by James Spiller

Created on: June 25, 2008

Your boss wouldn't get off your case all day. You get home and your wife yells at you for not getting around to fixing the dishwasher. You sit down to watch the baseball game but you realize that your TIVO didn't record it. Rage is bubbling inside of you. You want to hit something, or someone. You can feel your face getting redder and hotter. A bead of sweat formulates on your brow.

You could punch a hole in the wall. You could take out your aggression on your loved one. You could get in your car for a drive, adding road rage to the equation.

Or, you could go for a walk.

When life is beating you down, and anger and rage consumes your body, many of us deal with our emotions in nonproductive ways. At a time when all you need is something calming and soothing, nothing can be better than a peaceful walk around the neighborhood.

Walking forces you to breath. The physical exertion makes your heart beat harder and faster, and breathing is increased to make the blood flow through your body, which helps to calm your sensitive nerves. Walking also forces you to pay attention to other, more calming things. Birds, flowers, squirrels, trees. There is nothing more soothing than nature.

You can walk to the store to buy yourself a delicious beverage and your favorite candy. You can walk to the park and sit on a bench while you take in the sights around you. You can grab your MP3 player and listen to your favorite artist while you take a stroll around the block. Anything to get your mind off of the reasons you were mad in the first place.

But walking is more than a simple distraction. You'll be burning calories and performing exercise at the same time. Not only will you be calming yourself down, you'll be losing weight. The average person burns about 100 calories per mile walked. Just think, you would have been sitting on the couch, eating snacks if your TIVO had worked. Instead, you're outside, on a beautiful day, staying fit.

So the next time you feel a wave of rage crash over you, choose the solution that will be most productive. Put on your shoes and take a walk. Warm up and get your body in shape while you're cooling down, and maybe your clear head will come up with a solution to your biggest problem. Take advantage of those who have been taking advantage of you and take this time to focus on yourself. A peaceful walk is the perfect solution to a dismal problem.

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