Walk it off! Feeling a little sad? Walk it off. Have a few extra pounds you’d like to lose? Walk it off. Daily walking has a bunch of health benefits. Get walking, today!
Some people believe exercise and physical activity need to be long, hard, tedious or boring. For many, the word exercise is a negative, dreaded thing. But, did you know that even the mere activity of walking can do leaps and bounds for both your mental and physical health? Walking is something that, excluding injury or ailments, anyone can do and is something that can be done anywhere, and even as little as ten minutes can have a positive impact on your health and wellness! Additionally, it doesn’t take any special equipment or knowledge to do, which means that no one really has any excuses not to get more walking into their lives.
Walking is a foundational activity leading to good health and wellness. Below, we’ll outline some of the key benefits that walking has on your physical, mental, and emotional health!
Adds Years to Your Life
The overall benefits of walking are so great that experts like Dr. Mercola estimate that daily walking for 20–25 minutes can add approximately three to seven years to your life! Daily walking has also shown to help prevent many of the modern day diseases such as Type II Diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
Slows Aging
Scientists have found that walking can trigger the anti-aging mechanisms in the body and can also help to repair damaged DNA.
Boosts Mental Cognition & Function
Not only does daily walking improve mental clarity and creativity, but it also improves memory and slows the effects of dementia. Researchers have also found that daily walking helps prevent strokes.
Combats Stress & Negative Emotions
Walking is a great activity to negate the effects of stress as it brings about a greater sense of happiness, calmness, and self-control.
Strengthens Muscles & Joints
Daily walking keeps your muscles active and functioning strongly and keeps joints lubricated and from getting stiff. Daily walking prevents arthritis and osteoarthritis.
Overcomes Obesity
The activity of walking regulates weight, and the walking movement helps burn energy and boost metabolism as well as elevates heart rate. Walking also regulates blood sugar levels to avoid fat storage and aids in the prevention of diabetes.
Regulates Appetite
Walking helps to regulate your appetite, which prevents overeating, and can also help to allow the body to digest optimally.
Improves Blood Lipid Profile
Walking keeps your blood flowing efficiently and keeps it properly oxygenated, which achieves a healthy blood pressure level. Walking is a great activity to boost overall circulation, providing oxygen and nutrients to all areas of the body.
Keeps Lymph Circulating
Walking is the “pump” that pushes lymph through the body, which is what helps the body detoxify and cleanse itself. Stagnate lymph can lead to illness and disease.
Boosts Immunity
Daily walking boosts the function of the immune system to help prevent illness. A 20–30 minute walk increases the T-cell immune cells to boost immune function. Boosted immunity not only keeps you from getting sick, but it also helps prevent disease.
Detoxifies
The effects of walking on blood and lymph circulation and increased oxygenation can boost the body’s natural detoxification processes so you feel better and function optimally!
Improves Sleep
Daily walking can do a great deal to help you mentally feel calm and peaceful and can boost metabolic function to help you be able to fall asleep more quickly and get more rest, without feeling restless.
As you can see, there are a lot of benefits to making the time to get in some additional steps. Start with what you can do, even a 10-minute bout, then work your way to trying to increase your time up to 20–30 minute walking bouts and see what incredible health improvements you achieve!
A great way to get you going on resolutions is joining our fitness challenge!
