![]() Exercise and caffeine also spur production of brown fat, so take a coffee. You can shiver through a Wim Hof ice bath or you can go for a nippy walk with your coat undone at the collar and your scarf unwrapped. Studies have found that Nordic construction workers and those who go bare-legged in winter have impressively rich layers of brown fat. Brown fat is a more effective fat burner than anything else, which explains why thin people often carry generous supplies. Brown fat (sometimes known as brown adipose tissue) gobbles up dangerous artery-clogging white fat. As you prod at the earth, you’ll also be releasing beneficial bacteria from the soil.Ĭold weather is another excellent reason to walk, thanks to the way brown fat works. Mud can be slippery, so use walking poles for stability. More importantly, the researchers found “parallel changes in the children’s immune systems”, with the muddy children showing greater immunity and fewer coughs and colds for months afterwards. In as little as four weeks, the children playing on forest floor had developed more diverse microbiomes. Australian researchers found that mice exposed to soil had more diverse microbiomes, a finding mirrored by a Finnish study in which the gut and skin of children playing in plastic-and-concrete playgrounds were compared to those of children whose playground had been rebuilt using a tract of forest floor. Mud – be it farmyard or forest floor – is rich in mood-enhancing microbes. So rather than taking lengthy detours to avoid a stretch of quagmire, just walk right through it breathing deeply as you go. Believe it or not, mud is a boon for your health. The pounding of raindrops causes plants, trees and soil to release sweet-smelling compounds which combine in the air In misty woodlands, negative air ions are twice as abundant as on open land, so get up early and make the most of autumn’s final morning mists. Seek out mountains or forests, where negative air ions linger for longer. So put on your wellies and a waterproof coat and take advantage of the purer air and the complex array of scents that accompany a downpour. The researchers speculated that this bounteous antibody accounted for the participants’ strengthened immunity and amplified lung capacity. ![]() When Austrian scientists ran a series of experiments in the Alps, they were stunned to find that participants walking in heavily ionised air had higher levels of a vital antibody located in the mucosal lining of the mouth, nose and gut. Studies suggest that inhaling these compounds improves our mood, while the abundance of negative air ions – created as water and air molecules collide making a molecule with an extra charge – can improve respiratory health and immunity. The Scottish writer, Nan Shepherd, loved walking after rainfall, noting that birch trees released a perfume “fruity like old brandy”. The pounding of raindrops causes plants, trees and soil to release sweet-smelling compounds which then mingle and combine in the air we breathe. If you’re in the country, a downpour is the perfect time to walk – but for quite different reasons. A wide, flat, empty pavement is the ideal place to practise reverse walking.Ĭities are often at their most walkable in the winter, when wind disperses pollution, and rain washes the air of dirt and germs. At the same time, we strengthen our knee joints and quadriceps – which means an improved gait and fewer aches and pains. Another study found that 10 minutes of backwards walking four times a week reduced lower back pain after a mere three weeks. ![]() Normally we lean slightly forward when we walk but, in reverse, our spine is nudged into alignment and our core has to work harder to keep us stable. Walking backwards also improves our balance and stability. A 2020 study published in Brain Communications found that reverse walking engages an entirely different set of lower body muscles. ![]() ![]() Pavements devoid of pedestrians are also perfect for practising backwards walking – the latest trend to sweep Japan. Cities empty quickly in the rain – meaning we can pick up our pace and stride along streets usually thronging with people. A 2021 study found that the best days to avoid catching highly contagious strains of Covid were windy days, when germs and bacteria were instantly blown away. Cities are often at their most walkable in the winter, when wind disperses pollution, and rain washes the air of dirt and germs. ![]()
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