No time for exercise? You may just be one of the many busy people who do not have the luxury to work their sweat around or hit the gym. But, don’t worry. You can actually achieve some of the physical and health benefits from formal exercise just by hitting the stride regularly. It’s something that you have been doing since you learned to lift your feet forward. It can be done by anyone anytime and anywhere. Also, it’s relatively basic and requires no further details unlike other forms of exercise.
Here are some of the health benefits you can achieve from walking:
1. Research studies have shown that walking regularly can burn calories and reduce cravings. Also, a walk after a meal can promote weight loss. Thus, it helps you lose and manage your weight.
2. Since walking regularly can help you manage weight, it prevents you from developing type 2 diabetes. Studies also show that brisk walking can improve insulin sensitivity, which controls your blood sugar to a healthy level. It works not only in lowering your diabetes risk, but also in managing the condition if you’re already diabetic.
3. Walking briskly for 30 minutes five times a week can keep your heart in shape. It reduces risks of high blood pressure and heart diseases such as stroke. Studies also show that people who have active lifestyle have lower risk of heart diseases than those who have sedentary lifestyle.
4. For women, walking regularly helps cure breast cancer. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology suggests that women who walk regularly after being diagnosed with breast cancer have 45% higher chance of recuperating than those who don’t.
5. Walking also benefits your mental health. It helps you in releasing endorphins and in lowering your cortisols which uplifts your mood and lower your stress, respectively. So when you’re feeling stressed out or depressed, walk it off. The activity will give you a chance to clear your mind.
6. Not only does it improve your mental health, it also enhances the sharpness of your brain. Walking increases the blood flow in your brain, which gives you the chance to have improved memory, concentration, and problem-solving skills. People who are walking regularly also have lower risks of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
7. Probably the best health benefit of walking is would be it prolongs your life. A study conducted by Harvard University suggests that walking briskly for 45 minutes a week can add 2 years to a person’s life, while 2.5 hours of walking a week can add 7 years.
Take the additional steps and see how getting great health benefits can be achieved through basic exercise. You may just find out that it’s only a walk in the park—idiomatically and literally.
