This week I’ve been doing some research on the fantastic benefits of certain activities, including the most basic physical activity – walking, and something more exciting – international travel. 😉
- Walking is so underrated in modern-day society.
We live in a very busy modern world. As a consequence, basic physical activities like walking are underrated and even ignored by a lot of people in this day and age.
Indeed, most people go everywhere by car these days. Very few people actually spend time walking in nature nowadays.
I love walking because I find this activity very energizing. 😊
First of all, we are not biologically programmed to sit in front of a computer all day every day. Sitting is the new smoking, according to a recent study in the United States.
That’s why I gave up my desk job in the office last year and have started to do more physical activities every single day now. 😉
Second, walking stimulates my creativity. As a writer, I need new ideas to write about. I have come up with many creative ideas while walking near my place – I have visited many shops nearby (I treat these stores like museums – I simply appreciate their products and do some window-shopping most of the time: This activity has given me a lot of inspiration that couldn’t be found elsewhere. Of course, if I actually discover something that I truly like, I would buy it so that I can stay inspired!) 😉
Collecting jewelry is my hobby, so usually, I go to jewelry stores when I have some spare time. But I don’t always buy expensive jewelry (most of my jewelry consists of sterling silver, stainless steel, surgical steel and glass; some of my jewelry is just costume jewelry).
Australian singer Darren Hayes writes most of his songs while he is walking (e.g., Santa Monica). That’s why the tempo of his songs is quite catchy. Also, a major study indicates that taking a walk generates more creative thinking than sitting at a desk.
- A study shows that frequent international travel makes people 7% happier.
According to this study, men that have a holiday regularly are 31% less likely to suffer from a heart attack; women that take a holiday only once every 6 years are 8-9 times more likely to have a heart attack.
That is to say, going on a cruise ship, walking on the beach, staying in a countryside hotel isn’t merely fun; it’s also saving your life! (By the way, research shows that giving up on perfection saves your life as well.)
Individuals that travel regularly have much better physical and mental health. What’s more, their productivity at work and personal relationships have improved as a result.
Interestingly, people in this study also point out that their mental and physical health becomes better even before the trip because looking forward to a vacation gives people dopamine which is good for the mood.
“If you would like to be a high achiever at work, researchers claim that you’d better have a vacation regularly. When you come back from international travel, you will demonstrate even higher performance. In other words, you can enjoy a better career by taking an extended break from time to time.”
