Stop.
Put down your remote or your game controller.
Take a walk.
Or at least that’s what I would do. Walking isn’t just exercise for me, it keeps me sane.
This is why I feel fortunate to live in Bowling Green; it is a great place for me to blow off steam with a walk. The different places it offers in a relatively small space makes it easy to experience them all on foot in 90 minutes.
Walking in BG neighborhoods provides the right balance of sound and silence, allowing the perfect environment for thinking, exercising or relaxing: Walking can fit all of these purposes.
Former BG resident Sandra Bauer agrees.
“It provides a time to relax and find that sense of inner balance that comes with being alone with your thoughts,” Bauer said.
The rush of fresh air to my face is one of the biggest stress relievers walking has to offer. The way it gets me out of a cramped indoor environment has a similar effect on my mind as I experience the sights, smells and sounds of the town.
The town is populated enough to provide cars and people to the atmosphere, but it is small enough to give you space to take your time as you walk and enjoy the sights.
The downtown area at the intersection of Wooster and Main Streets provides the heart of the experience, giving access to the University, residential and business sectors of town. It also provides good opportunities to stop and get food for the walk, particularly with Myles’ Dairy Queen right up the road.
For people who want to get some exercise, the town allows people to get creative on their paths, providing many great walking/running circuits. I use two of the town’s bigger streets, the west sides of Wooster and Poe Road, for a great 90-minute walk or 45-minute jog.
Sometimes I mix it up, walking to the University and enjoying the wide-open atmosphere on the evenings with its intramural fields followed by a 20-minute session of stadium stairs. The view from the Doyt coupled with the rush of exercise is a great way to relieve stress during the school year.
When I want nature to inspire me, there are great hiking/jogging trails, including the Wintergarden/St. John’s Nature Preserve, the Simpson Garden Park and the Slippery Elm Trail.
The Slippery Elm Trail is a great place for people who like to travel long distances since the path stretches from BG to North Baltimore.
Bauer enjoys the trail, where she roller blades and bikes along with walking.
“It is truly a gem in Northwest Ohio,” Bauer said. “People along the way are friendly and the health benefits can’t be beat.”
Walking certainly helps me stay healthy, especially when I think I am going crazy. While I cannot say that a walk can magically solve a problem, the exertion of energy calms me down enough that I am able to focus my mind on whatever might challenge me next.
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