Solvitur Ambulando | It is Solved by Walking

My husband came across this phrase and shared it with me: I am nearly as boring about the benefits of walking as I am about gut health.

Through my career I have spent days, weeks, months, years inventing exercises that unlock the brain in different ways. At ?What If! we referred to all of that as stimulus designed to get us, and our clients, out of our “rivers of thinking” (an Edward de Bono concept which exemplifies our patterns of thinking that mean we feel stuck or can’t come up with creative solutions). All those creative exercises are good of course; they jump you out of your fast flowing and deep mental rivers, they give you fresh perspectives, they boost your energy etc. so I’m not decrying them. However, they are time consuming to think up and there is something else worth celebrating that is deceptively simple – walking. Both on your own and with another to talk to, particularly in a coaching capacity.

When you walk your brain’s neurotransmitters are released. By that I mean dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine – which help boost motivation, and attention. As your heart rate picks up during a walk, it’s pumping more oxygen-rich blood to your brain. This boost in circulation gives your brain a breath of fresh air. It helps clear out the mental cobwebs and provides the energy your brain cells need to function at their best.

The effect of boosting your brain in this way is better listening (more focus and ability to be fully present), better problem solving and positivity in the moment.

Add to the physiological effects of motion the spiritual richness of superb countryside, bird song and surrounding wildlife and you have a powerful cocktail.

Not to mention the fact that if you are with someone else you aren’t looking at them which can help you say things you might not say were you looking at them face to face.

The next time you are organising a team off-site, workshop, business retreat, board meeting, creative session think: Solvitur Ambulando and whether your venue makes walking accessible, easy and fun.