The health benefits of walking regularly
There's no doubt that walking is good for you; good for your heart, your lungs, great for bone and muscle growth, and of course your physical and mental well being. There is even scientific evidence that supports the many benefits of regular walking. So let's take a closer look at the health benefits of walking regularly and what it can specifically do for your body.
Health benefits of walking
Whether you want to stay fit, control your weight, or just feel better, walking is a great way to do it. The great thing about walking is that it can be done anywhere you want, you don't need special equipment, and it can become part of your daily routine. Walking has several benefits:
- Walking is a low impact exercise that doesn't require a person to be extremely physically fit. Running requires a little bit more in terms of being physically fit and may be slightly more effective, however it can take its toll on knees, ankles, and even backs. Walking can be just as effective as running (although it may take longer to burn the calories) but is not as hard on your joints and bones. Anyway can walk; literally.
|
|
- Walking is also beneficial for your metabolism. If you're not big into exercising but want to start burning some calories and speed up your metabolic rate then walking can help you do both. Speeding up your metabolism will help your body process the food you eat more effectively and help reduce the amount of fat your body stores.
- Weight loss is another benefit of regular walking. As your metabolism begins to speed up and your body begins to reduce your fat storage you may begin to see a reduction in weight. Just by walking ½ hour a week will keep your blood pressure down and reduce your cholesterol; the weight control is just an added bonus. You can also reduce the risk of other health related illnesses such as coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer, osteoarthritis, and non insulin diabetes.
- If you have ever had a day where the stress just seems to be building and you're not sure what to do about it, walking can relieve some of that tension. Most scientists believe that the combination of fresh air, a new environment, and the physical activity can play a major role in stress reduction. It helps to clear your mind and forget for a moment about the pressures of the day. Most people don't pay enough attention to their mental well being as much as their physical, but walking regularly can have a calming affect of your mind. Walking has also shown to improve self esteem, relieve symptoms of depression, and helps improve your mood.
- And last, but definitely not the least walking can be beneficial to your physical well being. Although it is not considered "exercising", it will help keep the muscles in your body, legs, and feet in good shape. It can also help relieve muscle pain and joint pain. In order to consider it a fitness activity you must set your walk briskly; enough to get your heart rate up. To figure out where your heart rate needs to be minus your age from 220. Your heart rate should be at least 45% of whatever the number is.
If you think about it, the health benefits of walking regularly are immeasurable. Walking for just 15 to 30 minutes a day can help improve your physical and mental well being, can help reduce the risk of many health related illnesses, and can actually make you feel better. It would seem that there really is no down side to it.
