13 Health Benefits of Walking Everyday You’re Not Paying Attention To
There are numerous surprising health benefits of walking every day for say 30 or 45 minutes, or an hour, that many of us simply don’t pay attention to. Here’s a quick mental exercise.
Picture exercise in your head. What do you see? Somebody running, somebody swimming, dancing, fighting, trampolining? I bet you don’t think of walking. It may surprise you but it turns out walking is incredible for your body. It’s something we do daily without thinking twice but going on long daily, walks provides your body with a huge list of benefits.
Walking is often suggested for people that are unable to perform high impact sports. However, even if you’re in perfect shape and health, walking can still help you out in ways that you may not have imagined. Today we’re going to go through 13 surprising health benefits of walking everyday. Talk a virtual walk with me and let’s explore what this underrated activity can do for you.
Benefit 13: Prolong your heart health
All exercises help your heart. However the effects walking has on it are absolutely surprising. Heart disease is one of the largest killers in men. By walking at least 30 minutes a day, every day, studies have found the risk of heart disease is reduced by around 20 percent.
That’s just by walking 30 minutes a day. The risk decreases further if you walk a greater distance daily. A stronger heart leads to a stronger life. Could walking every day be the key to a better life for all?
Benefit 12: Strengthen your joints
If you suffer with any sort of joint pain or stiffness walking might be the last thing on your mind. However, consider giving daily walking a shot. Walking helps lubricate and strengthen the muscles that support your joints, meaning walking daily not only strengthens your joints but protects them in the long run.
Walking is also extremely effective with those afflicted with arthritis. According to studies, walking daily can reduce pain in those with arthritis. Not only that similar studies have found that walking six miles a week also helps to prevent arthritis. So it’s highly recommended to stretch those legs each and every day.
Benefit 11: Boost your energy levels
It’s your break. The day is dragging its feet. You’re feeling sluggish and tired. What do you do? You grab a coffee. Probably want to know more effective way to boost your energy without the crash that coffee often causes? Walking! Next time you find yourself in this situation try to go for a little walk. See if you feel refreshed and energized.
When you walk oxygen levels in your body are increased. Hormones linked to elevated energy levels are also released. Make sure not to push yourself hard. You just need a brisk walk and fresh air to feel the benefits. The bonus to this is that you’ll also burn off a few calories and that’s never a bad thing.
Benefit 10: Reduce your risk of stroke by up to 40%
Blood pressure is something that a lot of us never pay attention to. However, it’s so crucial to keep it in check. One of the most important health benefits of walking is that it helps to reduce blood pressure by a staggering amount. This is from walking just 1 or 2 miles a day.
As an additional benefit from this, people that walk 30 minutes a day reduce their risk of a stroke by up to 40%. If you care about your blood pressure or circulation which we all should, consider implementing walking into your daily routine.
Benefit 9: Lower blood sugar levels after eating
As well as lower blood pressure, another massive health benefits of walking is that it can reduce your blood sugar levels significantly. Take a short walk after eating and your blood sugar levels drop significantly. Walking for around fifteen minutes three times a day preferably after eating a meal blood sugar levels are reduced much more efficiently this way as opposed to taking one 45-minute walk during the day.
This method also helps to lower the risk of diabetes over a long period of time. Diabetes isn’t the only disease that can be prevented by regular walking. If you work in an hour-long walk at least once a week you can strengthen your body against a multitude of other diseases and conditions.
Benefit 8: Keep Alzheimer’s Disease at Bay
It’s an inevitable fact that as we grow older our minds begin to decline. As the days go by we grow less and less sharp with the worst case scenario being the onset of diseases like Alzheimer’s. If we work walking into our daily routine, we could also help prevent the onset of such diseases by a drastic amount.
Studies found that age-related memory issues were lower in those who walk daily. Simply by stretching their legs for 30 minutes a day, the risk of Alzheimer’s is cut in half. Healthy heart, healthy mind. It sounds like walking might be the simplest way to keep all facets in your body healthy but its benefits don’t end there.
Benefit 7: Increase your creativity and find solutions faster
We all know that walking can help clear your head but in most cases sayings and habits like that don’t actually have any scientific grounding. However, walking to clear your head actually works. A study found that people had an easier time thinking of solutions when walking outdoors.
Walking energized at the brain and allows better flow and focus on new ideas and creativity. A couple of groundbreaking New Age companies are trying wacky meetings could this be a more productive way to come up with brand new innovative solutions? Only time will tell. If you need to think creative about anything try giving walking a shot. The rest of your body will thank you as well.
Benefit 6: Helps you sleep better
It’s great to have an active mind when you’re at work to have the ability to focus and come up with solutions to any problems faced. However, that sharp mind can often lead to problems when you’re trying to sleep. We’ve all had those nights when we just can’t turn off our minds when we toss and turn thinking of anything and everything when all we want to do is sleep.
Well not only can walking give you new ideas when you need them but it can also lead to better sleep. Walking and other activities like it helped boost hormones that relax and sedate your body. Consider going for a walk a few hours before bed. You’ll probably feel the wave of slumber embrace you much easier than the nights before.
Benefit 5: Helps you beat cravings
Your body longs for a sweet treat once in a while. This is especially true if we’re feeling down we want to nibble on something tasty. It turns out that going on a brisk walk could give you that same boost of happiness without the calories. This is especially potent if you have a walk with a friend or your spouse. You will not only feel happier but you’ll bond a little bit as well.
Benefit 4: Maintain your weight
It seems obvious to state but walking affects your weight differently than you may think. Of course walking burns calories but it also helps your body produce insulin. Insulin is great for many things but in this instance it really helps reduce belly fat by just walking 30 minutes a day you’ll see some of that belly fat start to burn away a little by little. Follow the link below for a more detailed discussion about walking for weight loss.
Benefit 3: Boost your immune system
Walking has recently been found to improve your immune system. It sounds pretty funny saying that stepping one foot in front of the other can stop illness but there’s some truth to it. This is especially true for high-intensity walking. If you’re in the older age bracket, walking a bit each day could improve your quality of life by a massive margin.
Benefit 2: Regulate your blood glucose levels
For most of us glucose levels aren’t something we pay attention to but too much glucose in your blood can lead to a multitude of other problems. Walking daily especially after a meal is a fantastic way to regulate blood glucose. Taking more than 5,000 steps a day helps manage and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Whether you’ve got type 2 diabetes or you’re looking to protect yourself from the risk factors, walking daily is a great way to keep both in check.
Benefit 1: Enjoy a longer live
We all want to live longer. To be able to do and achieve more is a dream most of us have. Not only does walking lower the risk of heart disease, not only does it lower your blood pressure and blood sugar, not only does it protect your mind from things like Alzheimer’s; it also helps you improve and increase your life in other ways.
Those that walk at a faster pace have been found to have a 25% lower risk of death caused by general health issues. A lot of this is because of all the benefits we’ve already gone through. But walking also helps to strengthen your body if you couple in extra weight loss.
Conclusion
I’m sure you have seen the numerous health benefits of walking daily. By daily walking your overall health boost would be staggering. Walking has really paid any serious mind in the realm of health and exercise but I hope by now you’ve learned how incredibly beneficial such a simple and easy action can be. If you struggle to fit in more exercise consider walking instead of using your car a couple times a week.
Not only will you save some money on fuel, you’ll also do wonders for your body. How do you feel about walking? Have you been convinced to implement more walking into your routine? Are you an avid walker already? Have you got any tips regarding walking? Let us know below
