meditative. Silent walking is a particular trend that takes this up a notch, which aims to shut out the noise of everyday life and encourages us to tune into our surroundings by walking in silence. This means leaving your headphones behind and keeping calm and quiet as you take a stroll. Of course, if you do wish to walk with others, you might agree to just stay quiet for a few moments at a time.
By tapping into your senses (what can you hear, see, smell, feel and even taste?) you can bring your awareness into the present moment which can reduce stress and lower anxiety and depression.
4. Embrace a digital detox
Whilst it’s probably advisable to bring a phone just in case you need to get hold of someone, try to avoid walking heads-down. Keep your phone in a bag or pocket to completely avoid distraction and instead, tune into the world around you. Going off-grid, even just for a short time while you’re on a walk, can have numerous benefits to our mental wellbeing. Doomscrolling can often lead to anxious thoughts, FOMO and unhealthy habits like constantly comparing ourselves to others. Stepping away from our screens to press pause and reset can do wonders.
So, there are just a few ways to get started with a wellbeing walk. What might this look like for you?
Comments