Following in our ancestors’ footsteps
Last week, Kari’s Walk + Talk sessions consisted of hiking the beautiful terrain of the Badlands and Black Hills of SD with her family and close friends. Peep the new, unexpected acquaintance in this photo. 😯🐐
This week’s walking fun-fact focuses on one of the many benefits of walking outdoors. Next time you’re on a walk outside, play around with where you fix your gaze. Research shows that there are huge benefits to scanning the horizon with your eyes as you walk. The reason being, when we look out and move our eyes from left to right and back we are telling our brains that we are safe.
Gazing out at wide-open spaces relaxes both our eyes and our minds which positively impacts our stress hormones as well as our blood pressure. Our ancestors developed this practice which would help them determine whether there were any imminent threats around them. In this day and age we don’t typically face the same, regular, physical threats as our ancestors did, however, we can still reap the same benefits of increased calm and safety that come from this practice. Next time you’re out on a walk, give it a try and let us know what you notice!
Looking to up-level your walk with the support of a Marriage & Family Therapist? I’m your gal—reach out and let’s talk about how Walk + Talk sessions could benefit you!