In their videos on the social network Tiktok, young people walk around with grim faces, funny outfits or in their own garden. Under the hashtag
The videos on Tiktok are amusing, and some users find that the walks actually have a positive impact on their mental health. A user writes in her video, for example: “When you realize that the stupid walk against all odds really helps your stupid mental health.” Of course, walking around the block every day can’t cure mental illness, it’s no substitute for therapy. (Read here how to find a therapy place). But the positive effects of walking on body and mind have been proven by studies. Seven positive effects:
A large study with almost 34,000 mentally healthy subjects examined and interviewed them for eleven years. The researchers wanted to know whether exercise can protect against depression. Their result: Regular exercise protects against future depression. According to the study, even a one-hour walk a week has a preventive effect.
Exercise can also have a positive effect on people who are depressed. It may also help to change the brain, i.e. to become more cognitively efficient and flexible, as a study with 50 depressed inpatients suggests. One aspect of depression, however, is that sufferers find it difficult to get active — going for a walk is a good way to get moving.
British researchers have found that a walk in the countryside can lift your spirits. Tension and aggression melt away in nature. Another study shows that just five minutes of outdoor activity also improves mental health and self-esteem. Study author Dr. Jo Barton of the University of Essex said: “A walk a day should help keep the doctor away.” A US study with 450 subjects also proves the mood-enhancing effect. Just twelve minutes of walking – it must not be too fast and not too slow – puts you in a good mood.
Anyone who wanders around the streets in this way does not get tired or exert themselves too much. Even a ten-minute walk in an urban environment can have an invigorating effect – good news for all city dwellers who do not have to go to a park or a wooded area for their daily round. In the study, the subjects in the control group who watched videos instead of going for a walk were not as vitalized as the walkers.
A large-scale study from 2015 asked over 300,000 people about their physical activity and followed them for an average of 12.4 years. The researchers divided the subjects into groups according to their activity level. Inactive participants served as a reference for the researchers. Their result: Even those who were slightly physically active had a 20 to 30 percent lower overall mortality rate than inactive people. These are, for example, office workers who hardly move, even in their free time. Light physical activity is about a daily walk.
A US study with 115 subjects indicates that regular walks may help protect against a cold. The participants were divided into two groups. The first group did a stretching session once a week, and the second group did at least 45 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise five days a week—like brisk walking.
Over the years, the number of influenza infections decreased in the group of women who exercised five days a week – compared to the stretching group. The study only had overweight postmenopausal participants. The results are therefore not transferrable to everyone.
Anyone who runs a lap through the park every day not only trains numerous muscles, but also helps seniors in particular to improve their balance and coordination. Walking helps prevent muscle breakdown. The body is stabilized and the risk of falling is minimized.
If you eat a lot of carbohydrates for lunch and don’t move afterwards, your blood sugar levels will skyrocket and stay high for hours. Researchers from the UK analyzed seven studies to find out how different levels of activity affect blood sugar levels. The result: even a two-minute walk lowered the increased blood sugar. Compared to those who remain seated after eating and do not move. A large number of the subjects were overweight and their activity levels varied greatly.
Sources: Tiktok, healthy and active, study walking in the green, study high blood pressure and exercise, EPIC study, communication University of Essex, study dose green, study exercise prevention depression, study exercise and depression, psychology today, AOK
