10 Health Benefits of Walking
Walking offers many health benefits for people of all ages and fitness levels. It may help prevent some diseases and prolong your life.
Walking is free and easy to adjust to your daily routine. All you need to start walking is a pair of sturdy shoes.
Read on to learn about some of the benefits of walking.
1. Burn calories
Walking can help you burn calories. Burning calories can help you maintain or lose weight.
Your actual calorie burning will depend on a number of factors, including:
Walking speed
The distance is covered
Terrain (burns more calories when you walk uphill than burns on a flat surface)
Your weight
You can determine your actual calorie burning with a calorie calculator. For a general evaluation, you can also refer to this chart.
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2. Strengthen the heart
Walking at least 30 minutes a day and five days a week can reduce your risk of coronary heart disease by about 19 percent with a reliable source. As you increase the length or distance you walk each day, your risk may decrease further.
3. Helps to lower your blood sugar
Walking for a while after eating can help lower blood sugar.
One small study found that 15 minutes of walking (after breakfast, lunch and dinner) improved blood sugar levels than walking 45 minutes a day.
Further research is needed to confirm these findings.
Consider making walking after meals a regular part of your routine. This will help you to exercise throughout the day.
4. Relieves joint pain
Walking helps protect the joints, including the knees and hips. This is because it helps to lubricate and strengthen the muscles that support the joints.
People with gout may also experience benefits such as pain relief. Walking 5 to 6 miles a week can help prevent gout.
5. Increases immune function
Walking reduces your risk of catching a cold or flu.
One study found 1,000 adults during the flu season. Those who walked at a moderate pace of 30 to 45 minutes a day had a 43 percent lower number of sick days and a lower overall upper respiratory tract infection.
When they get sick, their symptoms go down. It was compared with adults who were indifferent to the study.
Try to walk daily to experience these benefits. If you live in a cold climate, you can try walking on a treadmill or around an indoor mall.
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6. Increase your energy
Going for a walk when you are tired is more effective energy than holding a cup of coffee.
Walking increases the flow of oxygen through the body. It increases the levels of cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine. These are hormones that help boost energy levels.
7. Improve your mood
Walking can help your mental health. Studies show that it helps reduce anxiety, depression and negative mood. It can increase self-esteem and reduce the symptoms of social withdrawal.
To experience these benefits, aim for 30 minutes of brisk walking three days a week or another moderate-intensity exercise. You can divide this into three 10 minute walks.
8. Extend your life
Fast walking will prolong your life. The researchers found that walking at a slower pace compared to a slower pace reduced the overall risk of death by 20 percent.
But walking too fast (at least 4 miles per hour) reduced the risk by 24 percent. The study looked at the overall causes of death, cardiovascular disease, and the relationship of rapid walking to factors such as death from cancer.
9. Tone your legs
Walking strengthens the muscles in your legs. To increase strength, walk on a hilly terrain or on a sloping treadmill. Or find ways with steps.
Trade-off walking along with other cross-training activities such as cycling or jogging. You can also do defensive exercises like squats, lungs and leg curls to tone and strengthen your leg muscles more.
10. Creative thinking
Walking can help you clear your head and think positively.
One study, which involved four experiments, compared people trying to think of new ideas while walking or sitting. The researchers found that participants were better at walking, especially when walking outdoors.
Walking opens up the free flow of ideas and at the same time is a simple way to increase creativity and achieve physical activity.
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