Why Daily Walks Are Good for Your Health
Physical exercise does not have to be a vigorous exercise in the gym or running around the block. Sure, running will get the crown when it comes to health and fitness, but walking is also a form of exercise. A daily walk will significantly improve your mental and physical health. A walk will also lift your mood, boost your energy, and help prevent diseases.
Health Benefits of Walking: Maintain a healthy weight
Like any other form of physical activity, walking increases your heart rate, which causes you to use energy, thus burning calories. The number of calories you burn will depend on how fast you walk, how far you walk, the terrain you walk in as well as your weight.
A brisk walk will help you burn about 150 calories in 30 minutes. Over time, when you burn calories, it will result in you losing weight and thus enable you to maintain a healthy weight.
Help boost immunity
Walking for less than an hour every day will help fight upper respiratory infections. Study shows that people who take daily walks take fewer sick days and report fewer respiratory infections such as a cold and the flu. People who took a daily walk also reported mild symptoms if they fell ill. It is essential to be careful as you take your walk; the death rate from pedestrian accidents is pretty high.
Improve your circulation
Walking as physical activity helps increase the heart rate, lower blood pressure, and strengthen the heart. Walking will, therefore, reduce the chances of cardiovascular occurrences such as heart attack and stroke. Walking for one or two miles a day will lower your blood pressure by about 11 points in 6 months. A 30-minute walk a day will reduce the risk of a stroke by 20% and 40% if you walk at a faster pace.
Strengthen your bones and muscles
Taking a daily walk will help stop bone mass loss, which will help strengthen your bones. A study showed that taking a 30-minute walk daily for menopausal women reduces the risk of hip fractures by 40%. Increasing your pace or walking on hilly terrain will help boost the strength building. Walking will help strengthen the muscles in your legs, your abdominal muscles as well as arm muscles. Pumping your arms as you walk helps shift pressure from your joints to your muscles.
Daily walks: Relieving joint pain
Walking helps protect your joints as they are lubricated, and the muscles supporting the joints strengthened. Walking helps warm up your muscles, making it easier to move; walking also increases neurotransmitters’ levels, some of which work to reduce pain. People with arthritis can benefit from daily walks-reducing the joint pain. Taking a walk of about 5 to 6 miles every week could help prevent arthritis. Patients suffering from lower back pain are advised to go for walks to help ease pain and reduce the risk of disability.
Bottom Line
Taking a walk every day has a multitude of health benefits, losing weight being the prominent one; besides, you only need a comfortable pair of shoes to get started. Walking is a perfect physical exercise for everyone, the old and young alike. You also need not worry that the weather is unfavorable to walk outside. Walking on your treadmill also counts as well as walking around your indoor mall. Take a walk every day to reap all these health benefits.
