Walking Is Best Natural Anti-Depressant

I see walking as our best natural anti-depressant. You can take it to cope with the challenge or burden of too much. It's normal. Healthy. It can have a positive impact on your brain hormones involved in mood regulation. It can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. And it can even enhance your self-esteem. It also improves your sleep.

Now you may think I'm merely postulating here. Far from it. Noted studies from Harvard and other research medical and mental health institutions evidence the big benefits from even modest walking steps. Their research shows that, aside from mental health benefits, walking can reduce the risk of physical illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

My mother is a walking miracle. She walks a lot each day even when I was much younger. She's now 80 and she still walks fast! Whenever I see her, she always exhibits an upbeat mood. Smiling. Enjoying things around her. She convinces me of this: as long as you're breathing, it's never too late to walk very far and get healthy! I inherited my walking from my mother. Many of my creative thoughts and best therapy solutions are conceived by my mother-like walking outside of my counseling cubicle!

Thomas Jefferson once wrote, "Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate your self to walk very far." Speaking of best exercise through walking, experts generally prescribe about 10,000 steps daily for healthy living. Man, that's far! I'm counting, possibly in one hour, I'm able to take 6,000-7,000 steps. So, about one and a half hours of walking each day is what I need to have healthy 10,000 steps. How about you?

Come, let's take a walk ... and talk. It's therapeutic. 

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