How to Do a Color Walk, TikTok’s Rising Wellness Trend
If your TikTok feed is getting more colorful lately, there’s a reason — the color walk is taking over. Although you can find color walks online from as far back as 2021 (shortly after the rise of the Hot Girl Walk), there’s been a growing number of people taking part in this mindful fitness trend. It’s especially powerful during the transitional period between seasons, as there’s so much environmental change to notice.
What Is a Color Walk?
A color walk is a mindful walk where you pick one color at the start, then notice it in your environment throughout your walk. For example, if your color is red, you might notice a red stoplight, a neighbor’s strawberry patch, someone’s shirt, a dog collar, etc. It’s a walking meditation of sorts, as it forces you to let go of your thoughts and worries and focus your attention on what you see.
Benefits of a Color Walk
The beauty of color walks is that they blend fitness with mindfulness, so you get the benefits of both. With frequent and regular practice, color walking can:
Improve cardiovascular fitness
Maintain healthy weight
Reduce stress and tension
Increase energy and mood
Improve sleep quality
Strengthen bones and muscles
Boost immune function
Ease joint pain
Curb sugar cravings
Improve blood sugar levels
Prevent and manage conditions such as heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer, and type 2 diabetes
Sources: Harvard Health, Mayo Clinic, Complementary Therapies in Medicine, European Journal of Physiotherapy
How to Do a Color Walk
Before leaving for your walk, make sure you’re prepared with a comfortable outfit, water bottle, and any necessary safety gear (GPS or phone, reflective gear, your pet, etc.). Make sure you know where you’re going beforehand and you are aware of your surroundings, even when looking for colors.
Choose a color that speaks to you, then commit to finding that color anywhere throughout your walk. Look in nature, in houses and buildings, close up, and far away.
Once you notice a color, you can repeat what you see in your mind. E.g., “Orange flower. Orange cone. Orange building.” Notice the beauty of each thing.
Avoid walking too quickly — take your time and savor every step. Think about it as an unfolding discovery rather than a fast-paced scavenger hunt.
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