“Walk it off.” “Take a hike.” There’s a great deal of evidence supporting this wise counsel to turn a bad or stressful day around.

Walking is good for your physical health – it’s great for your mental health as well. A study published in the journal Ecopsychology analyzed the impact of group nature walks on different aspects of your well-being. The findings: taking regular walks helps alleviate the effects of life’s stresses and greatly improves mental well-being.

Taking a walk is a great way to exercise. It’s low-risk and inexpensive. And the benefits are tremendous – improved mood, reduced stress, manage weight and improve cardiovascular health. And if you needed another reason to lace up your sneakers, it’s also a great way to enjoy Arizona’s beautiful weather and scenery.

How much do you need to walk to reap the benefits? The American Heart Association recommends you do at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity at least 5 days each week (for a total of 150 minutes) or 25 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity at least 3 days of each week (for a total of 75 minutes).

So what are you waiting for? Put your best food forward. Grab your sneakers and grab a friend (two- or four-legged friends both work!) and take advantage of Arizona’s walking paths, hiking trails or parks.

Eastmark residents are fortunate when it comes to outdoor walking options. Our community has easy access to a series of walking and biking paths and also the Eastmark Great Park®. In addition, there are dozens of hiking trails in the Superstition Mountains, right in Eastmark’s back yard.

So go ahead. Take a walk. It may be the best choice you make for yourself today.

What else do you think is awesome? Check out our previous post – we think  hitting all green lights is awesome.

Why 22 things? Learn more about the 22 Awesome Things series in our kick-off blog.

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