We usually avoid mud when we walk as it’s more difficult to move around and our feet may get wet. Not to mention the mess we make when we get home!
However, It seems that mud has positive properties which can benefit us greatly. A London oncologist, Mary O’Brien, created a serum out of the bacteria called Mycobacterium vaccae (M. vaccae), a soil microbe. Then she gave it to her lung cancer patients, hoping that It would boost their immune systems. However, rather than that happening, the patients cheered up, felt less pain, reported greater levels of energy and were able to think more clearly. Similar results were found in mice. Interestingly, gardeners said they had always known that working with soil was a powerful mood enhancer. In conclusion, scientists found that this soil-induced serotonin aided concentration, in addition to decreasing anxiety.
But there’s more! Contact with mud can also be good for our gut health. Australian research on mice exposed to good quality soil found that they had more diverse microbiomes and less anxiety. Their microbiomes had abundant butyrate, which is believed to have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. Studies have shown that children raised on farms have lower rates of asthma due to the wide diversity of bacteria in their environment. It really is good for us to be exposed to biodiverse soils.
Geosmin comes from bacteria in wet earth and is known to induce calmness. We are so sensitive to its rich smell that we can detect just seven drops of it in a swimming pool. Scientists believe it alerted our ancestors to the presence of water and fertile soil, a kind of smell of survival.
Of course, walking in mud is also good for our balance! As we walk, the twenty-nine muscles in our core work hard to steady us, keeping us strong, stable and balanced.
Here are some tips for walking in the mud:
Try smelling and touching the damp land on your route: the leafy soil of forest floors, the damp sands of a beach, the muddy shores of a river.
Prod small patches with a stick to help release geosmin.
To avoid slipping, take walking poles or use your arms for balance. Every lurching step improves your spatial awareness, balance and core muscles.
Let’s all go for a muddy walk!
Source: 52 Ways to Walk: Annabel Streets – Bloomsbury Publishing