One of the biggest questions on people’s minds when they first hear about exercise is, “What are the benefits of walking?”
According to many experts, walking is one of the best exercises that you can do to lose weight and get fit. Walking not only helps you lose weight but also improves your fitness levels and is fun to do.
It can be done in just about any location and often at an extremely low cost as well.
However, there are several benefits of walking that you may not have been aware of.
The Treasure Tales provides good insight into the benefits that you can get by engaging in regular walks.
The 10 Surprising Benefits Of Walking
1. Walking boosts the immune system
If you were to go up to anyone who has been living for years, they would most likely tell you that the biggest factor to living a healthy lifestyle is staying healthy, eating right, and walking when you can.
However, most people don’t get the amount of walking they need each week. And now that they are facing the onset of some chronic illness. Their immune systems have been compromised due to the lack of exercise they are getting.
These people are now beginning to look into various ways to make their immune systems work better, and one way that is helping people feel much better is through walking.
What most people don’t know about walking is that it is just as important as any other exercise you might do for your body. And it can help your body in many different ways.
Walking is one of the easiest ways to boost your immune system, especially if you have a weak immune system and don’t exercise.
It may not be a “miracle” cure for a weak immune system, but it will help.
For a healthy immune system, one of the best ways to boost immunity is to walk regularly and eat right. Moreover, walking helps you cleanse your body toxins that can cause illness.
Walking is a great workout and is low impact in almost every way. You can increase your metabolism during a walk, which helps to burn fat. And when you are walking, your heart rate is elevated.
When you add health benefits of walking to your daily routine, you will be giving your immune system the best chance to fight off anything that may come your way.
2. Walking improves your brain function
A recent study done at the University of Memphis in the US has concluded that walking helps improve brain function. The study was led by Priscilla Coleman, an associate professor in the department of health sciences; the study’s participants were undergraduate students taking a basic course on cognitive psychology and human relations.
During the study, the participants were asked to complete a battery of tests designed to test their verbal fluency, memory, processing speed, and attention spans.
What researchers found was that both men and women showed similar increases in all of the areas. However, when they broke down the results based on gender. They discovered that women benefited more from walking than men did.
The reason is simple. Men typically walk for more hours each week than women, while women typically choose to walk less during these hours.
This means that women have more time to accumulate the same amount of “wasted” calories. And consequently have less energy to compensate for the increased walking.
This same study then went on to find that walking improves brain function through increased memory loss. When the researchers divided the participants into groups, they found that those who walked at least three times per week had better short-term memory loss (the ability to recall things quickly) and greater verbal fluency than those who didn’t walk at all.
For some reason, it seems that the brain benefits are tied specifically to walking. For instance, it was found that those who walked at least three times per week had better short-term memory loss than those who did not walk at all.
This supports the theory that walking allows you to slow down and “think before you speak,” which is supposedly one of the health benefits of walking.
3. Walking Increases your lung capacity
Walking is one of the best ways to increase your daily life expectancy.
A new study published in the Journal of American Medical Association showed that walking increases lung capacity. The report discusses the benefits of walking for cardiovascular health and weight control.
The participants were primarily involved in trail Walking with an average age of 72. They performed a walking regime of up to eight miles every other day and at least once each week.
The study found that the people who walked more were less likely to be diagnosed with coronary artery disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer.
The reason that walking increases lung capacity so greatly is because of the large number of muscles that are used when you walk. You use a large number of muscles when walking because of the resistance offered by the actual body weight.
As you continue to walk each day, your body fat percentage will decrease. And as a result, the number of muscles will increase in proportion to your body’s overall weight.
While you strengthen your muscles in this manner, your lungs will become stronger as your body fat percentage decreases.
Even as you keep strengthening your muscles daily, your lungs will become stronger and more capable of pumping oxygenated blood throughout your body, thereby improving overall fitness.
To improve fitness and lung capacity, it is important to get at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise every day.
Walking is an excellent form of cardiovascular exercise, and it will keep your heart healthy and properly conditioned over time. When you are walking, your circulation will become enhanced, and the stronger your core muscles are, the easier it becomes to breathe.
Strong lung muscles will also aid in the proper airflow into your lungs. And they will help you burn calories and fat more efficiently. If you have been inactive or have not been getting any exercise in a long time, you may be surprised at how much you can still improve your fitness level simply by adding a few walks to your routine.
Walking is one of the easiest forms of exercise, and with the correct motivation, it is possible to improve your fitness level while staying fit and healthy.
4. Walking helps you burn calories
Walking can help you burn calories. This is because it improves your cardiovascular system and makes your heart work harder, pumping more blood and burning more calories at the same time.
There are many ways to get this kind of fitness. You can go for a long walk, or even just to go up and down a set of stairs. You don’t have to walk very far, just a few blocks and you can burn off calories and fat.
Walking helps you lose weight by decreasing the number of calories that you consume throughout the day. While it is true that you may lose weight as a result of burning calories through your body. You will also be lowering your risk of developing some severe medical conditions such as heart disease.
Studies have shown that exercising for at least 30 minutes each day is very effective in reducing your chances of developing heart disease and improving your overall health.
In fact, exercising for just fifteen minutes each day has been known to reduce your chances of developing type 2 diabetes by almost forty per cent, while increasing your chances of avoiding heart disease altogether.
Health benefits of walking is so great for weight loss is that it is a cardiovascular exercise. Cardiovascular conditioning helps you lose weight by increasing your metabolism.
This increased metabolism is what allows you to lose calories even when you are at rest. This is how most dieters are unable to lose weight. The more your metabolism increases the more calories your body burns off, which leads to weight loss.
Walking can help you lose weight without having to go on a diet or stressing yourself out with activities such as running or playing sports.
5. Walking Improves your digestion | Benefits of walking
Many of us know that walking improves your digestion. It is a fact, and it is proven through scientific studies. Scientific studies have proven that people who move around and walk every day have better digestion and are not affected by the foods they eat.
A great way to improve digestion is through walking every day, which naturally improves your digestion. Walking every day also improves your blood circulation, which increases your metabolism.
Another way that walking improves digestion is that it stimulates the activity of the lower intestines.
The intestines are involved in the absorption of food nutrients into the bloodstream. When you walk, your body’s force against the walking surface increases the activity of the intestine, increasing the rate of digestion.
This leads to improved nutrient absorption leading to a boost in energy levels.
Another way that walking improves digestion is that when you walk, you eat less. As the stomach experiences gastric tension, the amount of food digested is smaller than usual.
This means that your stomach is still needing to digest the food when you eat a large meal. With a small meal, your stomach can digest the meal more quickly because there is no longer any need for digestive juices.
Besides, walking decreases the volume of stomach acids so that they do not have to be neutralized by the gastric juices after eating a large meal.
In effect, your stomach is working at a lower level, which translates into fewer acid reflux problems.
6. Walking makes your skin healthier
When it comes to losing weight, one of the most overlooked ways to do so is by walking. This has become especially true as studies continue to show that exercising regularly makes you feel better and can help your skin in many different ways.
The first thing that you will notice after you start walking is how much more toned your muscles are. Because you are forcing yourself to walk, not only do you get into better shape, but you will be burning off calories much quicker than if you did nothing at all.
In addition to helping you lose weight, exercising daily can also reduce the effects of aging on your skin, which is always a great bonus.
Many people don’t realize how much stress can actually be on the body, especially the skin.
One of the ways that you can combat that is by simply walking each day. After a few weeks, you will begin to notice improvements in your skin.
You will notice that your eczema will be less, and your blemishes will be fading away. As you continue to exercise, not only will your skin continue to improve, but your body will also be healthier overall.
While there are certainly other things you can do to make sure that you are eating right and getting the amount of sleep that you need each night, health benefits of walking is by far the best way to go.
As you continue to grow stronger each day, your skin will begin to reflect that growth. After a few months, you will find that you have a clearer complexion. Moreover, your skin is much more tone than before.
All of this makes for an excellent case scenario where walking makes your skin healthier than ever. It also helps to make you feel stronger and better about yourself.
7. Walking lowers your blood pressure | Health benefits of walking
Walking lowers your blood pressure. It lowers it by about five points. It is interesting to note that people who exercise and those who walk for long periods tend to have a lower blood pressure than those who exercise less.
The reason is that walking lowers your blood pressure by more than other exercises, such as running or jogging. For most people, walking is a lot easier on their cardiovascular system than other exercises, and it’s fun too.
Even if you have been suffering from high blood pressure for years, you can significantly reduce it after only a few weeks of daily walking. You might be surprised at how fast the changes happen in your body.
Most people who try to lose weight or keep their blood pressure under control find that their stress levels go way down when they start walking every day. Walking can help you lose weight because you are burning more calories than you normally would.
Even if you don’t want to lose weight, exercising with a goal to lower your blood pressure will give you a great new way to stay fit and healthy.
Of course, you don’t always need to go walking to benefit from having lower blood pressure. In fact, sitting all day can have a negative effect on your health too.
If you like to sit all day long, try folding a towel in half and sitting on it. This way, you can actually be sitting on a towel while still being able to get outside and walk around.
These simple things can make a big difference in how well you can control your blood pressure.
8. Walking eases joint pain
Many people are looking for easy ways to manage the pain of arthritis. And walking is a great way to do it. It may sound counterproductive to say that walking aids joint pain. But it actually helps you get through your day and helps you stay fit.
Research has shown that exercise and walking help increase circulation to the joints’ area, which reduces swelling and pain.
When you are well-hydrated, your body functions better, and you must keep up this regular maintenance by taking frequent walks.
This is particularly true when you consider that there are several studies out there that conclude walking eases joint pain. Several reasons why it works include:
- Walking causes your body to release natural painkillers called endorphins, which make you feel good.
- Your joints become stronger because you are using them every day.
- Walking makes you move your joints.
- You get some valuable sleep.
In fact, regular walking can actually reduce the amount of time it takes for you to develop osteoarthritis. Another surprising benefits of walking is that it helps reverse the effects of aging on your knees, hips, and joints overall.
Now that you know how walking relieves joint pain, you need to make sure that you are getting enough walks. Several studies have demonstrated that you don’t necessarily need to take brisk walks every day to reap the health benefits.
Taking several short walks throughout the day, three to five times a week is enough to keep your joints and knees healthy. Also, increasing the number of stairs that you walk each day will help as well.
9. Walking improves your mood | Benefits of walking
Walking improves your mood and decreases stress and anxiety. If you often walk in the mornings, it helps you get more energy throughout the day. And walking at night helps you sleep better at nighttime.
Taking some extra steps every day will add some additional time to clear your mind. Furthermore, boost your energy level as well while building a positive mindset for future endeavours.
It’s also important to keep in mind that walking alone is an exercise in itself. So don’t be afraid to take the stairs whenever possible.
Walking improves your mental health and can reduce your stress and anxiety without reducing your physical activity.
Studies have shown that walking has a positive effect on mood, has been shown to reduce feelings of fatigue and has an overall beneficial effect on physical health.
If you were feeling stressed out and overwhelmed at work, a walk through the park or out to the lake can help relieve stress. Adding an exercise routine to your daily life can go a long way towards improving your mental health.
One of the most obvious benefits that you will find with walking is that when you are getting out into the fresh air and sunshine, you will find that you feel better and happier.
This is because, as we all know, it is one of the best ways to kill time during the day. Another benefit that you will find when you are trying to find a way to lighten your moods with walking is that you will find a way to occupy your mind and keep it occupied while you are walking.
This is something that people worldwide are beginning to understand is important and need to do if they are going to be successful in their lives.
10. Walking helps you sleep better
Walking helps you sleep better because it releases endorphins, which are natural painkillers. By walking, you are less likely to have a panic attack, which often occurs when you are lying in bed trying to sleep.
By releasing this natural painkiller, you are not as likely to feel severe pain during your sleep.
If you can reduce your stress levels, you will find that you sleep much better throughout the night.
While walking, you also increase the serotonin levels in your brain, which means you are happier throughout the day.
Walking also reduces the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes by fifty percent and heart disease by forty percent by simply walking a few times a week.
A recent study performed at the University of Texas showed that those who walked at least thirty minutes each day were much more likely to have lower blood pressure at the end of the study than those who did not walk.
If you are short on time and think that you cannot fit a walk in your schedule every day, you can incorporate exercise into your schedule. When you exercise regularly, such as walking or running, the exercise does not have to be a full-on workout routine.
You can incorporate exercises such as walking, jogging, or bike riding into your normal daily routine. You don’t have to work yourself to death to get healthier. With a combination of walking and other exercises, you can achieve excellent health results without a lot of time and effort on your part.
Also Read: The Benefits Of Hill Running
Conclusion
As you can see from the facts above, there is no end to the amazing benefits of walking.
The most important thing about walking is that it’s fun. When you are having fun, you are more likely to continue your fitness routine.
You don’t need to do anything crazy to make walking fun such as going jogging on the sidewalk when it gets cold or walking through the park in the pouring rain. Just go with the flow and have fun while maintaining your fitness.
You will definitely enjoy your workouts and reap many health benefits.
The first few weeks of your walking routine will be the hardest, but it gets easier as you continue to build your stamina. There are many ways to increase your motivation and increase your health benefits from walking.
If you want to lose weight, walking is a great way to start. As it burns more calories than running and almost certainly burns more fat burning calories.
Adding this walking into your daily routine will add the best combination of weight loss, improved digestive function, and improved mental health.
The great thing about this combination is that you can actually see these changes in your body.
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