by Art Young

Created on: January 09, 2009   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

If stress has you completely flummoxed, maybe it's time you take a walk on the wild side. Not the Lou Reed inspired "wild side." Try that wild side that's found outdoors.

All kinds of experts, from endocrinologists to psychologists to yoga masters swear that a brisk walk outdoors will help you deal with the stress that's sapping your energy and driving you nuts!

In fact, walking may be the most effective and least expensive therapy you can use for fighting the stress epidemic. Here's why.

Brisk walking, particularly with a friend, helps to release those endorphins in your brain. This is assuming that the holidays with your family haven't killed all of your brain cells already. When you're walking, these chemicals help you feel more at ease.

There are some other benefits that can be derived from this therapy. When you're walking, you get away from the source of your stress, you can clear your head and come up with a strategy for creatively dealing with it. Walking with a friend allows you to let off some stteam. By venting, the stress is reduced.

The yoga practice called "Breathwalking" written about extensively by Gurucharan Singh Klalsa has shown some potential benefit for stress sufferers. Breathwalking involves the coordination of patterns of breathing synchronized with walking cadences.

Most people would agree that contracting a chronic disease such as diabetes or heart disease will light up the stress-o-meter. Interestingly, walking can help to prevent these maladies.

A recent report from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge noted that abdominal fat produces three times the bad chemicals and pushes against vital organs such as the liver. The effects are ugly. This belly fat (aka "visceral fat") produces fatty acids and 55 different hormones. Most of which are bad.

That's the bad news and here's the good?

Belly fat is extremely sensitive to exercise and caloric reduction. Endocrinologists suggest that daily brisk walking will help to eliminate this glob of visceral fat and even losing five to 10 pounds can have a disproportionate benefit to your health.

In a study at the Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, they found that women, who increased their walking activity by 3,500 steps a day, lost about 5 pounds. The men walking the same steps lost 8 pounds.

If you're stressed, take it outside for a walk on the wild side.

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