Walk Your Way to a Healthy Life: The Benefits of Walking

Burn Calories | Healthy Lifestyle | Mental Wellbeing

Do you want to lead a healthier lifestyle and have not been into exercising up until now? Maybe you don’t know where to start and feel overwhelmed by the options out there. Well, the best approach often to any new beginning is to start small – so don’t worry about having to dive in to get the best out of what may be a significant life style change. You can just walk as walking is the easiest exercise to do- and you can do it anywhere, be it a park, the street or even just at home. It is one of the best exercises to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Benefits of walking leads to a healthier life. 

Walking: A Man’s Best Medicine

The great Greek physician Hippocrates once said “Walking is a man’s best medicine” which is true since walking is not only your way to better health, it is great for your mental well-being as well. Walking is free, you don’t need to go and register for a monthly gym membership, or buy any fitness gadgets.   

Having less energy and brain fog is not a normal part of aging as some may assume and the good news is, you have a great deal of control over your health and preventing these symptoms from being a chronic part of your life. Walking is one of the things that you can do to control your health and age well. Make walking a part of your everyday routine and enjoy its health benefits all life long.  

So what’s there not to like about walking? You don’t need a gym, no extra expenses, and most importantly, it’s easier on your joints. You don’t need to run a mile to be healthy. Just a place where you can walk.

The Benefits of Walking: Why walking is the best medicine?  

You probably think why walk and make yourself tired by doing extra efforts when you can just lie on your couch and relax, think again! Because that’s not relaxing, that’s physical inactivity.  

Physical inactivity is also considered to be a greater risk of anxiety and depression. And you don’t want to end up like that, right? Hence, staying active can alter these risks and you can enjoy a healthy life.  

Staying active means moving your body, and what’s the easiest way to move than to just stand up and walk? Couldn’t find any other way? We neither, so regular and longer walks will increase your chances of living longer as well as staying healthier. 

The Benefits of walking: How walking is therapeutic?  

Walking is not only essential for good health but it is also great for your mental health. That’s why walking is one of the best things that we can do for ourselves.  

Walking is Natural 

Our bodies are designed to be in motion. And walking is one of the most natural and easiest ways to do that. When we walk, the other biological systems of our body work best. For instance when we go for a walk, blood circulation increases, which nourishes our whole body with blood and oxygen. 

Walking in the natural environment 

Now we know if you are living in a city with big buildings everywhere, finding a place to peace out could be a difficult task. But go a little extra mile, and find yourself a park where there is greenery and just try to connect with nature. You might have noticed too that being in nature improves your mood instantly, as the natural environment gives you a breathing place and relaxes your mind from daily routines and demands.  

Walking deepens the connection to ourselves  

Busy routines, work demands and other family obligations take us away from ourselves. Prioritize taking some time for yourself and paying attention to your health as it will decrease your stress burden and allow you to be more present in other day to day responsibilities. Connecting with nature while you walk will allow you to find out more about yourself. The silence of both the space and within, allows you to find a sense of direction, clarity, and peace of mind. So make a habit of walking daily, possibly in the morning before the rest of your day starts, and you will have a more clear mind throughout.  

Health Benefits of Walking  

This easiest form of exercise can significantly contribute to your health. Walking not only extends your life and saves you from various kinds of diseases, but it will also keep you in motion which is a great way of physical activity.  

Here are some of the health benefits of walking:   

Increases Heart Health  

You are probably well aware of the fact that running makes your heart stronger, but walking is no less effective when it comes to the prevention of heart diseases and stroke. 

You take a 30 min walk per day, your heart health is dramatically better. This is because as you are walking, your heart is pumping in a nice relaxed manner circulating that oxygen-rich blood throughout all of your tissues. So walking gives you this heart benefit that contributes to increasing your heart health. Also, walking 30 minutes per day will boost your metabolism for up to 12 hours afterward, isn’t that amazing? So grab those pairs of sneakers and get moving.  

Improves Energy  

Improved energy is another benefit of walking. Walking helps the circulation of blood and releases oxygen as well as adrenaline, a mood-lifting hormone that makes you extremely active and alive. Walking also increases the levels of cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine, which are hormones that increase energy levels in your body. So next time when you feel tired, don’t head towards a coffee shop, go for a walk instead. It will boost your energy and is also beneficial for your health.  

Improves Eyesight 

Moving your legs helps your eyes, isn’t that surprising? How do they have anything to do with each other? Well, first off, walking can help fight glaucoma by relieving eye pressure. Glaucoma develops when too much fluid builds up in the eye, increasing the pressure inside, that pressure, in turn, affects the optic nerve which results in visual impairment. Hence, walking is one of the best ways to reduce the risk of developing glaucoma. If you think you are way too young to start worrying about glaucoma, you should know that walking is good for eyesight in general. So get on the road to improve vision and protect your eyes now from potential problems in the future.  

Increases lung capacity 

Walking is an aerobic exercise, which means that it increases oxygen in the bloodstream and helps eliminate toxins and wastes. It’s great for your lungs due to better quality, deeper breathing and some symptoms associated with lung disease can show significant improvement. The stress and medication that lung disease brings with it weaken the immune system of those who are suffering from it.  

Improves Mood 

As we mentioned, one of the best benefits of walking is that it improves your mood. Believe it or not, walking stimulates and releases happy cells into your brains such as dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin.  

With increased blood flow your brain is exposed to more oxygen and nutrients. As a result, these happy chemicals improve your overall mood. Also, walking helps you get rid of chemicals that make you feel stressed and anxious. So you have no reason left not to walk.  

Good for Digestion 

Just half an hour walking every day not only lowers the risk of developing colon cancer but also improves digestion and regulates bowel movements. Isn’t that good news for those of you who have issues with constipation and bloating? What’s even better is that walking helps the chances of surviving colon cancer even if it’s already been diagnosed.  

Toned Muscles 

Muscle tone and weight loss are also achievable through simple walking. Just 10,000 steps a day can be just as effective as a full-blown workout at the gym, especially if you add some intervals or uphill walking. Just remember to use the correct form though, keep your spine straight, bend your elbows at a 90-degree angle, swing your arms, and stabilize your pelvis. Find your optimal pace, but don’t break out into a jog. This sort of speed walking is low-impact and doesn’t require any recovery time. That means no more muscles to keep you from walking the next day.  

Strengthen bones and joints 

Walking can provide more joint mobility, prevent the loss of bone density and even reduce the risk of fractures.

Building strong bones will help you prevent osteoporosis and reduce bone loss.  

Alleviate back pain  

Yet another element that walking can cure is back pain! Walking is a real lifesaver for those who experience more challenging high-impact exercises. Since it is a low-impact activity, it will not cause more pain or discomfort like running. Walking contributes to better blood circulation within the spinal structures pumping important nutrients into the soft tissue in improving posture and flexibility both of which are essential for a healthy spine. As you walk, you make your spine more stable and strengthen the muscles that keep your body upright.  

Keeps your mind calmed 

If mind and body are connected as they say, then this point is right on our list. Walking is known to cure depression and anxiety, now imagine how easily it can help us to cope with just feeling down or exhausted. Hence, walking half an hour per day will not only keep your mind calm but will also improve your overall mood.  

The benefits of walking: How often should you walk?  

So are you excited to walk your way to better health? 

If, for whatever reason, you can’t go for a walk every single day, do it three to five times a week. If you can only handle a 5 min walk, start with that. But do it regularly and gradually add extra minutes to it. Just make it your routine, that’s what matters.  

The benefits of walking: How fast should you walk?  

So what is moderate intensity? we’ve mentioned it before in a prior blog post. 2-3 miles an hour is a good and average intensity. If that’s too much for you to set your own optimal pace, a good rule to remember is that you should be able to talk while walking. If you’re starting to run out of breath and your heart starts to beat crazily, know that you are going too fast.  

The benefits of walking: How long should you walk per day?  

Start with making a goal of walking 30 minutes a day. Also, count your steps to motivate yourself to keep going. A good amount to aim for is 6,000 steps a day. But again, if that’s too much go gradually and start with what suits you.  

If you still don’t feel motivated enough to start walking, find yourself a buddy for accountablity, inspiration and support who wouldn’t mind getting the same health benefits while having a good conversation.

Thank you for reading and if you have any questions, feel free to leave us a comment in the section below. Do not forget you can also visit the blog section on our website to learn more about nutrition, body care, and exercise-related topics.