How Short Walks Boost Your Focus and Productivity

Forget eating lunch at your desk — and get outside instead.

When I worked in the corporate world, it was not unusual to see people powering through their lunches at their desks, seemingly too busy to take 10 minutes away from work to appreciate the simple pleasure of eating.

Some might’ve done this purely to signal to others just how hard they work, while others might genuinely have been struggling with an excessive workload.

But here’s the thing — human beings aren’t robots.

Sitting for extended periods can produce a state of mild depression, and our brain can fall into a trance-like state of acceptance (fueled by alpha brain waves).

If we’re engaged on cognitive work — work that requires deep, uninterrupted focus — then after an hour or two, we might be much better served not by eating lunch at our desks or sitting still all day, but by going for a walk.

The Cognitive Benefits of Short Walks

Our caveman brains recognize the movement as a moment of stress. It thinks we’re fighting or fleeing an enemy, and as such, it releases BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) — a protein that’s associated with cognitive improvement and the alleviation of depression and anxiety.

This ultimately acts as a reset switch and is also why we feel happier after exercising or going for a walk.

As researchers from the University of Illinois found, the brain lights up like a Christmas tree after a short walk.

Furthermore, if you go for a walk outside, you tap into the sun’s serotinin-boosting and mood-improving Vitamin-D.

The more daylight sun exposure you get, the more your brain produces melatonin at night, helping…