Mental Health Hack [Video]

Mental Health

Sometimes the last thing you want to do is move your body when you’re feeling __________ you fill in the blank!

But please consider walking even when you don’t want to!

You can walk on the spot, on a treadmill, back and forth in a room, around the block…. take as short or as long a walk as your situation and the weather permit.

The research undoubtedly supports walking as the best activity you can do.

Do you know that walking 3,800 steps daily reduces cognitive decline by 25%.

Walking releases endorphins, neurotransmitters that boost our mental health. According to science, a 20 to 30 minute walk can change your brain for the better. King’s College London found that walking for just twenty minutes a day could cut your risk of developing depression by a third.

If that doesn’t convince you to get stepping have you heard about Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, aka, BDNF? It’s is a protein that is “essential for neuronal development and survival, synaptic plasticity, and cognitive function.” Simply put, it’s extremely important to your brain health, and dysregulation of BDNF is actually associated with neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s Disease.

As one study published in January found, walking for thirty minutes at a “moderate intensity” increased the production of BDNF in the brains of post-stroke patients. So, walking at a quicker pace could be a key element to maintaining a healthy mind.

So park the car further, take the stairs or phone a friend. Get walking. But honestly it f