Are you tired of often listening to the words by your mom or elders, saying, “Start walking early in the morning, it’s good for health”? Certainly, even they do not know what the good or great thing about walking every day is. Many of us add walking to our daily routine. But some of us would just add it to our wish list.
Walking is a fantastic way to get healthy and stay healthy. It is a simplest and inexpensive way of physical activity that makes you fit always. If you are modest towards inculcating physical activity in your daily life or if you are newly starting to work out then walking is an amazing weapon for you to gear up with.
We all know that walking daily is good in managing weight but there are lot more magical miracles that ‘walking’ can do:
Top 10 Great Health Benefits Of ‘WALKING’
-
Strengthens your heart
Strengthen your heart by walking at least 30 minutes a day, as it improves your overall heart health. It lowers your blood pressure and the risk for stroke. The Stroke Association says “A brisk walk can reduce the stroke risk up to 27%.”
-
Strengthens your bones
Walking can reduce your risk of developing osteoporosis by increasing the bone strength. Some vigorous exercises such as jumping, running, and weightlifting have bone-strengthening benefits; you must also know that walking also shows the same kind of impact in strengthening your bones. Wow! Isn’t it great to know?
-
Hastens your brain
As you grow older, you may be more prone to mental disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia (decline in memory) and other mental disorders. Walking can improve your cognition and can also reverse the blues of aging. It is really amazing to know that walking backward helps think faster.
-
Boosts up your mood
Is your day irritating? Come on, walk it off. Walking outdoors in a pleasant environment enhances your mood, helps in reducing the feeling of frustration, and lets your brain go into a state of meditation. So, walk a while and get the smile back.
-
Reduces your body weight
If you are the one who is zealous to shed the weight or maintain your weight. Then choosing to walk will be a win-win choice. The more you walk the quick you put down your weight, but if you are a beginner, do not overdo as it may cause foot soreness or injuries. So, think wise and deal well on how much and how long to walk. You can better ask your fitness guru to create a walking plan for you.
Did you know? Walking at 2mph for 30 minutes will burn 75 calories; if you speed up to 3mph, you might burn 99 calories. So, walk well to shed the pounds in no time.
-
Boosts up your energy
If you are feeling low, try to boost up your energy by giving yourself a brisk walk to naturally energize yourself. Yes, surprisingly, you may feel more energetic as walking increases circulation and oxygen supply to every cell in your body, making them more alert and active. So, don’t sit still when you are low, make a move and get it out.
-
Gives you a sound sleep
Regular walking can increase your quality of sleep, especially if you are the one suffering from insomnia (sleeplessness). You will fall asleep faster and sleep deeply if you inculcate walking into your daily routine. It is also said that walking outdoors would be effective since exposure to the natural sunlight helps you stay in sync with natural circadian rhythms.
-
Enhances your immunity
Walking can boost your immune system. Recent studies suggest that walking a few times a week can reduce the chances of acquiring colds and flu. It also reduces your risk of cancer and type 2 diabetes. Not only just keeping you fit, walking also helps you in maintaining the immunity and making you healthier day by day.
-
Improves your blood sugar levels
Do you walk after your meal? If not practice it for sure because walking can improve your blood sugar levels more right after your meal although it also does at any time of the day or night.
-
Increases your life expectancy
Walking increases your overall survival rate. If you walk for just 15 minutes a day, it shows significant health benefits, summing up a three years of life expectancy.
How much should you walk?
If you are an adult, you should walk for 30 minutes with moderate intensity every day. Children and young ones need to walk for at least one hour. Walking is so adaptable way of physical activity because for doing so we don’t have to modify our routine much. Walking to your gym, nearby grocery store, a ten minutes walk to an office or park, etc. can also add up to your physical activity.
You must surely be overwhelmed by knowing the amazing benefits of walking. Before planning up to walk, decide on how much is sufficient for you, don’t overdo it. The most important thing you must remember is, the overall benefits that you gain due to practicing the physical activity might be lost if you do not keep up the steadiness. So keep the activity active all the time, be regular and do not skip. Find out the best walking place and reach the destination of health!
Reference:
- Yuenyongchaiwat K. Effects of 10,000 steps a day on physical and mental health in overweight participants in a community setting: a preliminary study. Braz J Phys Ther. 2016 Jun 16;0:0.
- Duncan MJ, Minatto G, Wright SL. Dose-response between pedometer assessed physical activity, functional fitness, and fatness in healthy adults aged 50-80 years. Am J Hum Biol. 2016 Jun 20. [Epub ahead of print]
- Le H, Engler-Stringer R, Muhajarine N. Walkable home neighbourhood food environment and children’s overweight and obesity: Proximity, density or price? Can J Public Health. 2016 Jun 9;107(0):5347.
- Simmonds MJ,, Sabapathy S, Serre KR, Haseler LJ1, Gass GC, Marshall-Gradisnik SM, Minahan CL. Regular walking improves plasma protein concentrations that promote blood hyperviscosity in women 65-74 yr with type 2 diabetes. Clin Hemorheol Microcirc. 2016 May 30. [Epub ahead of print]
