The Mental Health Benefits of Walking: A Simple Way to Reset Your Mind and Body
Welcome to Coffee with Coops! 💛☕️ I’m Coops, an Award-winning Positive Psychology Wellbeing Expert & Thrivership Coach™, here to help you thrive. My love languages? Coffee, cake, movies, and classical music.
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🧘♀️ CALM with Coops is coming up on Tuesday, 3 June at 7 pm (UK time)!
This gentle, camera-off session includes calming breathwork, light stretching, reflective journaling, and a chance to reset before summer. It’s designed to help you reset, recharge, and refocus.
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Let this be your permission slip to slow down, breathe deep, and soothe your nervous system. You deserve it.
Did you know May is National Walking Month? Walking isn’t just a way to get from A to B. It’s a powerful tool for boosting your Mental Wealth. Yet according to a YouGov survey by Living Streets, a fifth (22%) of Brits say they walk less than 20 minutes daily, even though 40% say they feel “anxious, irritable, or lonely” after staying home all day.
As someone who pounds the pavement as a marathon runner, I’ve found profound peace and healing in something much simpler: walking.
In the past, I would always prioritise running. However, in the last few years, I’ve turned to walks, whether to kick-start my day or wind down along the seafront. These walks add a gentle, nourishing rhythm to my routine, benefiting my mind, body, and soul.
I wrote about the benefits of walking for BALANCE magazine in 2020 when many of us walked more as part of our lockdown routines. Walking again became vital when grieving and during challenging times in 2023 and 2024. It was my tool to cope with moving through grief, clearing my head, steadying my body, and healing one step at a time. When life felt overwhelming, I could return to myself by putting one foot before the other.
If you would like to read the BALANCE article, you can find it here: National Walking Month—Balance Magazine.
The wonder of walking
Let’s start with the science behind why walking benefits us, beyond supporting all Five Ways of Wellbeing, which I call CLEAN+.
Running has long been regarded as the poster child for aerobic exercise training; however, moderate activities such as walking are also excellent for our health. The effectiveness of physical activity depends on three variables: intensity, duration, and frequency. While walking is less intense than running, making it kinder on the joints, it does require more frequent and longer sessions to achieve benefits.
I love how walking is an effective way to mix up my regular fitness routine. Often, I tag it onto yoga or stretching at home. Plus, it strengthens the muscles in your legs. Like other forms of regular moderate exercise, walking has cardiovascular benefits that help fight against the risk factors of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and inflammation.
Aside from the physical benefits, walking is simple and requires no instruction or skill.
No one ever says they’re not good at walking, unlike running, which often sparks reactions like ‘I can’t’ or ‘I hate it!’
Walking is one of the easiest ways to become more active. The NHS recommends 150 minutes of weekly exercise, so going out for a 20 or 30-minute brisk walk at the start of your day, during lunchtime, or as you wind down in the evening is a fantastic way to break up the monotony, create space for your mind, and provide your body with some nourishing self-care.
Getting started
The beauty of walking is that you can head out in a pair of old trainers or comfy shoes, depending on how far you are going.
As you increase your distance, consider investing in trainers that offer support and cushioning for your feet. Wear whatever feels comfortable; buying the latest activewear is unnecessary. However, if an online shopping spree inspires you to get moving, then why not? We all need a little encouragement!
I volunteer at my local Parkrun, which is very welcoming to those who Parkwalk. Many participants choose to walk rather than run for various reasons. One gentleman told me it was his first time and that he needed more comfortable shoes. I also encountered another gentleman who wore trousers and a shirt – I gave him a high five and told him he was my most stylish Parkrun participant yet! We always have tail walkers at Parkrun; they finish last, guaranteeing it will never be you.
If you still need motivation, Living Streets charity is running #Try20 for National Walking Month. If you missed it this month, why not set yourself the challenge for June? The idea is to walk 20 minutes daily as part of your daily exercise and see what benefits you experience. Living Streets’ mission for the past 90 years has been to achieve a better walking environment and inspire people to walk more. Their website contains valuable hints and tips for walking and keeping safe.
But why does walking benefit your Mental Wealth?
The wellbeing benefits
Studies have shown that walking, as a form of aerobic activity, reduces anxiety and depression, lifts negative moods, and enhances self-esteem and cognitive function. When our bodies are increasingly under stress, a strenuous run can sometimes have a more detrimental impact than walking, which helps to calm our physiological responses to stress.
Think of the phrase we sometimes say to a person who is angry or upset,
“Go and walk it off.” Turns out, there’s a lot of truth in that old phrase.
In addition, walking is proven to stimulate the brain’s creative juices. Einstein was a fan of long walks, and Steve Jobs famously held walking meetings with colleagues. I have been advocating for my corporate clients to schedule walking meetings like the lockdown days! It is such a good practice!
Walking can also contribute to our wider Mental Wealth. You are benefiting mentally and physically, and you can invest much more deeply in all five ways of Wellbeing, plus the positive psychology elements, which I coined CLEAN+.
My top five tips for keeping CLEAN+ when out walking
Connect: Take a walking phone call instead of yet another Zoom.
Learn: Pop in a podcast or explore a new local route.
Exercise: Spice up the walking with gentle conditioning or light handheld weights.
Acts of Kindness: Volunteer at Parkrun or raise money walking for a cause.
Notice: Go tech-free and practice mindfulness by noticing your surroundings.
+ Positive Psychology: Bring in a practice of gratitude whilst walking.
Remember, if you are new to exercise, pregnant, post-natal, or have any underlying health conditions, you may need extra precautions and seek medical advice before starting a new fitness activity. Always build up gradually.
Whether you walk to think, move your body, or anchor your breath, this practice can be a powerful yet gentle reset.
Have you tried the #Try20 challenge yet? It’s not too late to start in June. If you have a favourite walking route, playlist, or memory, please share it in the comments; I’d love to hear it.
I really hope to see you at Calm with Coops on June 3rd. Free subscribers, please take up the offer and save £10! Paid subscribers also have access to the replay. Look what one reader shared last time when she watched the replay…
Take some time for yourself. 75 minutes is a glorious gift, and I promise it will be worthwhile.
If you want to try transformational breathwork, I’ll also be back at Hello Love on June 22nd for an in-person class. Tickets can be purchased [here].
If you’re in the UK, have a great bank holiday. I’ll be back next week with The Intermission🍿 - a review of some mental health movies.
Love,
Coops☕️💛