Benefits Of Walking Everyday
According to recent survey results, it’s estimated that around 80 percent of Americans (and
those living in the U.K. too) between the ages of 25 and 64 don’t work
out enough each week to meet the recommended levels of
government-specified daily physical activity.
While fitness is definitely on the rise and more people are doing some
form of exercise every week than ever before, the majority of adults
still find it hard to fit in both strength and aerobic exercise.
When most people decide it’s time to practice some healthier habits, simply walking to lose weight and improve their health might not seem like it’s going to do “enough” to give them the benefits of exercise they’re after. But the truth is walking is the oldest form of human physical activity there is, and the benefits of walking are great! Long before the days of CrossFit, voluntarily running marathons or working out in gyms, people walked. And they walked a lot.
While it might not give you the ripped body you always dreamed of, walking is a great place to start if you’re new to exercising or simply lacking motivation to be more active. Even if you’re a seasoned athlete and prefer really working up a sweat by doing burst fir training, HIIT workouts or a demanding sport, walking can still be a great form of activity that complements these tougher workouts.
Considering that walking is super convenient, doesn’t wear down joints yet still burns calories, revs up your metabolism, and can help prevent dozens of different diseases, there’s really no downside to walking more.
A study concluded that regularly walking for weight loss could be just as beneficial, or even more, as hitting the gym. The results of the study, which investigated the effects of various workouts on health markers in over 50,000 adults over the course of 13 years, found that walkers tend to be thinner than those who go to the gym or regularly only practice high-intensity workouts.
Walking briskly and deliberately for at least 30 minutes a day was correlated with having a lower body mass index and a smaller waistline compared to non-walkers. What’s even more impressive is that the results were particularly pronounced in women, people over 50 and those with low incomes — three populations that notoriously struggle with their weight.
Even though people have been helping control their body weight and boost their longevity by walking since the beginning of time, we first heard about intentionally walking to lose weight and fight off certain diseases around the 1990s. Walking daily for health gained attention at this time when the doctors first recommended at least 30 minutes of “brisk walking” for all adults most days of the week. At the same time, the American Heart Association got on board with the “30 minutes of walking daily” message. Walking has since been considered the gold standard for meeting the guidelines of daily “moderate-intensity physical activity,” since it can be done by just about anyone, at any time, for no cost whatsoever.
Over the years, walking has been linked to protection against certain conditions and diseases, including:
Most
of what we know about the health benefits of walking comes largely from
epidemiologic and correlational studies, meaning researchers observe
populations that walk frequently and then compare certain factors of
their health to people who don’t walk as much. Because of that, we can’t
always conclude that walking itself helps keep weight gain
away or makes someone incapable of developing a disease — but we can
assume that people who walk more also probably practice other healthy
habits, which all come together to protect them from the various effects
of aging.
1. Helps You Maintain a Healthy Weight
As mentioned earlier, walking is just as effective — possibly even more effective in some circumstances — as more intense workouts when it comes to weight loss or maintenance. This is even true when compared to various “rigorous” activities that increase your heart rate and cause you to sweat, like swimming, cycling, working out at the gym, dancing, running, football/rugby, badminton/tennis, squash and aerobic exercises. All of these exercises were compared in the London School study, but the weight loss benefits of walking still held up.
If walking for around 30 minutes doesn’t burn tons of calories like other vigorous workouts can, you might wonder how it can help with weight loss. Walking at a fast or brisk pace does use up a good amount of bodily energy, but the advantage might be that it’s an easy exercise hack to keep up with, has particular mental benefits and doesn’t wear someone out the way that other demanding activities might. At the end of the day, any type of exercise is only going to be beneficial if you actually keep up with it, so since so many people can maintain a regime of walking without becoming injured, it seems to offer serious long-term benefits.
Some theorize that doing an intense workout for about one hour a day might make some people less likely to do much else for the remainder of the day. Things like heavy housework, cooking, cleaning, shopping, mowing the lawn, etc., all take up a lot of physical energy — and for most busy adults, there’s only so much to go around. Or it could be more of a mental effect when it comes walking: Once the workout box is “checked,” the rest of the day people might feel they’re “off the hook” and don’t need to focus on moving around so much. When someone walks daily for exercise, the net effect might be that they burn more calories overall throughout the day, even though their actual workout was less strenuous, because they perceive walking to be easier, which frees up more energy.
Additionally, walking seems to be therapeutic for many people and soothing (especially when it’s done outdoors). Since walking can help balance stress hormones like cortisol, which are known to increase cravings and fat storage, it might make it easier to stick with other healthy habits — like eating a nourishing diet and getting good sleep that both support you in your quest to lose weight fast.
2. Low-Impact and Easy on Joints
One of the best things about walking is that it can help fight chronic diseases without putting you at even a moderate risk for exercise-related injuries. And according to some studies, people who are less likely to do other types of exercise are still inclined to take up walking, both for their health and for enjoyment. It’s just about the safest form of exercise there is, even for adults who are obese, the elderly, or those with existing medical conditions like diabetes, heart disease and arthritis that might stop them from participating in other activities.
You might assume otherwise, but regular walking actually supports your joints since it improves circulation and helps the lymphatic system do its job, pulling toxins out of the body and lowering inflammation. Normally, joint cartilage has no direct blood supply, but the more you move, the more your synovial joint fluid circulates, allowing oxygen and nutrients to be brought to delicate or injured areas. In fact, according to the Arthritis Foundation, staying inactive is one of the primary reasons for achiness and soreness since this results in joints being cut off from essential fluid supply.
If you’ve suffered injuries or aches and pains from the past, you can gradually increase the intensity of your walking without needing a personal trainer or much guidance. Stretching, resting enough and starting slow can help prevent pains and further inflammation (more on this below).
3. Good for Improving and Preserving Heart Health
A 2013 study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine found that briskly walking has beneficial effects on resting heart rate , blood pressure, exercise capacity, maximal oxygen consumption and quality of life. The study followed over 1,000 patients who had various diseases and found that walking has significant benefits in the majority of adults, offering protection from heart attacks, strokes or coronary artery disease.
Heart disease is the No. 1 killer in the U.S. and is tied to the modern-day sedentary lifestyle, with its lack of everyday physical activity coupled with high stress levels and a poor diet. Brisk walking is considered a simple, safe and effective form of exercise even for people who are older, have a history of disease or who have suffered previous injuries that stop them from doing high-intensity workouts.
Studies show that walking briskly for about 30 minutes a day, five days a week (which is what most authorities recommend) is associated with a 19 percent reduction in coronary heart disease risk, while increasing your speed and intensity (such as hitting some hills) can give you even more protection. Essentially, the harder you work while walking, plus the more you do, the better off you’ll be. For the most heart-healthy benefits, try gradually increasing your total walking duration, distance, frequency, energy expenditure and pace.
4. Fights Depression And Improves Your Mood
Good news: You can get the same “runner's high" even when you take it a slower pace and walk. All forms of exercise are beneficial as a natural remedy for depression and mood-related problems since they release “feel good” hormones in your brain, including endorphins.
Want to feel an even bigger impact from walking? Then walk outdoors and practice “earthing” by putting your bare feet in direct contact with the grass or sand. Getting your blood flowing while also soaking up some sun, boosting your vitamin D levels and spending more time in nature are all super effective and easy ways to feel happier every single day.
Walking can also keep you sharap as your age. It’s associated with a decrease in Alzheimer's disease, dementia, memory loss and other forms of mental decline. One study done by the University of California San Francisco found that walking is even associated with longevity and a longer life span. Another study from the same department followed 6,000 women over the age of 65 and found that walking 2.5 miles per day resulted in significantly more protection from memory loss than walking less than a half-mile per week.
5. Supports Bone Health Into Older Age
Similarly to other types of exercise, walking regularly can help stop the loss of bone mass as someone ages. Your risk for porous bone diseases drops when you walk and move your body because you’re fighting gravity, forcing your bones to become stronger in order to support your body weight. This reduces the risk for fractures or osteoporosis, which become more common as you grow older.
One study found that postmenopausal women who walked for 30 minutes a day reduced their risk of hip fractures by 40 percent.
6. Can Be Done Anywhere and Doesn’t Require Equipment
Can’t afford a fancy gym membership, or have no time to regularly attend high-end fitness classes? No problem, because walking can be done right from your own front door and costs absolutely nothing. You don’t even necessarily have to do all your walking at one time to make it count. It all “adds up,” so to speak, since simply walking more throughout the day can gradually bring you closer to your daily goal of 30–60 minutes of exercise. Even shorter walks done several times per day, such as 15–20 minutes at a time when you have time, contribute to better muscular, heart and hormonal functioning.
Still lacking motivation to get started? Try thinking of walking as a form of transportation that at the same time conveniently also comes with numerous health benefits. Several interesting studies have shown that walking and cycling for transportation is associated with an 11 percent reduction in heart disease risk and is tied to improvements in inflammatory markets, dyslipidemia, triglycerides, diastolic blood pressure and fasting insulin levels. Consider the layout of your neighborhood or work location, and try to build in more walking throughout your day that seems purposeful, such as doing errands by foot or walking to nearby friends’ houses.
THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES. PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG- https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/
FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG- https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/
FOR CROCHET DESIGNS https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com
When most people decide it’s time to practice some healthier habits, simply walking to lose weight and improve their health might not seem like it’s going to do “enough” to give them the benefits of exercise they’re after. But the truth is walking is the oldest form of human physical activity there is, and the benefits of walking are great! Long before the days of CrossFit, voluntarily running marathons or working out in gyms, people walked. And they walked a lot.
While it might not give you the ripped body you always dreamed of, walking is a great place to start if you’re new to exercising or simply lacking motivation to be more active. Even if you’re a seasoned athlete and prefer really working up a sweat by doing burst fir training, HIIT workouts or a demanding sport, walking can still be a great form of activity that complements these tougher workouts.
Considering that walking is super convenient, doesn’t wear down joints yet still burns calories, revs up your metabolism, and can help prevent dozens of different diseases, there’s really no downside to walking more.
How Walking Benefits Health
Recently, a study conducted by the London School of Economics and Political Science shined the spotlight on walking as one of the very best preventative measures for fighting off weight gain. (2) And prior to that particular study, dozens have showed that daily walking is beneficial for keeping people feeling younger, healthier and happier.A study concluded that regularly walking for weight loss could be just as beneficial, or even more, as hitting the gym. The results of the study, which investigated the effects of various workouts on health markers in over 50,000 adults over the course of 13 years, found that walkers tend to be thinner than those who go to the gym or regularly only practice high-intensity workouts.
Walking briskly and deliberately for at least 30 minutes a day was correlated with having a lower body mass index and a smaller waistline compared to non-walkers. What’s even more impressive is that the results were particularly pronounced in women, people over 50 and those with low incomes — three populations that notoriously struggle with their weight.
Even though people have been helping control their body weight and boost their longevity by walking since the beginning of time, we first heard about intentionally walking to lose weight and fight off certain diseases around the 1990s. Walking daily for health gained attention at this time when the doctors first recommended at least 30 minutes of “brisk walking” for all adults most days of the week. At the same time, the American Heart Association got on board with the “30 minutes of walking daily” message. Walking has since been considered the gold standard for meeting the guidelines of daily “moderate-intensity physical activity,” since it can be done by just about anyone, at any time, for no cost whatsoever.
Over the years, walking has been linked to protection against certain conditions and diseases, including:
- Obesity
- Heart disease, hypertension, coronary artery disease
- Diabetes
- Depression and anxiety disorders
- Dementia, Alzheimer’s and cognitive decline
- Arthritis
- Hormonal imbalances
- PMS symptoms
- Thyroid disorders
- Fatigue and low energy levels
6 Health Benefits of Walking
If you’re not already intentionally walking daily, here are six reasons you might want to start:1. Helps You Maintain a Healthy Weight
As mentioned earlier, walking is just as effective — possibly even more effective in some circumstances — as more intense workouts when it comes to weight loss or maintenance. This is even true when compared to various “rigorous” activities that increase your heart rate and cause you to sweat, like swimming, cycling, working out at the gym, dancing, running, football/rugby, badminton/tennis, squash and aerobic exercises. All of these exercises were compared in the London School study, but the weight loss benefits of walking still held up.
If walking for around 30 minutes doesn’t burn tons of calories like other vigorous workouts can, you might wonder how it can help with weight loss. Walking at a fast or brisk pace does use up a good amount of bodily energy, but the advantage might be that it’s an easy exercise hack to keep up with, has particular mental benefits and doesn’t wear someone out the way that other demanding activities might. At the end of the day, any type of exercise is only going to be beneficial if you actually keep up with it, so since so many people can maintain a regime of walking without becoming injured, it seems to offer serious long-term benefits.
Some theorize that doing an intense workout for about one hour a day might make some people less likely to do much else for the remainder of the day. Things like heavy housework, cooking, cleaning, shopping, mowing the lawn, etc., all take up a lot of physical energy — and for most busy adults, there’s only so much to go around. Or it could be more of a mental effect when it comes walking: Once the workout box is “checked,” the rest of the day people might feel they’re “off the hook” and don’t need to focus on moving around so much. When someone walks daily for exercise, the net effect might be that they burn more calories overall throughout the day, even though their actual workout was less strenuous, because they perceive walking to be easier, which frees up more energy.
Additionally, walking seems to be therapeutic for many people and soothing (especially when it’s done outdoors). Since walking can help balance stress hormones like cortisol, which are known to increase cravings and fat storage, it might make it easier to stick with other healthy habits — like eating a nourishing diet and getting good sleep that both support you in your quest to lose weight fast.
2. Low-Impact and Easy on Joints
One of the best things about walking is that it can help fight chronic diseases without putting you at even a moderate risk for exercise-related injuries. And according to some studies, people who are less likely to do other types of exercise are still inclined to take up walking, both for their health and for enjoyment. It’s just about the safest form of exercise there is, even for adults who are obese, the elderly, or those with existing medical conditions like diabetes, heart disease and arthritis that might stop them from participating in other activities.
You might assume otherwise, but regular walking actually supports your joints since it improves circulation and helps the lymphatic system do its job, pulling toxins out of the body and lowering inflammation. Normally, joint cartilage has no direct blood supply, but the more you move, the more your synovial joint fluid circulates, allowing oxygen and nutrients to be brought to delicate or injured areas. In fact, according to the Arthritis Foundation, staying inactive is one of the primary reasons for achiness and soreness since this results in joints being cut off from essential fluid supply.
If you’ve suffered injuries or aches and pains from the past, you can gradually increase the intensity of your walking without needing a personal trainer or much guidance. Stretching, resting enough and starting slow can help prevent pains and further inflammation (more on this below).
3. Good for Improving and Preserving Heart Health
A 2013 study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine found that briskly walking has beneficial effects on resting heart rate , blood pressure, exercise capacity, maximal oxygen consumption and quality of life. The study followed over 1,000 patients who had various diseases and found that walking has significant benefits in the majority of adults, offering protection from heart attacks, strokes or coronary artery disease.
Heart disease is the No. 1 killer in the U.S. and is tied to the modern-day sedentary lifestyle, with its lack of everyday physical activity coupled with high stress levels and a poor diet. Brisk walking is considered a simple, safe and effective form of exercise even for people who are older, have a history of disease or who have suffered previous injuries that stop them from doing high-intensity workouts.
Studies show that walking briskly for about 30 minutes a day, five days a week (which is what most authorities recommend) is associated with a 19 percent reduction in coronary heart disease risk, while increasing your speed and intensity (such as hitting some hills) can give you even more protection. Essentially, the harder you work while walking, plus the more you do, the better off you’ll be. For the most heart-healthy benefits, try gradually increasing your total walking duration, distance, frequency, energy expenditure and pace.
4. Fights Depression And Improves Your Mood
Good news: You can get the same “runner's high" even when you take it a slower pace and walk. All forms of exercise are beneficial as a natural remedy for depression and mood-related problems since they release “feel good” hormones in your brain, including endorphins.
Want to feel an even bigger impact from walking? Then walk outdoors and practice “earthing” by putting your bare feet in direct contact with the grass or sand. Getting your blood flowing while also soaking up some sun, boosting your vitamin D levels and spending more time in nature are all super effective and easy ways to feel happier every single day.
Walking can also keep you sharap as your age. It’s associated with a decrease in Alzheimer's disease, dementia, memory loss and other forms of mental decline. One study done by the University of California San Francisco found that walking is even associated with longevity and a longer life span. Another study from the same department followed 6,000 women over the age of 65 and found that walking 2.5 miles per day resulted in significantly more protection from memory loss than walking less than a half-mile per week.
5. Supports Bone Health Into Older Age
Similarly to other types of exercise, walking regularly can help stop the loss of bone mass as someone ages. Your risk for porous bone diseases drops when you walk and move your body because you’re fighting gravity, forcing your bones to become stronger in order to support your body weight. This reduces the risk for fractures or osteoporosis, which become more common as you grow older.
One study found that postmenopausal women who walked for 30 minutes a day reduced their risk of hip fractures by 40 percent.
6. Can Be Done Anywhere and Doesn’t Require Equipment
Can’t afford a fancy gym membership, or have no time to regularly attend high-end fitness classes? No problem, because walking can be done right from your own front door and costs absolutely nothing. You don’t even necessarily have to do all your walking at one time to make it count. It all “adds up,” so to speak, since simply walking more throughout the day can gradually bring you closer to your daily goal of 30–60 minutes of exercise. Even shorter walks done several times per day, such as 15–20 minutes at a time when you have time, contribute to better muscular, heart and hormonal functioning.
Still lacking motivation to get started? Try thinking of walking as a form of transportation that at the same time conveniently also comes with numerous health benefits. Several interesting studies have shown that walking and cycling for transportation is associated with an 11 percent reduction in heart disease risk and is tied to improvements in inflammatory markets, dyslipidemia, triglycerides, diastolic blood pressure and fasting insulin levels. Consider the layout of your neighborhood or work location, and try to build in more walking throughout your day that seems purposeful, such as doing errands by foot or walking to nearby friends’ houses.
THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES. PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG- https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/
FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG- https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/
FOR CROCHET DESIGNS https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com
Labels: Alzheimer's, benefits, bones strong, Depression, easy on joints, fights, heart health, improves mood, lose weight, Osteoporosis, Vitamin D, walking
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