It wasn’t the most profound question, nor would the results be definitive. This impromptu survey would not appear in the Canadian Journal of Research, but it might help me understand why it feels so good to throw a leg over a bicycle, lace up one’s runners, or head out to the lake for a swim.
“Hi, do you mind if I ask you a question?” I’d begin as I slowed my bike to a stop in front of approaching walkers or runners on a popular Niagara region walking/biking trail. Nine times out of ten, the strangers I approached indicated without hesitation that they were okay with being questioned. If by chance the person’s body language or degree of eye contact indicated they were unsure or suspicious of what was going to happen, my next comment would clarify my intentions: “I’m a columnist.”
“Are you walking (or running) for the exercise benefits or to be in your happy place?”
The answers were quick and consistent.
“Both” was almost without exception the immediate answer, and confirmed the deep connection between physical activity and a happy state of mind.
A retirement-age walker said that he began every day with an hour and twenty minute walk. He claimed his early-morning, 10,000-step routine gave him an extra boost of energy and cleared his head, putting him in a happy place to begin his day.
The Mayo Clinic College of Health and Science agrees, stating that, “Exercise sends oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and helps your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. And when your heart and lung health improve, you have more energy to tackle daily chores.”
A 2014 study published by the American Psychological Association concluded that walking helped creativity too. “Four experiments compared people trying to think of new ideas while they were walking or sitting. Researchers found that participants did better while walking than sitting, particularly while walking outdoors.”
I often asked a second question: “Which came first for you, your activity or your happy place?” A middle-aged male runner replied honestly and somewhat wistfully that he began running because he, “Needed to find his happy place.”
Healthline, an American Health information provider, states that physical activity, “Stimulates many brain chemicals that may leave us feeling happier, more relaxed and reduce negative moods.” Other studies add boosting self esteem and reducing symptoms of social withdrawal, all things this person had appeared to have been coping with.
Gabriel was special. I approached him from behind as he walked along the trail. Despite his frail-looking white legs, he walked strong and steadily with perfectly synchronized walking sticks following every step in harmony.
“Excuse me,” I began as I rode quietly past him and stopped. “Do you walk for exercise or is walking your happy place?”
He replied, “I’m 87 years old and I walk to build muscle mass in my legs. My son says it’s the best way to have a long and happy life.”
Whoa. I thought I was nuts still working the muscle mass concept at my age, but Gabriel was over the top.
He extended his hand in introduction, and continued.
“My grandmother had 11 children, and of all the cousins I’m the last one alive. My mother had 13 kids, and I’m one of the last still around.”
He said that life as a child in pre-war Hungary, drinking goat’s milk and eating potato soup, was how he learned early that physical activity was important to longevity.
Walking strengthens the large muscle groups in your legs, improving cardiovascular health and our resistance to numerous diseases
Science has caught up with what he understood intuitively decades ago. Walking strengthens the large muscle groups in your legs, improving cardiovascular health and our resistance to numerous diseases. Gabriel was chatty, and continued to share his history and that of his family, clearly enjoying his happy place.
Another known benefit of exercise is an improved sex life. Remembering the 11 and 13-child families he mentioned, I bid Gabriel adieu before he shared more information than I wanted to know.
A 30-something female runner was an exception to the “both” response. Running was without question her happy place. “Running gives me an hour away from my kids,” she said with a smile. “It’s my happy place, and I need it.”
Health experts agree that activities like running and cycling provide important quality time with ourself, a needed opportunity to collect our thoughts and re-center.
I queried a middle-aged couple walking their dogs. “Are you walking your dogs for their benefit or yours?” was my rephrased question. The gentleman replied quickly, “My benefit. When I lost my last dog I stopped walking. This one has gotten me back walking, being outdoors, and I’m much happier because of it.”
His partner responded that she found her happy place while swimming, an activity which is usually classified as moderately to vigorously aerobic. Not being a swimmer, I can’t imagine thinking about anything but staying afloat while flailing around in the water. Could there be a relationship between swimming and happy places?
Yes there is. Sam Dale, the creator of Sporting Heads website, shared these comments from Susan, a single mother of two: “I often crave silence and stillness. Swimming gives me that. While I’m in the water my mind becomes quiet and still, I think only about my breathing and stroke. It’s meditative.”
In her book Why We Swim, Bonnie Tsui explains swimming’s happy place in a clinically frightening way: “Sometimes swimming to blankness is the goal. We enter a meditative state. We slip from thought to thought, and then there’s a momentary nothingness. In that brief interlude, we are entirely liberated from the weight of thinking.”
For those walking in pairs as friends, a “both” was always the answer to the exercise benefit or happy place question. Being in a social happy place with their friends was important, and they recognized the health benefit of walking was better than sitting on the deck or at a café.
Being outdoors, unwinding and sharing thoughts with friends while doing even the most minimal physical activity has proven benefits regardless of age, gender, or physical ability.
There was no separation between the physical activity of walking, running, cycling or swimming and the happy place of those I spoke with. If you’re not subconsciously nodding your head in agreement, give it a try. You’ll love the feelings.
NOTE: These encounters all took place before 9:30 in the morning. Please be wary of the possible negative effects of physical activity during excessive heat.