The Benefits of Walking

Benefits of walking

• Improves efficiency of your heart and lungs

• Burns body fat

• Raises your metabolism so you are burning calories faster, even while you rest

• Helps control your appetite

• Increases your energy

• Helps relieve stress

• Slows aging

• Lowers high blood pressure

• Helps control and prevent diabetes

• Reduces risk of some forms of cancer including colorectal, prostrate, and breast

• Promotes intestinal regularity

• Helps promote restful sleep

• Strengthens your bones and reduces bone density loss in older women

• Reduces stiffness in your joints due to inactivity or arthritis

• Relieves most cases of chronic backache

• Improves flexibility

• Improves posture

• Promotes healthier skin due to increased circulation

• Improves mental alertness and memory

• Spurs intellectual creativity and problem solving

• Elevates mood

• Helps prevent and/or reduce depression

• Improves your self-esteem

• Helps control addictions to nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, and other drugs

Walking is much preferable to running or jogging because it creates less stress on your joints, including hips, knees, and ankles. Remember to properly warm up

*Research has shown that the benefits of walking and moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day can help you:

ü Reduce the risk of coronary heart disease

ü Improve blood pressure and blood sugar levels

ü Improve blood lipid profile

ü Maintain body weight and lower the risk of obesity

ü Enhance mental well being

ü Reduce the risk of osteoporosis

ü Reduce the risk of breast and colon cancer

ü Reduce the risk of non-insulin dependent (type 2) diabetes

The impact of walking on mental health:

·        reduce physical symptoms of anxiety associated with minor stress.

·        increase self‐reported energy levels when older adults set their own pace.

·        improve sleep quality.

·        elevate affective response (e.g. pleasure), resulting in increased psychological well‐being for individuals

·        with type 2 diabetes.

·        be associated with better cognitive performance at school.

·        improve the cognitive functioning of older adults (compared to stretching and toning).

·        improve cognitive performance and reduce cognitive decline among older people.

·        increase the size of the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, potentially beneficial for memory.

ý In 2011, three review studies examining the recommended number of daily steps for adults, children and special populations, in order to determine ‘how many steps per day are enough?, The researchers also identified the minimum number of moderate to vigorous steps recommended for male and females at a variety of age thresholds. These findings are summarized in figure

Ref:

- Collaborating for Health

- Iowa State University of Science and Technology

- American Heart Association