Set aside your phone and take a “fart walk.”
While walking against the wind is often praised for its health benefits, you might want to think about doing something else—like leaving your cell phone behind.
Selene Madani, a reporter, recently made it her goal to walk for an hour every morning without checking her phone until after her walk. Within just a week, she noticed several significant benefits and plans to incorporate this “phone-free walk” into her regular routine.
“This challenge has genuinely been one of the healthiest things I’ve done for myself,” she shared, reflecting on her experience for a women’s health publication.
“I appreciate the structure my morning walking brings. It feels good when my mind and body are aligned about how I’m feeling, how I’m moving, and my overall health,” she added.
Even if you’re not ready to unplug completely, walking is beneficial. It helps burn calories, improves heart health, manages blood sugar, and might even lower your risk of dementia. Plus, it has notable mental health advantages.
Studies indicate walking can reduce stress and anxiety, improve mood, enhance sleep, and boost self-esteem—all factors that excessive phone use could easily undermine.
One of the first things Madani noticed was a shift in her mornings; they felt quieter and less hectic. She began waking up two hours earlier to fit in her pre-work walk and even switched to an old-school alarm clock to avoid checking her phone first thing.
At first, adjusting her schedule and resisting the pull of her phone was challenging, but results appeared surprisingly quickly.
“I didn’t feel that usual morning anxiety after checking my phone. Instead, I could eat breakfast, get ready, and then go for my walk,” she noted.
Upon returning home, she avoided her phone, focusing instead on activities like showering and reading.
“I’ve realized that starting my day with some grounding makes me feel calmer throughout the day,” she explained.
This newfound calmness has significantly boosted her productivity, both at work and home. After her morning walks, she found it easier to tackle tasks that had been on her to-do list for days.
“Honestly, I was a bit surprised by how much more focused I was. This mental clarity allowed me to clear out my tasks faster,” she remarked.
Being more present was another major upside. Without her phone, Madani became more aware of her surroundings, free from distractions of screens or music.
Initially, the quiet felt a bit strange, but she soon discovered a technique called the “color walk.”
It’s like playing a solo game of “I Spy.” You pick a color and then walk, trying to find as many objects of that color as you can.
“For the first time in ages, I felt truly awake instead of just passively going through the motions,” she reflected. “Being fully present with nature grounded me, giving me a sense of calm I’d missed for years.”
Experts back up these sentiments. Dr. Susan Aboukia, an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, pointed out that experiencing our senses can alter our neurobiology.
“It activates the parasympathetic nervous system and provides a break for other nerves,” she commented, explaining how she often takes her students into nature for a similar effect.
Finally, those walks, combined with feeling more relaxed and waking up earlier, helped Madani achieve a solid eight hours of sleep each night.
Even if it was tough to start, she mentioned that adjusting her body clock made mornings “less painful,” allowing her to navigate the day more smoothly.
Research suggests that up to 80% of Americans check their phones within the first ten minutes of waking up. This habit can trigger stress and set a negative tone for the day.
“When you wake up, your brain is in a phase called ‘sleep inertia,’ which is that hazy time between sleep and wakefulness. Cognitive function isn’t at its best during this fragile period,” psychologist Antonio Kalentzis explained.
When you grab your phone too soon—flooding your mind with alerts and social media—your brain gets overstimulated. “This information overload can leave you mentally drained before you even get out of bed, making it hard to focus for the rest of the day,” he added.
