You may have heard how ‘walking is a man’s best medicine.’ If you have a habit of taking a walk on a daily basis, you probably agree! Walking has plenty of health benefits for all kinds of people, regardless of their age and the fitness activities they are involved in. Walking can improve the quality of your life and may prevent several chronic diseases from occurring.
The best part about walking is you do not need any kind of gear or equipment, and it’s FREE! All you need to do is get a sturdy pair of trainers or shoes and get on walking. Here are a few things that walking can assist you with while coping with your workout routines:
Burn Calories
It is quite obvious, but walking can help you burn a lot of calories. The more you walk, the more calories you are likely to burn. It can help you to maintain your ideal weight or even assist you in losing a few pounds. However, keep in mind that everyone’s experience with walking and calorie burning may differ; several factors are considered that include:
- The speed of the walk
- The distance covered by walk
- The incline (the higher or steeper terrain allows you to burn a lot more calories)
- Current weight
Reduce the risk of heart disease
You can easily strengthen the muscles of your heart by committing to walk for at least 30 minutes every day for five or more days a week, this could significantly reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by over 19%, and this figure could rise with increased endurance and distance you cover per day.
Mitigate blood sugar levels
Did you know that walking after you have had a meal could help you lower your blood sugar levels? Though more research is needed to validate these findings, a study shows that taking a 15-minute walk right after breakfast, lunch, and dinner improves blood sugar levels in contrast to walking at any other time for 45 minutes entirely.
Try adding a post-meal walk as per your daily routine, it could also help you keep up with other exercises throughout the day, so you stay fit and healthy!
Eases tension in joints
Though all the limbs in your body are moving, walking frequently can ease joint pain while protecting your joints as well as hips and knees. It acts as lubrication that makes your muscles stronger and provides support to your joints.
Walking could also be useful for people who experience health conditions such as arthritis and walking could be beneficial by reducing pain. Walking 5 miles a week, on average, could reduce the risk of arthritis.
Improve immunity
Last but not least, walking also prevents cases of flu and other respiratory conditions. Walking for 30-40 minutes each day could lower the risk of you attaining any infections and could result in a few sick days.
Develop a habit to walk for a couple of minutes every day, and slowly build endurance and other factors gradually. You can experience the benefits of walking when you incorporate it as part of your workout routine.