Walk along with flamenco music - National Walking Month
16 May 2021
Even if we weren’t aware of the month of May being the UK's National Walking Month (I wasn’t…), many of us must’ve already known the benefits of walking, during or even before the lockdown. Whether ambling in the town, strolling in a park, trekking on a hillside, walking as an exercise has been one of the few activities we were allowed to do to maintain our physical health under the restriction.
Benefits of walking
Travelling on foot isn’t just an environmentally friendly way of exercise to keep ourselves fit. According to Walking for Health, an organisation in England, it also does wonders on our mental well-being, improving our self-esteem, feeling positive, reducing stress, or even enabling us to recover from a state of depression. I myself find that going for a walk has saved me from feeling too downhearted during the lockdown.
Walking for Health also mentions cognitive benefits of walking for older people, reducing the possible risk of their cerebral decline due to aging. I believe that this brain boosting power of walking can apply to any age group. You’d feel, after a long walk, your mind has been cleared and reshaped, as if random floating pieces of your thoughts have found a place to settle. It’s actually well-known that many renowned philosophers like Nietzsche, Kant, Rousseau, or composers like Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Satie, or novelists like Dickens, Hemingway, all loved walking as their daily routine, and they regarded this simple activity indispensable for their creative works.
Walking could inspire our creativity. Stretching our legs could also stretch our potential - hopefully.
Flamenco songs for walking
*If you’re curious about the difference between ‘caminar’ and ‘andar’, both meaning ‘to walk’ in Spanish, this would be the simplest explanation I’ve found:
What is the difference between 'caminar' and 'andar' ?
Walking for Health
