All the Marvellous Benefits of Walking You Need to Know

According to the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, walking is like a wonder drug for human beings. Indeed, the benefits of walking are endless. You only need half an hour of it per day to experience a significant increase in your fitness levels, reduction in total body fat and enhanced muscle power. Apart from positive physical changes, you also prevent chronic health conditions like diabetes, heart diseases, certain types of cancer, and joint problems like osteoporosis. It is a big misconception that your everyday activity should be vigorous and intense. A low to moderate level of exercise like walking when done regularly throughout the week is enough to make you observe and feel a significant increase in fitness levels.

Walking is a form of exercise which everyone can engage in freely, be it elderly, children, adults, and even overweight individuals. Once you become aware of the surprising benefits of walking, it will only be a matter of time you start including it in your daily life.

What Are the Benefits of Walking Every Day?

1.   The route to a Longer Healthier Life

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One of the foremost benefits of walking is that by increasing your fitness levels, it improves your overall health. Researches have time and again pointed to the increased lifespan that people with great fitness levels and overall health enjoy. One can safely say that walking regularly can add up to eight extra years to an individual’s life. According to research from the American Cancer Society, people who walked for around six hours every week enjoy better cardiovascular health than those who do not. They thus have a low risk of dying from a heart attack, stroke, and other respiratory diseases.

2.   Boosts Blood Circulation in the Body

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One of the crucial morning walking benefits is the enhanced blood circulation throughout your body. This increase in blood circulation that walking induces wards off many health ailments among the elderly males and females. People can prevent themselves from becoming victims to many chronic diseases. Those who are already suffering from heart diseases can benefit immensely from walking regularly. Over time, it leads to a lowering of their blood pressure and strengthening of their heart muscles. Women who have hit menopause can significantly reduce their levels of blood pressure in about half a year of walking consistently.

3.   Strong Bone Health

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One of the most striking benefits of walking is that it prevents the bones from losing their mass especially in those people who are suffering from osteoporosis. Hence, walking is a great form of exercise that elderly people, especially those dealing with joint and bone problems should engage in. many studies have found that half an hour of consistent walking every single day minimizes the risk of fractures in the hip area in postmenopausal women. Given these impressive benefits of walking, every elderly or those in their fifties should start incorporating walking into their daily routine.

4.   Better Mood

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Walking is a natural mood-boosting remedy. The more people walk, the more endorphins get released in their body. It is one of the most useful emotional benefits that walkers receive. This mood-boosting benefit is especially noticeable in those people who walk at a quicker pace. As their heart rate increases, they will feel the release of more endorphins into their body. You can easily increase your pace of walking after some time of engaging in this physical activity.

5.   Lowers Cognitive Decline

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One of the major benefits of walking pertains to its ability to lower the rate of cognitive or memory decline in people. Studies have repeatedly shown that women who walked for around 2 to 2.5 miles every day had a significant reduction in their memory decline compared to those who did not. This study was conducted in women above 65 years of age. According to a study done by the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, elderly men above 70 years of age reduced in half their risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. All this evidence goes on to show that people, especially the elderly can benefit along from walking.

6.   A Leaner and Fitter Physique

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People often ask, can you lose weight just by walking 30 minutes a day? Well, you definitely can. Just half an hour of walking burns tons of calories and this amount only increases as you increase your pace. Thus walking is a great tool for weight loss and control. You can combine this activity with a reduction in the excess calories that you consume and in no time you will start losing weight. However, be cautious about overdoing it. You can end up with sore muscles and burnout. Walk short distances and overtime increase the distances that you walk.

The benefits of walking are truly limitless. You only need to make walking an integral part of your lifestyle. Apart from physical, you will also notice huge mental and emotional benefits too. It’s time you set your alarm for a morning walk today.