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Improved circulation – Walking can help to reduce the chance of heart disease through increased circulation. Walking increases the heart rate by roughly 30bpm reduces blood pressure and helps to strengthen the heart. Research conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health found that women who walked just 30minutes a day can reduce the risk of a stroke by 20% and by 40% if they pick up a fast pace.
Boost your mood – Walking produces endorphins that boost our mood. California State University has found that the more steps we walk in a day, the better the mood we are in. Dr. Jampolis says going for a walk is a zero-calorie strategy that offers the same perks as a glass of wine or dark chocolate.
Lose weight – Just 30 minutes of walking per day can burn up to 200 calories. Prevention’s Walk Your Way to Better Health. “Interval walking really cranks up your after burn—the calories you burn long after your official walk is over,” Stanten says.
Strengthen muscles – Although there are better ways of increasing muscles mass, walking is effective for strengthening your leg and abdominal muscles. “Daily walking increases metabolism by burning extra calories and by preventing muscle loss, which is particularly important as we get older,” says Ariel Iasevoli, a personal trainer at Crunch gyms in New York City.
Improved quality of sleep – Recent studies have found that people between the ages of 50 – 75 who took 1 hour morning walks were more likely to relieve insomnia than those who didn’t. A 2019 study from Sleep found that postmenopausal women who do light to moderate-intensity physical activity snooze better at night than those who are sedentary.
Improved mental health – A study conducted by the University of California found that people over the age of 65 who didn’t walk 2.5 miles a day had an 8% increase in mental memory loss. “Research shows that regular walking actually modifies your nervous system so much that you’ll experience a decrease in anger and hostility,” Dr. Jampolis.
Improved joint health – It’s not uncommon to think that walking is bad for your joints because it ‘wears them out’ however, walking actually increases the blood flow to your joints as well as increasing the muscle strength around your joints. Therefore not walking or moving your joints regularly is likely to see your joints seize up, and exercising irregularly will likely cause more damage as your muscles aren’t used to the stress of walking.
Reduced risk of chronic diseases – A study conducted by the University of Virginia found that men aged between 71 and 93 who walked more than half a mile every day halved the likelihood of themselves being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s than those who didn’t walk. The New England Journal of Medicine found that those who walked enough to meet physical activity guidelines had a 30% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, compared with those who did not walk regularly.
