Last weekend I was introduced to the concept of wonder walking. I was at a panel discussion on preventing and treating mild cognitive decline. The thought that I may one day loose some of my cognitive functioning, or not regain it after an injury or illness, is terrifying to me. Because of this I was furiously typing notes on everything that was being said – how to eat, what herbs to take, etc…
There was so much new scientific evidence that I hadn’t known about! I was excited to be learning all this, but I was also in a place of fear. I kept thinking about how many vegetables I could realistically eat in a day to protect my middle aged brain as I age, and how many anti-inflammatory supplements is too many. Eating well and taking appropriate supplements is important for health, but fear should never be the driver of making these changes.
Luckily, towards the end of the discussion, one of the doctors gave a recommendation that you simply can’t do in a fear based way. Before I get into the details, I need to tell you a bit about neuroplastcity. Neuroplasticity is your brain’s ability to form new neural connections. To reorganize itself in response to your changing needs. Encouraging neuroplasticity is crucial for preventing and healing cognitive decline. To do this, we need to create situations that allow our brains to change and adapt. The best way to do this is simply to do new things.
It’s easy as an adult to do the same things day in and day out. We are efficient this way. But it is bad for our brains. One of the best things that you can do for your long term cognitive health is to do something new every day. This does not need to be drastic – you don’t need to hop on a flight across the world. You just have to see the world around around you from a slightly different perspective.
One simple way to do this is to wonder walk. This means taking a walk with the express purpose of looking for something that brings you a sense of awe. It is a different way of approaching the word around you than you are probably used to. Give it a try. Pretend you are a traveler in this land (even if you are in your backyard, or stuck inside your house because of the smoke). You might be surprised by what you find.
I hope that you find this concept of wonder walking helpful. I’d love to know how it goes for you!
*photo credit: pexels-allan-mas-5623759
