Walking is one of the most effective ways to get active and lose weight, and it is also an excellent exercise for improving overall health and fitness. In fact, a study conducted by the American Journal of Epidemiology found that walking may even reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and some forms of cancer. Here are a few other benefits of walking that you may not be aware of.
Walking briskly, which is often ignored as a type of exercise, can help you build stamina, burn calories, and improve the condition of your heart.
You are not expected to walk for hours to achieve the full benefits. A brisk 10-minute daily stroll provides numerous health benefits and counts toward your recommended weekly exercise requirement of 150 minutes.
”A morning walk is the blessing for the day, daily walk is the blessing for life”
Pankaj Saluja
Things to consider
Walking is the cheapest and probably the easiest exercise anybody can start. However, to make your walking more pleasurable, few things should be considered. Try to get comfortable shoes or trainers. If your footwear isn’t comfortable, it can lead to blisters in feet or you will get tired easily and make your walking activity rather a painful task. If you usually go for a long walk, it’s best to invest in a good rainproof jacket, water proof footwear, a small backpack, source of hydration and some healthy snacks. You can also earn reward for walking if you install Sweatcoin. Sweatcoin is a mobile app which pays you rewards for walking and you can also earn extra sweatcoin (crypto currency) by watching adds.
Am I walking fast enough?
The purpose of walking exercise is to make your heart work slightly faster than normal. On a general rule, if you walk at a speed of about 3 miles per hour (slightly faster than a normal leisure walk), it is considered as a brisk walk. Another way to tell if you are brisk walking is if you can talk but can not sing the lyrics to a song in normal rhythm. If you keep your smartphone with you when going for walk, it is worth using the free Sweatcoin app to track your walking activity and earn rewards to keep you fit.
What do I get with regular walking?
When we walk we carry the weight of our own body. This is classed as ‘weight-bearing exercise’. Some of the benefits of these exercises are:-
- Regular brisk walk for 30 minutes a day can help improve muscle strength and overall balance of body.
- It strengthens our bones and improve flexibility.
- It reduces the risk of heart diseases.
- It increases overall cardiovascular and lung performance.
- Regular brisk walking helps better management of high blood pressure, diabetes (blood sugar), and cholesterol.
- Regular brisk walking boosts immune system.
- Study shows, regular walking improves mental health and reduces the symptoms of depression and anxiety.
- Walking on unfamiliar paths improve brain functions and reduces the risk of dementia. Study shows when we take different routes than normal, it challenges our neurons and works as an exercise for brain.
- When we make regular walking part of our lifestyle, we meet new people and opportunity to make new friends. Study shows regular exercises with people we know, boost our overall confidence and improve adherence to exercise schedule.
- You can earn rewards by installing Sweatcoin app in your mobile phone for walking.
Before and After walking exercise?
Walking doesn’t generally require any special precautions. However, people with medical conditions, overweight or someone who hasn’t done any physical work for few years, should consult a medical practitioner. It is also advisable to start slowly and build the stamina gradually. To avoid the stiffness of muscles, it is advised to start off each walk at a normal walking pace and then build the speed gradually. Do not over do the exercise. If you feel pain, discomfort or exertion, stop the brisk walk and rest and start again gradually. Similar way, we should cool down gradually after a brisk walk.
How to stay motivated?
The easiest way to stay motivated and stick to regular walking exercise is to incorporate walking into your daily routine. There are number of ways you can make walking a habit.
Examples are:
- Walking to work if possible.
- Use public transport and get off one stop before the final destination, if possible.
- Walk to local shops for small shopping.
- Try to walk at same time each day.
- Try to use stairs instead of lift.
- Schedule a regular walk with family or friends, for example, after dinner.
- Listening to music you love. It distracts you from the effort and makes the exercise pleasurable. You will be amazed to see how much you have walked when you are walking and listening to your favourite music.
- Join a walking group and share your achievements with other people.
- Earn rewards with sweatcoin app. Study shows when you earn a physical reward for any activity, it encourages you to do more of it.
Physical exercises do not have to be strenuous or needs to be done for hours in order to keep you healthy and fit. According to clinicaltrials.gov, only a fifteen minutes span of medium intensity walk after a meal, remarkably enhances blood sugar control in adults with dysfunctional sugar control. They also concluded that medium intensity walk for as little as 15 minutes after a meal might be a suitable alternative for people with sedentary life style.
In another study, it was found out that a moderate intensity walk around 1 hour and 15 minutes per week (75 minutes per week) significantly improved overall fitness level in inactive women in comparison to women who did not exercise.
In one study conducted by British Journal of sports medicine, it was concluded that adults who did regular brisk walk for at least 30 minutes a day, experienced 43% lesser sick days (due to flu and upper respiratory tract infections). They also experienced mild symptoms, compared to adults who were inactive.
”To empty your mind, go for a short walk; to broaden your mind, go for a long walk”.
Pankaj Saluja