15 Health Benefits of Walking - Improve your Fitness and give a healthy life to your heart.
What’s not to like
about walking? It’s not only free. It’s easy to do, as well as it’s easy on the
joints. And there’s not a possibility to question that walking is good for you.
A University of Tennessee study found
that women who walked had less body fat than those who didn’t walk. It also
lowers the risk of blood clots, since the calf acts as a venous pump,
contracting and pumping blood from the feet and legs back to the heart,
reducing the load on the heart and giving it a long joyful life.
Walking is a
great way to improve or maintain overall health. Even just 30 minutes every day
can increase cardiovascular fitness, strengthen our bones, reduce excess body
fat, and boost muscle power and endurance for living a healthy life.
Not only that, but It
can also reduce your risk of developing conditions such as heart disease, type
2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and some deadly cancers. Moreover, it doesn’t require
any special equipment or training.
Walking as a
healthful form of physical activity began to receive attention in the 1990s due
to new recommendations that emphasized moderate-intensity physical activity.
The main example of moderate-intensity activity in the 1995 Centers for Disease
Control/American College of Sports Medicine recommendation was brisk walking at
3 to 4 mph.
Some Health
Benefits Of Walking (Summarized)
While walking you
carry your own body weight. This is known as weight-bearing exercise. Some of
the major benefits include:
o
burn more calories easily
o
improved sleep
o
increased cardiovascular and pulmonary (heart and lung)
fitness
o
reduced risk of heart disease and stroke
o
improved management of conditions such as hypertension
(high blood pressure), high cholesterol, joint and muscular pain or stiffness,
and diabetes
o
stronger bones and improved balance
o
increased muscle strength and endurance
o
reduced body fat.
o
Reducing the risk of complications during delivery and
recovery
1. Burn calories
Walking can help you burn
more calories in an easy way relatively. Burning calories can help you maintain
or lose weight.
Actual calorie burn depends
on several factors, including:
- walking
speed
- distance
covered
- terrain
(you’ll burn more calories walking uphill than you’ll burn on a flat
surface)
- your
weight
A brisk 30-minute walk burns 200 calories. Over time, calories
burned can lead to pounds dropped and there you are in perfect shape
eventually.
2-Improve Sleep
Sleep is considered a window to peace especially when you are in
a habit of overthinking. What can be more peaceful than going to sleep being
stress-free and without taking sleeping pills? Studies found that women, ages
50 to 75, who took one-hour morning walks, were more likely to relieve insomnia
than women who didn’t walk.
3. Strengthen the heart
Walking at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week can reduce the risk
for coronary heart disease by
about 19 percent. And this risk may reduce even more when you
increase the duration or distance you walk per day.
4.
Can help lower blood sugar
Taking a short walk after eating may help lower your blood
sugar. So it is preferable to walk in smaller duration chunks.
A study found that taking a 15-minute walk three times a
day (after breakfast, lunch, and dinner) improved blood sugar levels more than
taking a 45-minute walk at another point during the day.
5. Regulates Blood Pressure
Walking can also help lower blood pressure by improving blood circulation.
Researchers at the Wakayama Medical College, Japan conducted an
experiment on individuals with mild hypertension,
where 83 participants walked 10,000 steps per day for 12 weeks. At the end of
12 weeks, they showed a significant drop in blood pressure and had increased
stamina.
6.
Eases joint pain
Walking can help protect the joints, including your knees and
hips. That’s because it helps lubricate and strengthen the muscles that support
the joints.
Walking may also provide benefits for people living with arthritis,
such as reducing pain. Researchers
found that walking 5 to 6 miles a week
may also help prevent arthritis.
Walking supports your Joints. It is a fact that majority of
joint cartilage has no direct blood supply. It gets its nutrition from the joint
fluid that circulates as we move. Movement and compression from walking
“squishes” the cartilage, bringing oxygen and nutrients into the area.
One study of
post-menopausal women found that 30 minutes of walking each day reduced their
risk of hip fractures by 40%.
7. Boosts immune function
If you get a cold or the flu easily then walk maybe your
natural doctor. Walking may reduce the risk for developing a cold or the flu.
One study tracked 1,000 adults during flu season. Those
who walked at a moderate pace for 30 to 45 minutes a day had 43 percent fewer
sick days and fewer upper respiratory tract infections overall.
8.
Boost your energy
Even if you love coffee more than walking, the later may be friendlier
to you as energy booster. Going for a walk when you’re tired may be a more effective energy booster than grabbing a cup of
coffee.
Walking increases oxygen flow through the body. It can also
increase levels of cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. Those are the
hormones that help elevate energy levels.
9. Improve your mood
Walking can be helpful for your mental health. Studies show
it can help reduce anxiety, depression, and a negative mood. It can also boost
self-esteem and reduce symptoms of social withdrawal.
To experience these benefits, aim for 30 minutes of brisk
walking or other moderate-intensity exercises three days a week. You can also
break it up into three 10-minute walks a day.
Walking releases natural painkilling endorphins to the body –
one of the emotional benefits of exercise. A
California State University, Long Beach, study showed that the more steps
people took during the day, the better their moods were.
Below is a statistic that depicts the results of a survey on the
share of people who go walking once a day in England in 2017/2018, by duration
and purpose. In 2017/2018, it was found that 19.2 percent of respondents stated
that they usually spend more than two hours walking for recreational purposes.
Share of people who go walking once a day in England in
2017/2019, by duration and purpose (screenshot taken from Statista.com)
10- Slow down Mental Decline
Walking has a direct connection with mental health. A study of 6,000 women, ages 65 and older,
performed by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, found
that age-related memory decline was lower in those who walked more. The women
walking 2.5 miles per day had a 17% decline in memory, as opposed to a 25%
decline in women who walked less than a half-mile per week.
Walk every day to give your memory power a boost. Japanese
scientists have found that walking can help improve the memory of older
patients.
11.
Extend your life
Walking at a faster pace could extend your life overall. Researchers found
that walking at an average pace compared to a slow pace resulted in a 20
percent reduced the risk of overall death.
But walking at a brisk or fast pace (at least 4 miles per hour)
reduced the risk by 24 percent. The study looked at the association of walking
at a faster pace with factors like overall causes of death, cardiovascular
disease, and death from cancer.
In a study of 800
functionally limited women who could walk unassisted at baseline and were alive
and contacted 1 year later, 226 (28%) walked regularly, at least eight blocks
per week. These women exhibited better health and functioning than their non-walker
counterparts.
12. Tone your legs
The movability of human beings depends upon healthy legs. Walking
can strengthen the muscles in your legs. To build up more strength, walk in a
hilly area or on a treadmill with an incline or find routes with stairs.
Also, combine walking with other cross-training activities like
cycling or jogging. You can also perform resistance exercises like squats,
lunges, and leg curls to further tone and strengthen your leg muscles.
13. Creative thinking
Walking may help clear your head from unnecessary thoughts and
help you think creatively.
A study that
included four experiments compared people trying to think of new ideas while
they were walking or sitting. Researchers found participants did better while
walking, particularly while walking outdoors.
The researchers
concluded that walking opens up a free flow of ideas and is a simple way to
increase creativity and get physical activity at the same time.
Try to initiate a walking meeting with your colleagues the next
time you’re stuck on a problem at work.
14- Lower Alzheimer’s Risk
A study from the University of Virginia Health System in
Charlottesville found that ‘Men between the ages of 71 and 93 who walked
more than a quarter of a mile per day had half the incidence of dementia and
Alzheimer’s disease than those who walked less.
15-Reducing the risk of complications during
pregnancy and delivery
Exercise during pregnancy is very important for your overall
health and the health of your baby. Moreover, walking can be a wonderful
way to stay fit during pregnancy. The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention recommends that healthy women get at least 150 minutes per week of
moderate-intensity activity, ideally spread out across the week.
An ideal moderate-intensity activity for pregnant women is ‘Brisk
walking’.
We know that walking is a low-impact exercise that can be done
almost anywhere and anytime. You only need a good, comfortable pair of sneakers
and a water bottle, and you’re ready to walk.
Walking during pregnancy:
- Walking
reduces the risk of complications during pregnancy and delivery. Studies show that women who
exercise regularly have a lower risk of developing gestational diabetes or
having unplanned cesarean sections.
- Walking
also helps in relieving constipation which is a common symptom during
pregnancy.
- Walking
makes or keeps your muscles strong, making delivery and recovery easier.
- You
should stop walking if you feel dizzy, have vaginal bleeding, or trouble breathing. Call your doctor right away if you experience these symptoms.
The technique of perfect walk
While considering the technique of walking we need to focus
on some points. Make sure that
- Your
head is up in the level of eyes. You're looking forward & not at the ground.
- Your
neck, shoulders, and back are relaxed & not stiffly upright.
- You're
swinging your arms freely with a slight bend in your elbows. A little pumping with your arms is OK.
- Your
stomach muscles are slightly tightened and your back is straight, not
arched forward or backward.
- You're
walking smoothly, rolling your foot from heel to toe.
Walk
for 30 minutes a day
To get the health benefits discussed above, try to walk for at
least 30 minutes as briskly as you can on most days of the week. ‘Brisk’ means
that you can still talk but not sing, and you may be puffing slightly.
Building
physical activity into your life
Consider doing regular small bouts (10 minutes) three times per
day and gradually build up to longer sessions if it’s too difficult for you to walk
for 30 minutes at one time. However, if your goal is to lose weight, you will
need to do physical activity for longer than 30 minutes each day.
One of the most effective ways to assist with weight loss and
keep weight off once it’s lost is to build physical activity into daily
lifestyle plan.
Some suggestions that can help to build walking into your daily routine
include:
·
Prefer taking the stairs
instead of the lift.
·
Get off public transport
one stop earlier and walk to work or home.
·
Walk (don’t drive) to the
local shops.
How to get started…
To get started, all you’ll need is a pair of sturdy walking
shoes. Choose a walking route near your home. Or look for a scenic place to
walk in your areas, such as a trail or a pedestal route along canal road.
You can also ask a friend or family member to walk with you
and hold you accountable. This increases your chances not to miss or back foot from
this healthy habit. Alternatively, you can add walking into your daily routine.
Some people find that keeping an activity diary or log also makes it easier.
A
comfortable intensity for walking
A comfortable intensity for walking is necessary. Although walking
fast burns more kilojoules per hour than walking slowly, but this doesn’t mean
you have to push yourself until you’re breathless. Instead, pace yourself so
that you can still talk. This simple rule of thumb means that you walk safely
within your target heart rate.
Footwear
for walking
Walking is a low-cost and effective form of exercise. However,
the wrong type of shoe or walking action can cause foot or shin pain, blisters
and injuries to soft tissue.
·
Make sure your shoes are
comfortable, with appropriate heel and arch supports.
·
Take light, easy steps and
make sure your heel touches down before your toes.
·
Walk on grass (whenever
possible) rather than concrete to help absorb the impact.
Stay motivated
Starting a walking program takes initiative. Sticking with this
program takes commitment. To stay motivated following points may be useful.
·
Start with a simple goal,
such as, "I'll take a 5- or 10-minute walk during my lunch break."
When your 5- or 10-minute walk becomes a habit, set a new goal, such as,
"I'll walk for 20 minutes after work."
·
If you don't like walking
alone, ask a friend or neighbor to join you. You might like listening to music
while you walk.
·
If you walk outdoors, plan
several different routes for variety. If you're walking alone, tell someone
which route you're taking. Walk in safe, well-lit locations.
·
If you find yourself
skipping your daily walks, don't give up. Remind yourself how good you feel
when you include physical activity in your daily routine, and then get back on
track.
A survey on the frequency of recreational
walking in Germany 2016-2019 Published by “Evgeniya Koptyug” shows the
results of a survey on the number of persons going on walks or doing Nordic
walking in Germany from 2016 to 2019. In 2019, around 830,000 people in Germany
aged 14 years or older went walking, or Nordic walking, in their spare time
several times a week.
Tips for staying safe while walking
To ensure your safety while walking, follow these tips:
- Walk in areas designated for
pedestrians. Look for well-lit areas if possible.
- Wear a pair of sturdy shoes with good heel and arch support.
- Wear loose, comfortable
clothing.
- Take waterproof clothing to
avoid getting wet if it rains.
- Choose walks that suit your age
and fitness level. Warm-up before starting and cool down with a slow,
gentle walk to ease in and out of your exercise session.
- Drink plenty of water before
and after your walk to stay hydrated.
- Wear sunscreen to prevent
sunburn, even on cloudy days.
