Blog

By: Dr. Bhanu Abohari

Walking your way to fitness can offer numerous health benefits to people of all ages and fitness levels. It may also help prevent certain diseases and even prolong your life.
Walking is free to do and easy to fit into your daily routine.
Long walks help you clear your head, pace your thoughts and calm you down, figuratively speaking. The benefits of walking seem so obvious that they’re rarely discussed. We forget how it’s a great exercise that also helps you tone your legs, shed the extra weight, and don’t need you to have an exclusive gym membership.

Here’s why walking is a great way to exercise:

• Except for a good pair of shoes, it won’t cost you a thing.
• You can do it anytime, anywhere. No need to pack a gym bag or worry about showering later.
• It’s low impact and gentle on your body, so it’s even good for people with arthritis or extra weight.
• Walking in nature is especially good for your mental health. Studies show it boosts your mood and creativity and can even be a form of meditation.

What Will Happen to Your Body If You Walk Every Day

Benefits of Walking:

Boosts Immunity

Various studies done on the impact of aerobic exercise on immunity have concluded that a moderate exercise routine can reduce the occurrence of infections. Studies show that with a higher frequency of aerobic exercise there was a lower chance of respiratory infection. Walking your Way to Fitness could easily keep you away from other diseases as well.

Also Read: How to be Fit in 2020

Improves Heart Health

 Medical Associations recommends at least 30 minutes of walking a day to reduce your risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. The whole idea of adopting walking your way to fitness as a routine is that it is low-impact and sustainable. It can be done gently, and with gradually increasing levels of difficulty, causing very little strain and injury. Studies have shown that moderately intensive walking could possibly reduce cardiovascular risk factors in the short term.

Increases Lung Capacity

Walking your way to fitness makes use of your entire body in the course of the activity. Because your muscles demand more oxygen as you walk, your lungs work harder to distribute oxygen to them. As they work harder, they improve in capacity, thus helping to circulate oxygen to support more activity. It’s a great energy cycle.

Also Read: Why You Should Never Diet

Burns Fat

The idea of using walking to burn fat is to optimize the time that you have. For example, by breaking up your daily walk into extremely intense bursts of 15 minutes each, you will be able to eventually build up your capacity to burn calories, along with your walking speed. Of course, you can always increase your walking time, if walking your way to fitness becomes your preferred exercise.

Can Reduce Stress and Depression

A walk in nature could reduce stress and depression. This is a great remedy to the sense of isolation and lack of natural surroundings. Walking your way to Fitness has often been likened to meditation, in that it is possible to be at peace with the world, and quiet the turbulence within when going for a walk.

Also Read: Secrets to your Fitness

Promotes Bone and Joint Health

It’s not just muscle you develop when you exercise, it’s also your bones! Walking ensures less damage and erosion to bone and muscle mass, as you grow older. Walking your Way to Fitness is a great way to keep those bones and joints well-oiled!

Strengthens Muscles

Walking shouldn’t be underestimated in a comprehensive strength training program. The muscles strengthened include:

–Calf muscles: They provide an upward and forward momentum when lifting the heel off the ground.

–Abdominal muscles: If you maintain a natural posture, with your back straight as you walk, and consciously pull your stomach muscles in, you’ll help to tone your abdominal muscles as you walk.

–Hip flexor muscles: They lift the thigh forward as you walk.

–Tibialis anterior and ankle extensor muscles: They are on the sides of each shin, and controlling raising and lowering the hamstring muscles.

Regulates Blood Pressure

A study was done by the Korea Institute of Sport Science in Seoul. It found that walking 30 minutes at a stretch could significantly contribute to a reduction in systematic prehypertension. Another reason to consider Walking your Way to Fitness.

Control Cholesterol Levels and Diabetes

Exercise is necessary for Diabetics. Walking is ideal to help keep their blood sugars in check. It produces less Cortisol (a stress hormone produced in stressful situations, and also high-impact exercising), as walking is a low-impact, gentle exercise.

Diabetes has been linked to a high risk of Cholesterol. It, therefore, makes sense that walking will help to treat both these conditions.

Also Read: Indian SuperFoods you MUST include in your Diet

Delays Aging

In aging, the muscles and bones tend to deteriorate and waste away. Walking can reduce this, through all the body and muscle strength that brisk walking with strategic resistance training can give. Walking can improve hand-eye coordination and gait, and reduce the risk of falls in later life. Walking involves less wear and tear thereby promoting longevity.

Also Read: Age-Defying Broccoli Salad Recipe

Follow these 5 tips when getting started walking:

Start slowly.

If you have been inactive, then start gently with five to 10 minutes at a steady pace, and build up over a couple of weeks to months.

Set goals.

Set realistic goals for yourself, such as 20 to 40 minutes of walking five days a week.

Plan continually.

If you’re taking a trip or working overtime, think of strategies for incorporating short walks into your day to keep your plan on track.

Don’t let the weather get you down.

If the weather is not optimal, consider walking indoors, such as at local malls and exercise facilities.

Plan several different routes, and make walking a social event.   

Having several routes to choose from will add variety to your walking so you don’t get bored. So I will be inviting friends or family to join you. And they’ll reap the benefits of walking, too.

Also Read: Are You Failing Your Fitness Goals?

Mistakes to Avoid:

Invest in a good pair of shoes. Your walking shoe bears the brunt of the impact of your whole body weight. Make sure it has adequate cushioning and roll-over protection.

Track your progress. A walk can be just a sedentary walk or an instrument of fitness and weight loss if you continually improve upon the time and the distance traveled.

Walk Briskly. Don’t just wander. Give your walk a brisk speed. It will ensure continual improvement in your fitness and health.

Walking can fulfill daily recommended exercise for people of all ages and fitness levels. Choose a walking route and daily step goal that’s appropriate for your age and fitness level. Warm and cool down before walking to avoid injury. Consider getting a pedometer or other fitness tracker to keep track of your daily steps. Once you take that first step, you’ll be on your way to an important destination: better health.

Recommended Reads:

Why walking is the most underrated form of exercise.

8 Ways to Walk Your Way to a Fit Body