Forest bathing, comfortable clothes, and why the hippocampus really matters.

How to get motivated to get moving and why it’s so beneficial for our neural health.

Comfortable clothes like this hemp/Tencel Swallowtail Top in Graphite are ideal for the avid walker.

Hiking on the South Korean Island of Jeju a few years ago, I followed some signs that in English promised “forest bathing.” Indeed, there were woods ahead, and I enjoyed their quietness and beauty after the bustle of the city from where I’d come. Later I found out the notion of forest bathing has its origins in Japan and is a kind of forest Zen practice in which we’re invited to gather our scattered thoughts and see things with a new, clearer perspective. 

After being hunched over a computer or cutting table for a couple of hours, I’m nearly alway up for a refreshing forest bath since the woods begin literally a few yards from my back door. Despite our marvelous access to nature, there are days I still find myself reluctant to shift away from whatever I’'m absorbed with. But inevitably, once I'm in the forest I feel more open, more relaxed. That’s not to say our daily walk is always a study in mindfulness. On the contrary, my partner and I often chat about what’s going on in our lives and in the world. At other times we’re prone to be quiet–especially right now because the woods are full of visiting songbirds. 

But this business of getting off our butts and away from work calls for breaking through immobilization. A style blogger I follow, Allison Walsh, recently featured a story about the UK’s observation of National Walking Month in May. In it, she offers 31 ways to get moving as well as powerful incentives to do just that. Adding to that list, I’d offer one more reason to take a walk: it’s great for your hippocampus!

On our daily walk we pick places that challenge our footing; it turns out that’s good for our brains! I’m wearing the Stovepipe Pants, designed to look good while allowing comfortable movement.

Three cheers for our hippocampus!

A post on the The Walking Dad website with the slightly intimidating title, “Uneven Ground: Hiking and Neuroplasticity” makes a strong case for regularly giving our brain’s hippocampus a workout through exercise, especially walking and hiking over uneven surfaces. Terrain that constantly challenges our brains to pick the right path actually helps generate growth throughout our neural networks. Doing this over time helps build and rebuild neural pathways that due to genetics, age, illness, or accidents have been damaged or reduced. Even walking on cobbled as opposed to flat surfaces apparently offers benefits for neural health. On our daily walk we purposefully follow a steep route that has been rutted by all-terrain vehicles. If you don’t stay present while straddling deep ruts, you may come a cropper! 

But as the Hiking Dad points out, you don’t have to go nuts on this stuff. Try walking on gravel, sand, paths in parks–it’s all good. 

Wherever you find yourself, part of the beauty of walking is its immediate possibility. You can walk almost anyplace with little gear or preparation. And the payoffs as we age can be big. One study cited in the Hiking Dad post found walking a mile a day reduced risk of Alzheimer’s by 48%. 

The UK’s idea of having a National Walking Month seems to me to make eminent sense. It’s interesting by contrast that here in the US, we only celebrate walking on a single day. Coined National Walking Day, it happens on the first Wednesday in April each year. But blink and you’ll miss it. I’m convinced a regular practice of walking can help us lead happier and healthier lives.