Walking with Your Head Up

I try to take walks as much as possible.  I love them.  We’ve all heard the countless physical and mental benefits of walking, so I won’t harp on them.  But one thing I have noticed during my walks, is where my head is.  Mentally, it is all over the place, obviously.  Yet, physically, I have noticed that I tend to look down more than I look up.  I don’t mean to, but it seems I rarely raise my head to look up and out.  When someone walks by me or I say hello to someone in their front yard, I look up and out. But only for a few seconds, then it’s back down.  I realized that looking up and out was slightly awkward for me.  I felt like people driving by were staring at me, or that I was walking like a stiff soldier.

I forced myself to keep my head up and look forward as much as possible.  I quickly realized it changed my walk.  I felt like I was observing more, I focused more on things like the color of the leaves and the wind blowing through the trees. I was taking bigger/healthier breaths. I felt more confidence and had a little skip in my step.  Obviously, I am not talking about a drastic walk like my favorite Leo meme.  Just simply walking with my back straightened and my eyes looking forward.  Next time you are on a walk, take a moment to realize how many times you look to the ground. Every time you notice it, force yourself to look up and face what’s in front of you. It brought a new perspective to one of my favorite activities.