The Benefits of Walking
Did you know that by simply just moving around and sitting less, you can increase your metabolism, heart health, burn calories for weight loss, and much more? Maybe you already knew that, but how often do you really get out of your seat?
Walking is, without a doubt, the most underrated exercise. Unlike most other forms of exercise, walking is a basic bodyweight exercise that can be performed without any equipment. It does not even require much effort as it is something that we are already naturally capable of. All it takes is a nice pair of shoes and a little motivation to reap the mental and physical benefits of taking a walk.
Benefits
JUST STAYING ACTIVE
In today’s society, conquered by technology and electronic screens, almost anything is better than just sitting down. Standing for longer than 30 minutes or long can have adverse health effects and even lead to muscle dystrophy, which will decrease your muscle size. Try to go for a 15 minute walk every day, and increase this number by 15 minutes every week. Or track your steps; if you don’t have a fitness watch, most new generation cell phones have apps that can track your steps. Maybe start with 1000 steps a day, and increase 100-200 steps a day every week. To have more enjoyable walks, maybe try walking around you local mall or maybe you even have a beautiful lake or park near you! Lastly, try to challenge yourself by going at a faster pace and keeping your heart rate up.
OFFERS SIMILAR BENEFITS AS RUNNING
Similar to running, going on walk can help increase your heart rate, thereby improving blood flow, and helping your heart pump blood more efficiently for oxygenation. Studies suggest that, as a result, regularly walking decrease risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 24% decreases all-cause morality by 20%.
Walking may even be better than running in some cases. Compared to running, walking has a much lower injury rate since it is a very low-impact movement. Moderate-intensity walking shows similar reduction in risk for heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure, when compared to vigorous-intensity running, according to research from “Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.”
COGNITIVE & MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS
While walking, you are boosting blood flow to the brain. This leads to decreased stress and the release of more endorphins, which improves your mood and decreases cognitive decline. Additionally, research has suggested that walking improves a person’s creativity both during the walk and shortly thereafter.
By just taking a simple walk outside or on your treadmill you can significantly boost your brain power, so why not start now!
