Let me start by asking you a question. Why do we walk? Ever since you were as young as 1 year, you must have started walking (probably, at least by 1.5 years!). And until now, you walk in your day-to-day life to meet your needs. But how about ‘walking’ for health? Ever considered ‘walking’ to enhance your overall well-being: physically and mentally? If this seems an all-new perspective, let me reiterate the fact that walking has not got its deserving importance in our lives even until now. Interested further?
Super-curious to know what are the benefits of walking and how it can uplift your well being and happiness downright? This article will articulate that to you in detail.
Table of Contents
What are the benefits of walking?
The MUCH underrated Walking…
All you need is to move forward using your footsteps – one after the other: LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, and go on!
There are too many reasons for you to start walking right from TODAY! And its prerequisites is minimalistic: you just need a pair of tennis shoes. And it can pour you with a bunch of answers to the question as to what are the benefits of walking. Here are they:
1. Shed those extra calories and get fitter
Walking is a magical way of losing weight. Yes, it is. Irrespective of what you eat, if you are consistent in sticking to a healthy walking routine where you walk for at least 30 minutes in a day, you are assured of experiencing inch loss and weight loss for sure. It furthermore improves your body’s insulin response.
For this, all you need to do is wear your shoes, fix a time and go on walking with your head held straight and body in a loosened state.
Bonus tip – make sure to get ‘quality’ shoes with a thick sole so that it absorbs shock and gives you the desired cushioning as you walk.
2. Relieves joint pain
Walking helps your knee joints by keeping them lubricated and strengthening the surrounding muscles. Ultimately, it alleviates joint pain in those suffering with arthritis.
And if you don’t want to experience the pain at all, it’s better that you take a preventive measure by walking at least a few miles every week starting right away. Besides keeping your knee joints strong, it also strengthens your hip and spine.
Go on and tell the tip to your mom and aunt. Cos, they are most affected by knee pain, unfortunately not men!
3. Walking for heart health
Above all, to your question about what are the benefits of walking, it does a lot more good to your heart health than you think. It works by improving your body’s cholesterol levels and maintains healthy blood pressure levels. By going on a walk for about half an hour each day, you will reap its fullest benefits and ensure proper heart health. It also prevents stroke and other chronic conditions in your heart including other forms of coronary heart diseases. Besides, it also enhances your mood and clears your mind off unwanted thoughts. In fact, it can be called as a mood enhancer.
4. Immunity booster
Do you know that one who walks has lesser possibility of falling sick? Yes, that’s true, thought I’ve not performed a PhD in the topic.
Particularly, during peak seasons of common cold and flu, it is good if you go on a walk. It boosts your body’s overall immunity and stamina altogether. Once you start walking, you will naturally realize the fact that you will have lesser sick days. The mental strength and physical strength altogether will enhance and thus keep you hale and healthy. Setting against a sedentary person, one who walks will enjoy better metabolism and the possibility of respiratory tract infection is far lesser.
5. Risk-free pregnancy
One of the most common complaints of pregnant women is that they find it tough to fall asleep! And if you try out walking during pregnancy, its going to show miraculous benefits. First of all, you get sound sleep at night as your body burns all its excessive calories. The next common complaint is back pain which can be easily resolved with walking. The benefits of walking is inclusive of stabilizing your body and giving it the right posture. As a result, your body gets alleviated from back pain.
It is also unanimous among pregnant women to face mood swings and depressions during the gestation period. As you go on for a relaxed walk with your partner, it is going to relieve you off those unwanted thoughts and keep you cool all through.
Now that you know the benefits, you must be already thinking of what to wear for the morning walk with your hubby tomorrow!
6. Why don’t you walk as a family?
Ever heard the term called family walk? If not, yeah! I’ve introduced the term to you.
First and foremost, walking is beneficial to anyone and everyone in your family, irrespective of their age as long as a person is physically able to walk without much troubles. The next big reason is that the benefits of walking are not just restricted to your physical advantages, but it has got holistic benefits in terms of enhancing your family relationship and get well-connected heart-to-heart with each other family member. By initiating the practice of walking as a family, you also get the happiness of making your loved ones healthier.
Wondering what is walking as a family? It is nothing but going on a walk altogether with all your family members, simple!
Suggested Read: 10 Benefits of yoga! That gives Amazing Results to Mind
7. Seamless menopausal journey
The most critical period for any woman is to journey through the menopausal phase. There are going to be frequent mood swings, sleepless nights, discomfort in posture, activity issues, and much more. In this phase of your life, it is essential that you indulge in any physical activity like walking as the benefits of walking can enhance your mobility and flexibility. As a result, you will evidently notice betterment in your physical and mental health in just a few days of starting to walk.
Menopause can no more challenge you!
8. Combat fertility problems with regular walks
It is a proven fact that fertility problems doesn’t need other forms of physical activity, but walking
If someone has troubles in conception, he or she has to probably start the practice of walking regularly. This is particularly beneficial in women who have already had one or multiple miscarriages. Low levels of progesterone or improper ovulation serve as the fundamental reasons for infertility issues in women. This may lead to problems like PCOD, early pregnancy loss, etc.
According to recent studies, the likelihood of getting pregnant is more when you are involved in regular walking.
9. See the prettier ‘you’
Understand the fact that cardiovascular exercises such as walking, jogging, swimming, etc., have got beneficial effects on our skin. While you can depend on skincare and beauty products for temporary glow, you need physical activities like walking to keep it healthy inside-out. Walking induces sweat from your body which in turn opens up the clogged pores and cleanses the skin in addition to slowing down the process of ageing.
This will make you look naturally beautiful and pretty than depend on other creams and chemicals.
10. Get fool-proof mind
Human life is all about thinking. The better you think, the better you live, talk, act and do everything right. This power of thinking is called cognition. And when you walk regularly, your process of thinking is escalated to huge levels that are unbelievable. Apart from the advantageous effects of walking for your physical health, there is good benefits of the physical activity for your mental health as well. It can relieve you off your stress levels, anxiety or depression. And your behavior gets changed altogether.
Do you know that extreme levels of depression can even be life-threatening? Worry not, go for a walk!
Fact: people suffering agoraphobia or the fear of specific situations can relieve from the anxiety with regular walking.
So the next time you have got apprehensions about life, you got to go on for a sweet walk and relieve yourself off the levels of depression!
Benefits of walking in the morning
The first thing in the morning that you could do to for the best kick-start of the day is walking! Believe it or not, there is no better magic than early morning walk. It brings you humongous benefits to your physical and emotional health. Over and above, it fixes your mindset positivity for the entire day and gives you a huge doze of energy to perform strenuous activities all through. It is also to be noted that the benefits of walking in the morning is inclusive of pollution-free and noise-free environment as the surroundings are calm and clean in the early hours of the day.
Wind up note
One of the most common reasons for delay in building a proper fitness regimen is procrastination. If you want to reap the fullest benefits of walking, you need to take one step at a time. Let today be the day: start your habit of walking and influence your loved ones to walk too. It is lease expensive, and most useful.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I walk if I am diabetic?
Of course, yes. Walking can help you cure diabetes in an all-natural way.
Can I walk after I have had an open heart surgery?
It is better that you consult your physiologist to understand whether your body’s condition is ideal to kick-start walking routine.
