Walking, the simplest exercise

Physical activity doesn’t need to be complicated, something simple like a daily walk can bring surprising benefits to achieving a healthier lifestyle. Walking can provide multiple health benefits to people of all ages and levels of physical activity, it can also help prevent some serious conditions.

We don’t often think of walking when we talk about exercise and physical activity, but it is, it doesn’t require special equipment or clothes, it’s free and can be easily incorporated into your daily routine. It can also be helpful that you can go somewhere, choose a path you enjoy, you can walk with someone, or listen to music.

Regular walking can have numerous health benefits:

-   It helps with maintaining healthy weight and weight loss

-   It helps the prevention and regulation of certain states like cardiovascular diseases, strokes, some forms of cancer, and type 2 diabetes

-   It improves cardiovascular fitness

-   It lowers blood sugar levels

-   It strengthens muscles and bones

-   It can help with joint health, including the knees

-   It increases energy levels

-   It improves mood, cognition and memory

-   It promotes healthy sleep

-   It betters coordination

-   It strengthens the immune system

-   It helps with stress

The faster, more often, and longer you walk the more these benefits will be noticed. As with many exercises, it is necessary to start slowly and move your way up to the desired levels. Walking can be a great way to improve aerobic activity, and cardiovascular fitness, and burn calories simultaneously.

Alternating between brisk walking and more leisurely walking can have additional benefits when it comes to cardiovascular fitness health and calorie burning.

In the beginning, make sure you have comfortable walking shoes, have decided on a route that fits you, and think about bringing someone along.

Think about your safety and try to set clear, realistic, achievable goals that you can later surpass and change depending on your progress.

On the other hand, you can incorporate more walking into your daily life by walking instead of taking public transportation, parking further than your destination so that you can walk that distance, choosing a longer route to where you are walking, and so on.

*This text is intended for informational purposes only. If you experience any symptoms, it is recommended that you seek advice from your doctor or a qualified healthcare professional.*

*Image taken from the site: https://unsplash.com/photos/woman-walking-between-flower-fields-iy4PrwxTniA

The benefits of walking. (2024, June 17). NIH News in Health. https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2016/03/benefits-walking

Ungvari, Z., Fazekas-Pongor, V., Csiszar, A., & Kunutsor, S. K. (2023). The multifaceted benefits of walking for healthy aging: from Blue Zones to molecular mechanisms. GeroScience, 45(6), 3211–3239. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-023-00873-8

Walk your way to fitness. (n.d.). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/walking/art-20046261