Entrepreneurship is brutal on our bodies. Little sleep and high cognitive and emotional output is a deceivingly important threat to our business endeavours. So, it’s important not to burn out, but not every holiday is created equally despite what people think.
A poolside resort, for example, can lead to drinking too much and still checking emails, it’s very difficult to avoid your phone when you’re sitting in one spot for a week. This isn’t effectively recharging you as much as you’d first thought.
Instead, a walking holiday is precisely how you can rebuild your depleted mental resources and get away from your phone.
Why Walking Holidays for Entrepreneurs are the Best Way to Recharge Mind and Body?
The Science of Striding
The physiological impact of walking in nature directly counteracts the chronic stress state common to entrepreneurs. Sustained, low-impact aerobic activity like hiking has been shown to reduce cortisol levels, which is the primary stress hormone that debilitates our executive function.
At the same time, it stimulates the release of endorphins and BDNF, both of which support neurogenesis and cognitive plasticity. For the entrepreneurial brain, it’s vital we stay mentally young and agile.
The rhythmic movement of walking engages the brain’s default mode network which is a state linked to creative incubation and insight generation. It’s not uncommon to accidentally solve a business pain point by accident when the mind is wondering.
This is fine, it’s not work, because you’re still “switched off”. In fact, it’s the best way to be passively productive (in a high level, creative way) by accident.
Finding Inspiration in Unlikely Places
Breakthrough insights sometimes require escaping the operational echo chamber of a boardroom. A trek in Italy is quite literally magical, especially if it’s your first time in the Alps. Walking through the Dolomites exposes you to centuries-old infrastructures and community models that can cause radical changes in perspective.
Similarly, many entrepreneurs attend conferences in Switzerland, yet never book a 5-day Orbis Ways trip that cuts through southern Bern.
We need to make the most of these business trips when away, and actually going on these walks before a conference can settle the nerves, become creative, and help you network with far greater approachability than someone wired up.
The clean air and physical exertion after a business trip can also help process dense information that you’ve soaked up. You can take a step outside the box and reflect on it from afar.
Building Mental Fortitude
It’s worth mentioning that entrepreneurs like to challenge themselves, and so doing it in a physical setting can be a change of pace. Walking Scotland’s West Highland Way is not easy, you will face relentless rolling hills, rain, midges, wind, and almost 100 miles of hiking.
But it’s the sort of mini-challenge that can grow your self-esteem during the hard times and helps build mental resilience.
The ROI of Recharging
We all know we should be taking more breaks, but we need to stop viewing all breaks as equal. Drinking in the sun is not helping our cortisol and sympathetic nerve function; it could actually worsen our state.
There’s a saying that brains don’t get tired, they get bored, and so challenging yourself on your break with a very different kind of challenge can help you keep a healthy lifestyle and hit the ground running on your return.
Author Profile
- I am a professional blogger, guest writer, Influencer & an eCommerce expert. Currently associated with ShopyGen as a content marketing strategist. I also report on the latest happenings and trends associated with the eCommerce industry.
