Until now, Becoming Polymathic has lived in my head as a metaphysical entity. Manifesting it on (digital) paper for the first time, as I’m sure you can imagine, is intimidating, and caused a great deal of anxiety this week. To combat this angst, I deferred to a ritual from my Bay Area days – walking.
The Benefits of Daily Walks
Over the years I’d read many resources speaking to the benefits of daily walks – exercise, mental health, increased vitamin D, etc. – though I never saw them as anything but a pleasantry. They were never strategic, merely a way to enjoy the scenery. Their intent changed immediately upon moving to the Southeast.
In the following year, I’ve had several epiphanies and worked through many arduous decisions while on these 10–20-minute bursts. Among these epiphanies was Becoming Polymathic; among the arduous decisions was deciding between two well-paying jobs and whether or not my SEO agency was going in the right direction. It wasn’t.
When it came time to decide the topic of this first piece, I naturally turned towards the door and grabbed my shoes. The idea for writing about walking didn’t come at first. In fact, it took several walks before the idea appeared, and several more before it crystallized.
The Scientific Basis of Walking
At this point, there are two questions needing to be addressed:
#1. How does walking lead to powerful insights?
#2. How is this relevant on my journey of being more?
Both are fair questions. To the former, I can definitively say there is scientific basis. There have been several studies over the past decade demonstrating walking, or any kind of moderate physical activity, increases vascularity to the hippocampus and pre-frontal areas of the brain. In non-scientific jargon, more vascularity means more nutrients can be shuttled to these areas, which makes them larger.
A larger hippocampus means your brain is better able to transfer short-term memories to long-term ones, which is the foundational process of learning. Larger pre-frontal areas also translate to better executive functioning and decision-making.
There is another phenomenon at play – transient hypofrontality – a technical term for the brain prioritizing moving over thinking. When this prioritization occurs, the thinking parts of the brain, the hippocampus and pre-frontal areas, do not shut down, although they take a back seat to the areas handling motor coordination and balance. In this relaxed state, which also occurs during sleep, the thinking areas are free to do what they do best – think freely.
Walking Habits of Historical Minds
To the latter question; unsurprisingly, a lot of history’s greatest minds were also fanatical walkers. The most famous examples are Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, and, by far the most fanatical, Friedrich Nietzsche.
Einstein walked 90 minutes every day along the same path at Princeton University after completing his professorial duties. For those of you curious, that’s approximately 10,500 steps.
Similarly, Charles Darwin took three 45-minute walks every day on a gravel path near his home in Kent, his affectionately labeled “thinking path”. 90 and 135 minutes seems excessive. However, these amounts pale in comparison to those of Nietzsche’s habit.
Throughout his life, Nietzsche lived is several locations throughout Bavaria and Italy. When he became an independent philosopher in his mid-30’s, he’d begin his day just before sunrise and work until 11:00AM, at which point he’d take a two hour walk around the mountain lakes of Southern Switzerland to his favorite lunch spot – the Hôtel Alpenrose. After finishing lunch, he would take another, longer walk before arriving home between 4:00 and 5:00PM. Assuming a total walking time of 4.5 hours, that’s 32,000 steps! Only four-legged herd animals accrue more.
Walking as a Strategic Tool
Step count aside, these are enormous amounts of time for a thinking mind to process ideas, make decisions, and solve problems. It’s no coincidence why these individuals were able to maximize their potential. A modern example can be found in Tim Cook, the current CEO of Apple, who says his preferred method for clearing his head is long nature walks.
When you’ve finished reading these last few words, I encourage you to take an idea or problem you’re working through, grab a pair of shoes, and begin stepping. You’ll be surprised at what you discover. And, no, you don’t need to live in the Bavarian Alps or Western Europe to fully benefit from walking, nor do you need to take more steps than a herd of elephants. A short trip outside is all you need…
Be More.
Become Polymathic.
Quote of the Week: “Only ideas won by walking have any value.” – Friedrich Nietzsche