How can a daily walk improve your health?
Healthcare professionals have been recommending walking as a way to combat periods of inactivity throughout the day, but the question remains, does a daily walk really have a huge impact on your overall health? This article will uncover the wide range of health benefits that walking can have on your physical and mental health.
How long do I have to walk for in order to get health benefits?
According to the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines, it is recommended to have 60-90 minutes of walking a day in order to really acquire all the health benefits that walking has to offer. However, if an hour or more of exercise seems daunting, you can always break it up in 20-minute sessions throughout the day. This is the equivalent of going for a walk in the morning, walking to get your lunch, and having an evening stroll after work.
We know there are going to be those days where it's rainy out or you’re tired from a long day, on days like this a 20-minute walk can sound as inviting as working on the weekend, it’s important to remember not to be hard on yourself on days like this, you can always make up the minutes another day or just take the day off to re-energize.
When you are out for a walk, you should aim to walk fast enough to get your heart rate up (about 60-70% of your maximum heart rate). A good way to measure this is to ensure you are breathing hard enough that it makes singing difficult but not too hard that you can’t speak in full sentences.
What benefits does walking have on my heart and my body?
Walking has been shown to have more than a few benefits on your heart and body, some of the most noteworthy ones are:
Walking can lower blood pressure: When you are out on your daily walk, your body responds to the exercise by reducing the stiffness of your blood vessels so that your blood can flow more easily. When this happens, the pressure needed to pump blood reduces, resulting in lower blood pressure. The effects of exercise are most noticeable during and immediately after a workout.
Walking can reduce your risk of getting a chronic disease: A daily walk can reduce your risk of acquiring a chronic disease by helping with weight loss, weight management and by reducing glucose and insulin resistance. This trio of benefits results in a lower chance of getting type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and obesity.
Walking can strengthen the immune system: A study done by Harvard Health found that amongst men and women, those who walked at least 20 mins a day for at least 5 days a week had 43% fewer sick days than those who exercised one time a week or less . So next time flue season heads your way, strap on your walking shoes and head out for a good old fashioned walk.
Walking can improve your memory: Scientists at the University of California found out that walking the recommended amount a day/week can actually give your brain a memory boost! In their research they found out that areas of the brain responsible for memory formation and storage can actually increase after a walking, yoga or tai chi session, increasing daily productivity and creativity.
What benefits does walking have on my Mental Health?
Walking not only helps you exercise your body but it also yields positive benefits on your mental health. Walking can help relieve or lessen stress, as well as decrease symptoms of depression, anxiety, and even schizophrenia. Walking is an accessible and safe way to increase activity for people with mental illnesses. There are quite a few research studies that show the benefits of walking for people diagnosed with a serious mental illness. One study found that walking participants attended more walking groups, for more weeks and walked more minutes than those in the control group.
People in each study did continue walking over a number of weeks. A second study showed that participants in a walking group showed improvement in physical health, activity level, social support, and mental health and a high level of program satisfaction. Another study looked at peoples’ responsiveness to app technology that prompted regular walking. The high engagement rate in other app features suggests that adults with psychiatric conditions would benefit from similar smartphone interventions that promote healthy behaviours. These studies support people walking alone or in a group. Prompts or check-ins appeared to help remind and motivate people to walk. Pedometers and smartphone apps can help people motivate themselves and track their progress.
How about fitness benefits?
Just like with health benefits, walking also yields a myriad of fitness benefits, they include:
Burning calories and lose weight: When you walk briskly for any period longer than 30 minutes you get an added benefit of burning fat, which results in more calories burned which can be beneficial if weight loss is one of your fitness goals.
Building Muscle: Changing your daily walking route to include hills or uneven terrain can help you build leg and core strength. Steep inclines activate your calf, quadriceps, hamstring and glute muscles helping you build and strengthen all your leg muscles. Additionally, walking in uneven terrain becomes a test of balance, when this is the case, you rely on your core muscles to keep you upright, tightening your core for balance results in a stronger tore stable core.
Strengthening bones and joints: Even if your daily walk is just doing laps of your living room, you’re still strengthening your bones and joints. Every time you take a step, you load and unload your bones with the help of your joints, this motion results in a stronger, more stable skeletal system due to your bones building more cells to make themselves denser as a response to your daily exercise.
Whether you commit 20 minutes a day or 2 hours, walking can become one of the best ways to exercise your body and your mind. Walking is a great opportunity to connect with others, whether you are walking with a friend or by greeting neighbours along the way. The best part about this low-intensity workout is that you just need a good pair of shoes, a few minutes of your day and a good attitude to have a huge impact on your overall mental and physical health.
