One of my Secrets of Adulthood is: We can minister to the body through the spirit, and we can minister to the spirit through the body.

One way we can reach the spirit through the body is through walking. I’ve been very interested to read the research showing that walking boosts thinking and creativity. The rhythmic, natural, easy effort of walking helps to boost our moods, and spark flowing thoughts and helpful mind-wandering. Also, exercise increases blood flow and oxygen to the brain.

What’s more, being in nature and outdoors boosts thinking and creativity. Research suggests that being in natural environments improves memory and problem-solving ability, and exposure to sunlight helps many of the body’s functions—and these also help lift our spirits.

A great example of these principles being put to use comes from the renowned naturalist, geologist, and biologist Charles Darwin.

I recently read about how Darwin maintained his “Sand Walk,” also called his “thinking path.” It was a path, about a quarter of a mile long, that ran around a small wood and field on the corner of the grounds around Down House in Kent, the house where he lived for the last forty years of his life.

Soon after Darwin first moved into that house, he constructed this path, and on it, he did multiple loops as his twice-daily walk—one in the morning, one at lunchtime. He would do fewer or more circuits depending on his health and inclination, and he was often accompanied by his dog. Over the years, he planted gardens and trees alongside the path, and he used it throughout his life until the very end.

While walking his Sand Walk, he did much of his thinking. Among other things, that’s where he worked out his grand theory of evolutionary biology.

It’s a great example of someone shaping their surroundings and their schedule to create space for the conditions for a happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative life.