Walking is regarded as one of the best exercises we can do daily, and its benefits are far greater than you might think. Take a look at these 11 benefits that daily walking can bring to your body!
1. Alleviate Back Pain
The most basic exercise to relieve back pain is a daily walk. Every step you take causes soft muscular contractions, which helps prevent your pelvis from sinking and reduces the load on your spine. If you start to experience significant back and spinal pain, it's better to increase your walking speed until the pain subsides.
2. Improve Heart Health
Walking is the easiest way to keep your heart healthy. By bringing more oxygen and nutrients to your heart, exercise helps to increase your heart rate and blood circulation, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease. Having a 30-minute walk daily also reduces your cardiovascular risk by 27% because your good cholesterol will be elevated, and your blood pressure will be under control.
3. Improve Eyesight
Walking can help improve your eyesight, according to a study published in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. The study shows that daily walking, as the most convenient low-impact physical activity, can activate the visual cortex and thus help to improve your vision.
4. Help Lose Weight
Walking is one of the easiest and most effective ways to lose weight. Research shows that walking for one hour a day for a month can burn up to 12,400 calories and reduce your waistline by 2.5cm. Remember, in order to burn your calories efficiently, it's important to walk fast without talking, maintain proper posture, and keep your arms balanced to aid blood circulation.
5. Kickstart Digestion
If you suffer from indigestion, you can try to start your day with a morning walk. According to the American Center for Cancer Treatment, by using your core and abdominal muscles, walking at a moderate pace promotes healthy bowel movement and improves your digestive system. Therefore, your digestion and appetite are more likely to get better after your morning walk.
6. Shape Your Muscles
It may come as a surprise, but walking can help to build and strengthen your muscles, including your quadriceps, calves, and buttocks. If you pay more attention to your posture while walking, you can even tone your abs and reduce your waistline.
7. Reduce Risk Of Lung Diseases
Aerobic exercises are highly recommended for lung disease patients, and walking is probably one of the best options. Taking a half-hour walk every day increases the amount of oxygen coming into your lungs and helps to expel the waste, which reduces the burden on the lungs.
8. Reduce Diabetes
The American Diabetes Association advises walking to lower blood sugar levels and the overall risk of diabetes. This advice is given because walking has a positive effect on your pancreas, helping to burn glucose faster and reducing the likelihood of developing diabetes. For even better results, it is better to take long walks for about an hour instead of short walks of 15 minutes or so.
9. Shore Up Bones And Joints
People, especially those with bone and joint issues, are strongly recommended to ensure that they walk in the sun for 15-30 minutes every day. According to experts, our bodies produce vitamin D in sunlight, which helps absorb phosphorus and calcium to strengthen our bones and joints. In this case, walking in the sun is just what the orthopedic experts suggest.
10. Slow Down Mental Decline
Daily walking can help to slow down mental decline problems among older people and reduce their chances of developing senile dementia. Many studies have shown that walking 30 minutes a day can significantly help people over 65 fight against brain shrinkage and help them to retain their memories for longer.
11. Reduce Depression
According to Dr. Jampolis, eating a few bars of chocolate can help you get through a bad day, but a calorie-free walk can do the same. When we walk, endorphins or so-called happy hormones are released, which can improve your mood and even help fight against depression. If you're feeling stressed or depressed, you can try going for a walk in a park or taking a hike.
Source: buzzfond.com