Welcome to our second blog of 2022 from the nature group of the UVM Thrive Guide! Our blogs follow the same topics as the podcasts, which you can check out on Spotify and Soundcloud.
Our first topic is a way to be healthier physically and mentally; a ‘Hot Girl Walk.’ Some of you may be familiar with the Tik Tok trend, but the benefits of this are more than just following a social media trend.
First is telling what exactly a Hot Girl Walk is. “It’s a four-mile walk, so be sure to wear comfortable shoes. There is a catch, — you can only think about three things: what you’re grateful for, how hot you are and things that you want to achieve.” https://www.intheknow.com/post/hot-girl-walk/
A four-mile walk can be a daunting task, work up to it! Going for even a half-mile walk at first is more than you did the day before and that’s something to be proud of. There is an important aspect to the walks. It can be hard to not let your mind wander, to make it a truly hot girl walk, thinking about only those three things provides benefits for your mental health.
An important part of benefitting your mental health is being outside. A study was done at the University of Luxembourg and the National Bioethics Committee in Iceland. “We investigated the effects of recreational exposure to the natural environment on mood and psychophysiological responses to stress. We hypothesized that walking in nature has restorative effects over and above the effects of exposure to nature scenes (viewing nature on TV) or physical exercise alone (walking on a treadmill in a gym) and that these effects are greater when participants were expected to be more stressed… All interventions had restorative effects on cortisol levels (p < .001), yet walking in nature resulted in lower cortisol levels than did nature viewing (p < .05) during the exam period. Walking in nature improved mood more than watching nature scenes (p < .001) or physical exercise alone (p < .05).”
Burlington has a multitude of places where you can go on your Hot Girl Walk. Below is a list of some of those places you can go to, they are free and can add some new scenery to your day.
References:
Olafsdottir, Gunnthora, Paul Cloke, André Schulz, Zoé van Dyck, Thor Eysteinsson, Björg Thorleifsdottir, and Claus Vögele. “Health Benefits of Walking in Nature: A Randomized Controlled Study Under Conditions of Real-Life Stress.” Environment and Behavior 52, no. 3 (April 2020): 248–74. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916518800798.
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