Part I: (Walking and the mind)
Even though I am required to type up only 250 words for my
portion of the blog post, I find it very difficult to coalesce my ideas into a
formulated train of thought. I attribute some of this difficulty to my lack of
motivation, but I also feel that remaining stationary at a desk surrounded by
lackluster walls is hardly conducive to productive thought. This is not only
the case for typing up short blog posts, but writing essays, studying for
finals, and other academic pursuits are hampered by sitting still in unchanging
scenery. So what is the prescription? A good walk will not only solve my lack
of motion problem but also offer a change of view.
So why is walking beneficial to one’s mind when preoccupied
by a task that requires our cognitive abilities? One believed benefit is that by
removing ourselves from a task and walking we adopt a different style of thinking.
(Gorvett) The way we perceive and process information at a desk is different from
when we are walking.
Additionally, sitting still inside a building is just not
natural for us. The famous illustration “March
of Progress” features our evolutionary lineage with us, Homo sapiens, at the end putting our
right foot forward. If you look carefully at the illustration you will see that
none of figures are sitting at a desk working on a mundane task. In an
evolutionary sense we are not wired to be still but to expose our minds to ever-changing
visual stimuli. While walking we construct a mental map of our environment, observing
what is around us, determine a way forward, and then translate that plan into
footsteps. (Jabr) Walking thus become an exercise in organizing the world around
us which is similar to our approach when it comes to writing and studying where
we navigate our own thoughts and translate it into material.
Part II: (Walking and the body)
Walking has a lot of benefits as it can affect many things like the way you think the way
you feel and your health. Walking can lower your depression risk. Forty- nine
Studies by King’s college in London found that only twenty minutes of walking can
help with depression because it releases Endorphins that helps to make you feel
good and make you don’t think about worries.
Walking
can also improve your cognitive function. Harvard Health reported in 2016 that
several studies discovered that just 20 to 30 minutes of walking can help you with
test and thinking. Walking helps you to deliver more oxygen to your brain by
delivering oxygen to the brain it helps with thinking. Walking also cause a
release of BDNF which is very important for cognitive function which repairs
and generation of new neurons.
Walking
also helps with menta and physical fatigue study in by University of Georgia
found that 20 minutes can reduce the fatigue level. walking also increases the
size of the Hippocampus which it’s good because it decreases the risk of
getting Alzheimer’s disease. The bigger the Hippocampus gets the less risk of
getting Alzheimer. Hippocampus helps your brain a lot with memory. It improves
creativity study in Stanford published in 2014 confirmed that finding walking
increases the person’s output by an average of 60%. The most important thing is
increasing blood flow to the body organs. Physical activity helps a lot with
thinking that is how many philosophers and authors develop their ideas by
relaxing their minds and think.
Questions:
- When walking we adopt a different style of ______?
- Which illustration features Homo sapiens marching forward?
- What hormone helps with stress?
- How does blood flow to the brain helps with thinking?
- Walking improves creativity according to Stanford by an average of ?
- What happens to the Hippocampus during walking?
Discussion Q's:
In
the future, will it be likely that humans become sedentary beings much like the
passengers on the Axiom in the movie WALL-E?
Do
you feel that taking a drive or jogging in place is as effective as taking
a walk, or that the combination of motion and a change in scenery
necessary in enhancing thought?
James
Joyce and Stephen Hawking suffered from visual and physical impairments respectively
but possessed creative and brilliant minds. How would you promote creative
thinking if you could no longer see or walk about your environment?
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| "March of Progress" |
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| "Modern Man"(Leandro Almeida 2015) |
References:
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