The Healthy Facts of Walking
by Nicole Niemiec
How would you like to add a few years to your life expectancy? You
can do this and so much more by maintaining a consistent walking program.
Learn more about this simple and safe exercise.
Walking is one of the simplest and safest aerobic exercise you can
do. It will help you strengthen your bones, control your weight, and
condition your heart and lungs. Being consistent in your walking exercise
routine is one of the most important factors in developing a healthy
physical activity program. Research has shown that people who walk
approximately 20-25 miles per week outlive those who don't walk by
several years.
The following are some quick facts about walking:
- On average,
every minute of walking can extend your life by 1.5 to 2 minutes.
That's about a 2 for 1 trade-off!
- Walking an
extra 20 minutes each day will burn off 7 pounds of body fat per
year.
- To burn off
1 plain M&M candy, you need to walk the full length of a football
field. Think about that next time you dip your hand into a candy
bowl at someone's office!
- Longer, moderately-paced
daily walks (40 minutes at 60% to 65% maximum heart rate) are best
for losing weight.
- Shorter, faster
walks (20-25 minutes at 75% to 85% maximum heart rate) are best
for conditioning your heart and lungs.
Walking provides the following benefits:
- Improves efficiency
of your heart and lungs
- Burns body
fat
- Raises your
metabolism so you are burning calories faster, even while you rest
- Helps control
your appetite
- Increases
your energy
- Helps relieve
stress
- Slows aging
- Reduces levels
of cholesterol in your blood
- Lowers high
blood pressure
- Helps control
and prevent diabetes
- Reduces risk
of some forms of cancer including colorectal, prostrate, and breast
- Aids rehabilitation
from heart attack and stroke
- Promotes intestinal
regularity
- Helps promote
restful sleep
- Strengthens
muscles of your legs, hips, and torso
- Strengthens
your bones and reduces bone density loss in older women
- Reduces stiffness
in your joints due to inactivity or arthritis
- Relieves most
cases of chronic backache
- Improves flexibility
- Improves posture
- Promotes healthier
skin due to increased circulation
- Improves mental
alertness and memory
- Spurs intellectual
creativity and problem solving
- Elevates mood
- Helps prevent
and/or reduce depression
- Improves your
self-esteem
- Increases
sexual vigor
- Helps control
addictions to nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, and other drugs
Walking is much more preferable than running or jogging because
it creates less stress on your joints, including hips, knees, and
ankles. Remember to properly warm up before and cool down after every
walking session...your muscles will love you for it!
Article written and submitted to Time for Fitness by Nicole Niemic.
|
