Who says you need to shell out thousands of bucks at gyms or fitness centers to keep yourselves healthy? Here’s a fantastic natural way to maintain your overall wellness without any expensive machine or muscled up trainers. WALK!
One of the most underrated physical activity, walking can literally do wonders to your body system. Just 30 minutes in a day and you can enjoy cardiovascular fitness, strengthened bones, lead body, and reduced body fat percentage, diabetes, osteoporosis, and many types of cancers. Yes, pick up that jaw! Take a look at 10 benefits of walking every day that will definitely make you use your pair more often.
1. Waking Helps Burn Calories
Instead of getting washed over by guilt after having a cheesy load of pizza, you can resort to walking for burning those extra accumulated calories. Walking daily increases your body metabolism by burning calories by mobilising fat and preventing muscle loss. The calorie lost is directly proportional to your walking speed and distance covered. For measurement, get a free pedometer installed in your phone that will help you keep track of distance, speed, and heart rate, much like a professional treadmill.
2. It Boosts Good Mood
Haven’t you seen in a creative dramatisation that people tend to bang the door and go out for a walk when they fight at home? Surprisingly, that’s scientifically beneficial. Walking is a zero-calorie strategy that has the same effect on the mood as a glass of wine or a piece of chocolate. Going for a stroll lets fresh air through your system and makes you experience less anger and anxiety. In fact, most of the times, people come across a friend, sweet neighbour or children playing that makes one feel jolly and connected.
3. Tones Your Body
Since there is an obvious use of your lower body, it makes your legs much more toned and strengthened. Walking benefits every part of your leg, including glutes and thighs. In addition to that, walking also helps shape hips and lower abdomen. For better effects, try taking a route with stairs, jog or perform additional exercises like lunges and squats. Try this for a month and you’ll be surprised by the results. You can literally walk your way to get legs like Jennifer Aniston.
4. It Fuels Creative Thinking
Next time you are stuck on a thought, instead of letting your brain run, try your legs. Walking benefits you in two ways. Firstly, it enables you to take a break from your regular stressful environment. This allows you time to get a fresh perspective on things. Secondly, it helps you draw inspiration from the things that you see around when you walk outdoors. There have been numerous studies that claim about walks being a very effective method for getting creatively productive. Try walking with your colleagues next time you’re stuck with a problem.
5. It Delays The Risk Of Chronic Diseases
As mentioned, many diseases can be cured by walking. America Diabetes Association conducted research that brought forth unbelievable statistics. It showed that walking lowered down blood pressure by a massive 11 points and reduced the risk of stroke by 20-40%. One of the most cited studies by The New England Journal of Medicine claimed that people who walked every day has 30% lower chances of getting cardiovascular disease as compared to those who didn’t. So if you want to live long, strap on a pair of walking shoes and get going!
6. Walking Can Delay The Onset Of Varicose Veins
If you already have varicose veins, daily walking can help ease the restlessness and swelling in your leg. The human venous system has a circulatory system in the leg, comprising of muscles, valves, and veins in the legs. This works by pushing the blood back to the heart and the lungs. Walking strengthens legs muscles which promote good blood circulation. This reduces the chances of an early onset of varicose veins if you are genetically predisposed to have them.
7. It Can Significantly Improve Digestion
This one is one of the most common benefits of walking! Walking works on abdominal muscles. This routine can help you get better bowel movements and get rid of constipation. Although not a good habit in the first place but if you feel lethargic or comfortable after overeating, go out for a walk. Waking activates the digestive system to break down the food more quickly, resulting in ease during heartburn and acidity.
8. It Improves Sleep Cycle
Often we sleep with a lot of stress in our minds. Work and personal difficulties do not allow us to enjoy a peaceful dreamland. A great idea to get a night of better sleep is by taking a walk post-dinner. Walking after the last meal of the day helps not only helps to lower stress levels but also to boost the blood circulation of the body. Both of these are important for a good night’s sleep. Great sleep repairs your skin cells and keeps you active during the day.
9. Walking Boost Skin Health
Walking can be great for glowing and healthy skin naturally. When you walk, your blood circulation improves and the oxygen in the blood reaches every part of your body. This swift movement of blood across the body adds a rosy colour and dewy glow to your face. Moreover, when you walk briskly, the body perspires and detoxes itself, leading to a fresher and radiant complexion. You don’t need a walking track or special gears, just get into a good pair of sport shoes and walk at home.
10. It Pumps Up The Immune System
Walking enhances the immune function. You can protect yourself from viral flu by walking during cold seasons. A study of over 1,000 men and women showed that those who walked at least 20 minutes a day, five days a week had about 43% less sick days at work. And if they got ill, it was for a shorter time and with milder symptoms.
We bet you didn’t know all these benefits of walking, did you? Now that you know how important walking is, try to incorporate it in your life daily. You don’t need to take out dedicated time for it. All you can do are minor routine modifications. For example, you can walk to nearby locations instead of taking a cab; it will save cash too! You can part your car a block away and walk to your building or even walk with your partner after dinner to enjoy quality time. You can also take the stairs instead of the lift. With these small changes, you can literally unlock the doors to a very healthy and happy life.
