The Benefits of Walking Therapy

​​Nature's Healing Benefits
​Walk and talk therapy adds the healing elements of nature & exercise.

Exercise is good for our bodies and exercise causes the release of endorphins, chemicals in your brain that can:​

• elevate mood,
• act as a sedative and
• even decrease the brain's perception of pain. ​​

                  Just 21 Minutes  

Dr. Drew Ramsey, Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia University has found that just 21 minutes of exercise can often have a calming effect.  He reports that exercise can have an almost immediate positive effect as an antidote to anxiety and depression.      
  
                   Decrease Anxiety and Elvate Mood​

​Today many people experience clinical or intermittent anxiety or depression.  Often times people who are struggling with problems in a relationship also experience anxiety or depression.  Talk therapy, medication, or a combination  are successful forms of treatment.  Walking while doing therapy can add not only physical, but also psychological benefits.  Knowing that you are doing something positive for yourself, moving forward, both emotionally and physically can be very beneficial. ​​Exercising in a gym or at home is great, but based on many studies, exercising in nature can have an additional benefit.  

              Nature Heals

Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry conducted a review of related studies and found that most trials showed outdoor exercisers experienced a more positive effect than indoor exercisers.  ​Those exercising outdoors reported:

• feeling more revitalized,
• more energized, 
• less tense,
• less anger and
• less depression.  ​

Outdoor participants also reported that they were more likely to exercise at a later date.  ​One study found that even having images of nature in hospital rooms hastened the recovery of patients following surgery.

The Bankers Hill neighborhood and Balboa Park are great places for walking sessions. Scripps Ranch also offers great paths among the eucalpytus trees for walking sessions.