Walking Boosts Your Brain Power

ByTeresa Peters.

Guest Editor Teresa Peters shares her story after starring on BBC2’s TAKE A HIKE.

When Teresa, a 46-year-old life and executive coach, was asked by BBC Two to share one of her favourite Northumberland walks with the nation, she jumped at the chance.

She says, ‘Many of us coaches have ditched the four walls and seated approach to working out in nature with our clients. I love running and cycling outdoors on our doorstep, and this seemed like the perfect way to make a TV debut’

The pandemic has transformed the way many of us work. For much of lockdown, many of us have had to venture into the world of virtual meetings, tackling issues and goals via a computer screen, and at times the experience has felt less than ideal for all those involved.

“There’s something hugely freeing about being in open space, and some people go deeper far sooner than they would on zoom. Outdoor walking and talking engages all the senses, enables people to become reflective and increases the brain’s ability to process’ says Teresa.

The part of the brain responsible for ruminative and negative thoughts – the prefrontal cortex (PFC - executive brain) – has been shown to quieten when we connect with nature, giving people more space to process their problems. So do the walkers in this new series reap the benefits of walking when they Take a Hike?

In the brand-new, fun format for BBC Daytime, five people go head-to-head to discover the best walks the UK has to offer each week. It’s available on BBC iplayer.

If there’s one thing people love in Britain, it’s a great walk. Whether it’s a trip to the seaside to soak up the rays, a challenging hike up a rugged mountain, or a picturesque river-side stroll, it could be for the jaw-dropping views or the great company, or just the joy of being outdoors.

Narrated by comedian Rhod Gilbert, each week, five people go head-to-head to discover the best walks the UK has to offer. Taking it in turns to lead the walk, the others will rate the quality of the route, picnic, views and entertainment. Come rain or shine, uphill or down dale, will they give 10/10 or a measly 1? At the end of each week, the winner walks off with a voucher for outdoor gear and the coveted “Golden Walking Stick”. Rhod’s tongue-in-cheek commentary is the perfect match for this light-hearted new offering for BBC Two.

Teresa assumed that all the hikers would be like Bear Grylls setting major challenges but was met with a diverse blend of characters, including glamorous Jasmine and her inappropriate footwear, fashion-mad Angus, comedian Stephanie and Civil Servant Paul. The group had to get on with one another, come rain or shine, for 12-hour days, and they got on so well that they continue to message one another on their group chat and can’t wait to binge-watch the Take a Hike series on BBC iPlayer together.

The voiceover — by Rhod Gilbert —gives the show a cheery, upbeat feel.

Although walking is great for a vitamin D injection and has therapeutic benefits, this new series offers so much more than just a walk.

Teresa is our Business Accelerator Coach, and you can watch her in action in Episode 9 of Take a Hike on BBC2 here.

Teresa Peters is accredited at Senior Practitioner level with the EMCC, as an Executive Coach and Personal Performance Coach. She is also highly trained in managing teams effectively in a virtual world. She empowers Entrepreneurs, Intrapreneurs and Teams to find clarity, focus and transformation, both professionally and personally, using a solution-focused approach and DiSC profiling.

Accelerator Coaching offers a range of online and face to face support services using an empathic, human-centred approach combined with Teresa's corporate experience, 20 years in sales development and business acumen. She also co-founded another successful business where they've published 32 recipe books. She is an ethical coach who has 500+ hours coaching individuals and she has regular coaching herself. You can find out more about Teresa and her brilliant Accelerator Coaching here.