Walking has several physical and mental health advantages and may be undertaken by people of all ages and fitness levels.1 Walking on a regular basis can help you improve your mood and vitality, avoid certain diseases and ailments, burn calories, and even live longer.
Walking is simple to include in your routine, can be done anywhere, and takes little more than a decent pair of shoes.
1. Burns calories.
The number of calories you burn when walking is determined by your speed, body type, and even the surface you walk on.2
Walking 30 minutes at 3.5 mph (equal to 17 minutes to finish one mile) burns an average of 3 calories.
107 calories for a person weighing 125 pounds.
133 calories for a person weighing 155 pounds.
159 calories for a person weighing 185 pounds.
2. Strengthens the heart
Walking briskly strengthens the heart by boosting its pace and promoting circulation, which can help decrease blood pressure. 4 Walking is a simple technique to improve physical activity and has been shown to help prevent and manage heart disease in individuals who already have it or are at risk of developing it.5
3. Assist in reducing high cholesterol
Regular, moderate-intensity walking has been shown to help reduce high cholesterol. Walking is exactly as effective as running at lowering cholesterol. The benefits of walking to decrease cholesterol increase with distance.6.
4. Aids in Blood Sugar Reduction
After a meal, walking at a moderate pace can help lower blood sugar levels. Compared to standing or sitting after a meal, research has shown that even a short, low-intensity walk can considerably improve blood sugar levels. 7.
According to research, the more quickly you walk, the more health benefits you will experience.8.
5. Reduces joint pain
Because it keeps joints mobile and helps build bones, walking is one of the most essential things you can do if you have arthritis or joint discomfort. 9. Walking strengthens the muscles that support the joints and lubricates them, especially the hip and knee joints that are more susceptible to osteoarthritis. 10.
Additionally, walking can help you maintain or decrease weight, which can ease the strain on your joints and lessen the symptoms of arthritis. 11.
6. Strengthens Immune Response
The immune system responds better to physical activity both during and after exercise. Regular exercisers have been shown to experience fewer virus infections and less severe illness symptoms.Twelve
According to one study, those who exercised once a week or less had 43% more ill days than those who walked five days a week for at least 20 minutes each day. When frequent walkers did become unwell, their symptoms were less severe and their duration was shorter than those of non-walkers. 13.
7. Increases Vitality
Walking stimulates endorphins, or "feel good" chemicals, and releases oxygen throughout the body, all of which contribute to an increase in energy. 8. Walking and other forms of exercise also cause muscle cells to produce more mitochondria, which provide energy. 14
8. Elevates mood
Walking in the outdoors for ten to twenty minutes enhances mental health by reducing stress and negative emotions while elevating pleasant ones. 15. Walking briskly for even ten minutes can boost mood and lessen weariness. 16
9. Leg Toning
You work a variety of muscles while you walk. Walking mostly uses the following muscles: 17
Hamstrings & Quadriceps
Muscles in the calves
Adductors of the hips
Additionally, the back, abdominal, and gluteal muscles support your torso and propel you forward while you walk. 17
10. Fosters creative thought
According to a seminal study, walking for five to sixteen minutes increases creative ideas more than sitting. It was concluded that the act of walking, rather than the surroundings, was the primary cause of the rise in creative brainstorming, regardless of whether walking was done indoors or outside.18
11. Helps Tame a Sweet Tooth.
Walking has been shown in studies to lower the desire to consume sugary snacks, even in persons who eat them on a daily basis. A 15-minute brisk walk, as opposed to relaxing, has been shown in studies to lessen chocolate cravings in stressful conditions.19
12. Helps prevent specific diseases
Regular walking, according to research, lowers the chance of getting the following:2021
Alzheimer's disease.
Dementia (excluding Alzheimer's disease)
Type 2 diabetes.
Breast cancer 22
Women who walked for more than an hour per day per week had a 23% lower long-term breast cancer risk than women who did not participate in regular physical exercise, with menopausal and overweight women benefiting the most.22
13. Extends Your Life
Brisk walking has a strong correlation with increased life expectancy. Brisk walkers have up to 20 years longer life expectancy than sluggish walkers. 23 A lifetime of vigorous walking has also been found to result in DNA modifications comparable to being 16 years younger biologically by midlife.1
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