Your body reacts to your walking sooner than you'd think. Here's how each step gets you closer to good health, according to today’s medical associations.
Sources American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Journal of American Medical Association, American Journal of Health.
We are all aware that walking is good for you and we have compiled some facts from the above researches done in order to show you just why you should be walking, especially if you're not doing any other physical exercise.
So below are some tips on just how a small amount of walking can still benefit you.
Walking just one minute, briskly, makes you more likely to have a waist circumference 4 cm smaller than someone who sits all day.
Walking two minutes, briskly, activates the genes responsible for metabolizing fat and carbohydrates in your body and activates anti-inflammatory signals as well. Brisk walking is walking just enough that you can carry on a conversation with a walking companion as you both go along on your path. It’s best to swing your arms in time with your stride in order to get the maximum results from your exercise.
Taking a brisk walk for 3 minutes can actually lower your blood pressure and also the triglycerides levels after eating a meal. So don’t just park yourself on the couch in front of the TV after your meal. Get outside and take a stroll and help your digestion turn that food into some propelling fuel and walk a block or two!
Walking for 5 minutes was shown in the study to improve a person’s self-esteem by 46% and your mood by up to 54%. After all, 5 minutes is just enough to clear your head and get your thoughts drifting towards that happy place your mind sometimes wanders to when things go right.
Walking for 6 minutes can help your memory and logic faculties for older adults. Maybe, after that 6-minute walk, you just might remember that to-do list your wife gave you this morning.
Walking for 5 – 10 minutes can increase the creative thought processes and put you in a better frame of mind. Maybe you could tackle the daily crossword puzzle now that your brain functions are up from 1st to second gear!
A 15-minute walk after a meal significantly lowers your blood pressure and can reduce the risk of diabetes. Enough said on that one, right?
Walking for 20 minutes can increase bone density in post-menopausal women. “Go break a leg” You won’t seriously be concerned that it might just happen.
Walking for 30 minutes can improve your day to day outlook on the way you feel. Walking for 30 minutes can relieve symptoms of depression as effectively as prescribed anti-depressants, and can reduce the risks of strokes by as much as 30%. Consistently walking for those 30 minutes can over time enable you to lose 5-6 lbs of weight, depending on your walking speed.
A brisk walk for 40 minutes can reduce the risks of coronary heart disease in men over 50 years of age by half.
A 50 – 60-minute walks help to reduce inflammation and cell damage in older adults. So when you first start out with your walking and you feel sore after, remember the more you do, the more your body will adapt to the new strain your subjecting it to. So don’t stop, keep going and you’ll be surprised how your stamina will increase.
A 90-minute walk can put you in the right state of mind. It can decrease depressive thoughts while also reducing activity in the brain linked to developing mental illness.
Walking for 150 minutes can substantially help in weight reduction. This along with a proper diet will not only get you in better overall health. But eating the proper diet will help you lose the weight faster and provide you with the fuel your body’s furnace needs to meet your new walking challenge. This amount of walking can burn up to 650 calories in an average adult, weighing 165Lbs.
Walking for 240 minutes or 4 hours a week can actually help to reduce hip fractures, which are one of the most common injuries in older adults by as much as 43% in men and if your weekly walk walking excursions come in at 450 minutes (7.5 hours, which is less than a full day of actual work) you can add an additional 4.5 years on to your life.
It’s a proven fact that walking any of the above lengths of time releases endorphins that help you to feel better about yourself and how you interact with the people around you.
So if you look at all of the above, and you’re not making a walking regimen a part of your exercise routine. Can we ask you WHY NOT??? Get on those walking shoes, strap on a pedometer, just so you can keep track of your steps, distance and time.
Remember, as your body adapts to your walking routines, you need to increase both the distance and your stride so you are constantly pushing your body so it does not become accustomed to the same route, distance, speed and time that it takes to accomplish your goal. If you don’t push your goals further and further as your walking exercise regimen becomes easier for you to reach, your body will learn to adapt to your regimen and you will not be taking advantage of all the benefits you’re walking can do for you in continuing to build its conditioning and stamina on a regular basis.
So, Get Up, Get Out, And get yourself MOVING right now!