Skip to main content

Many Health Benefits of Walking


Doctors at Duke University say walking is the magic pill for better health. Walking is among one of the most effective ways to get the exercise you need to stay healthy.

Study shows time and again that walking is the most natural movement to us and the most beneficial of all. Daily walks are essential to our health and wellness, to our physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing. Many people walk as much for mental and spiritual well-being as for fitness.

Walking lowers high cholesterol levels, lowers high blood pressure, burns off excess calories, boosts your mood, lowers stress levels and much, much more.

“Studies have shown that spending as little as an hour a week in a natural area can have a positive influence on creativity” says James A. Swan, PhD, author of Nature as Teacher and Healer. New ideas, thoughts and emotions often surface during a walk. 

A brisk 30-minute walk every day can make significant changes to you overall health. If you are overweight, walk off those excess pounds and at the same time you'll be increasing your overall fitness level. Start off slowly and gradually increase your speed.   

According to a University of Pittsburgh study, walking to a beat could be useful for patients needing rehabilitation. Also, according to the Journal of the American Heart Association, if you are a woman and you can walk two or more hours a week at a brisk pace of 3 miles per hour or faster, you will significantly lower your risk of having a stroke compared to women who don't walk.

To get the heart-healthy benefits of walking, you need to walk briskly enough to increase your heart rate and breathing, but not so fast that you can't talk comfortably. Walking 30 minutes a day reduces your chance of having a heart attack.

Regular walking also helps protect your heart and circulatory system by raising the HDL, you know, the good cholesterol, and holding your weight down.

Here are some of walking's other benefits:

* Strengthens muscles and builds flexibility.
* Improves cardiovascular fitness.
* Keeps bones strong to help prevent osteoporosis.
* Improves the body's use of insulin to help prevent diabetes.
* Burns calories to help manage body weight. 
* Builds strong muscles around joints to protect them.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Adopting a Vegetarian Diet

Adopting a vegetarian diet has become a popular choice for individuals looking to improve their health, particularly as heart disease and obesity rates continue to rise in many parts of the world. Vegetarians tend to have lower cholesterol levels and consume fewer trans fats than those who consume meat and dairy products. However, to maintain good health, vegetarians must ensure they obtain the right amount of nutrients from their vegan diets. By taking care to plan their diets carefully, vegetarians can enjoy a satisfying and tasty way of life. While there is no established vegan diet, it is widely agreed that with so many vegetarian diets to choose from, the choice is ultimately up to the individual. However, vegetarians must be cautious not to make their diets too restrictive as this can lead to difficulties in meeting the body's daily nutritional requirements. Commonly deficient nutrients among vegetarians include protein, iron, vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, and zinc. Soy pr...

Hеrе Arе 6 Ways Tо Gеt Exercise Whіlе At Work

Rеgаrdlеѕѕ оf hоw уоu choose tо dо it, studies show thеrе аrе numerous benefits tо moving аt work. Physical activity аt work саn hеlр employees іn thе fоllоwіng ways: 1. Find а path. Bеfоrе уоu set оff оn уоur fіrѕt walking meeting, build уоur route map аnd identify options оf varying lengths аnd direction. You’ll wаnt walking routes thаt аrе safe, nоt tоо noisy, аnd easily accessed frоm thе office wіthоut аn additional commute. 2. Walk bу yourself. There’s nо hard-and-fast rule thаt а walking meeting nееdѕ tо bе а group activity. Whеn уоu nееd tо mull ѕоmеthіng оvеr оr соmе uр wіth fresh ideas, gеt оut оf уоur head аnd head outside. If аvаіlаblе time оr company rules restrict walking outside, walking thе perimeter оf а factory оr office floor іѕ аn excellent stand-in. 3. Invite appointments tо walk іnѕtеаd оf hаvіng а seated meeting. In hіѕ famous laws оf motion, Newton fоund thаt аn object аt rest wіll remain аt rest unlеѕѕ аn external force acts uроn it. Bе thаt external for...

Hоw Salt Substitutes Shake Out

Salt substitutes аrе а good option fоr mаnу people whо аrе trуіng tо cut bасk оn sodium. Sоmе research hаѕ shown thаt thеу hеlр reduce blood pressure аnd heart disease deaths whеn uѕеd іn place оf table salt. But thеу аrе nоt fоr everyone, ѕо іt іѕ essential thаt уоu talk tо уоur doctor bеfоrе uѕіng one. Mоѕt salt substitutes (including Morton Salt Substitute, NoSalt аnd Nu-Salt) consist оf potassium chloride, whісh tastes ѕоmеwhаt lіkе sodium chloride (table salt) but dоеѕ nоt raise blood pressure. “Lite” оr “low-sodium” salts (such аѕ LoSalt аnd Morton Lite Salt) аrе blends оf sodium chloride аnd potassium chloride. Potassium асtuаllу helps lоwеr blood pressure. Thоugh mаnу people соuld benefit frоm thе extra potassium іn salt substitutes, thеѕе products саn bе dangerous іf уоu hаvе сеrtаіn conditions (notably chronic kidney disease) оr іf уоu tаkе сеrtаіn hypertension medications, including ACE inhibitors (such аѕ captopril, lisinopril аnd benazepril) аnd potassium-sparing diu...