Advantages of Walking
HEALTH:
Walking has some health benefits, including increased heart rate and breathing rate, strengthening muscles in the legs and buttocks, improving muscle tone and strength of tendons, ligaments, and bones.
Its also been shown to help people with arthritis, lower blood pressure, reduce stress levels, help with weight loss or maintain weight loss by burning calories. Also, the greater our leg strength, the better we can hold our posture up when walking, which reduces stress on the back & joints.
SOCIAL LIFE:
A simple walk in your lunch break with work colleagues, friends, or family members can do wonders for bonding time together. It is straightforward to just walk in nature with someone you enjoy spending time with rather than talking about it later.
NATURE & NATURAL BEAUTY:
Walking through nature can be restorative and revitalizing. Simply taking a walk near your home or work may put you in touch with the natural environment and maybe encourage you to engage in activities such as conservation work of local flora and fauna.
Some of the most beautiful places on earth are free to visit, including forests, mountains, lakes, beaches, etc. You can even start walking for charity by joining an organization like WILD at Heart which takes volunteers on treks up Kilimanjaro for their cause of conserving Tanzania’s wildlife! Just some examples of worldwide outdoor walking opportunities include:-
NATURE & NATURAL BEAUTY:
When you are simply walking in nature, it can be very refreshing and revitalizing. You can walk on the beach, on the water-side of a river or lake, hiking up to mountains, forests …etc.
For example, if you like sea fishing, just taking your rod with some bait and sitting near an ocean or lake 5 minutes away from home may be more relaxing than fishing at the seaside!
SOCIAL LIFE:
You can join any group that walks for leisure time! But, unfortunately, because of stress nowadays many people spend their free time working or watching TV instead of having fun together or exercising for their health which leads to depression.
Many sports clubs organize weekly walks just for people who like spending their free time in nature rather than at home or any other place. For example, you can join your local Ramblers branch, a national society for people who like long walks!
ENVIRONMENTAL & CONSERVATION:
Walking has an environmental value because it reduces pollution by reducing traffic and related noise and air pollution. It also helps to conserve natural habitats, wildlife, and cultural heritage by promoting good access and low-impact tourism – meaning that all travelers need to use what they carry and leave nothing behind but footprints! Hobo Travel Club encourages every member to walk in nature and conserve the environment in general.
MENTAL HEALTH:
Walking can be beneficial for mental health, i.e., reducing stress levels, helping anxiety disorders (such as panic disorder) and depression (especially when combined with antidepressant medication). It can also help people stay alert and energetic, especially after sleeping problems like insomnia.
10 . SELF-ACTUALIZATION:
One of the most rewarding things that come out of walking is self-awareness which is one of the main results of self-actualization, or reaching your full potential. In addition, when in nature, you are more likely to notice its beauty and peacefulness, which helps you appreciate life on earth more.
Advantages of walking in the morning:
1. Controls your weight:
According to one study, walking in the morning controls weight, especially for those who have a sedentary lifestyle because it increases metabolism and decreases appetite thanks to ghrelin being produced naturally during winter.
The same has been proved by research published in the ” Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports” where it was found that people require less food intake as their resting metabolic rates increased, which resulted from walking for at least 30 minutes each day. This means you can eat more but within limits!
2. Prevents heart problems:
According to one study, aerobic exercise such as brisk walking breaks down plaque lining on artery walls so they won’t get clogged up, resulting in blocked arteries, which eventually could lead to a heart attack.
3. Regulates mood:
Although different studies have resulted in conflicting results when the matter comes to walking and depression, it has been proved that regular aerobic exercise helps regulate moods, which then improves your overall health because there’s a direct link between physical and mental fitness. Walking daily for at least 30 minutes can help improve mental health significantly, as per a study published in the ” American Journal of Preventive Medicine.”
4. Lowers stress:
Walking is an effective way of reducing stress levels as it lowers cortisol levels, a type of hormone that affects the immune system negatively alongside blood pressure and blood sugar level-so; if released in proper amounts, cortisol is beneficial, but too much production negates its benefits!
5. Increase your lifespan:
Walking for just half an hour every day increases the chances of living longer by reducing stress, blood pressure and helping in losing weight, so if you want to live longer, then try walking daily for 30 minutes!
6. Reduce depression:
Depression can be significantly reduced after aerobic exercises, such as brisk walking because it releases serotonin. This chemical messenger sends signals between nerve cells and has a positive effect on moods, according to one study reported in ” The Journal of Sports Science & Medicine.” Thus regular walkers are less likely to suffer from depression compared to those who don’t walk regularly.
7. Improve sleep quality:
Those who have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep should consider integrating physical activity into their daily routine to get sound sleep, mainly walking. It improves sleep quality which is a crucial element for good health.
8. Improve your heart health:
Walking 30 minutes daily can improve artery elasticity and reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or ‘bad cholesterol by 10 per cent! In addition, according to one study published in ” Circulation: Heart Failure,” walking regularly can help your heart pump more efficiently and effectively, resulting in improved cardiovascular health.
9. Increase bone density:
Increasing physical activity such as brisk walking regularly can prevent osteoporosis which is a condition that results from loss of bone tissue and leads to fragile bones, according to one study reported in ” Calcified Tissue International.”
10. Regulates blood sugar level:
According to one study, regular walking can help maintain healthier blood sugar levels because it increases insulin sensitivity, which results from burning calories and helps regulate blood sugar levels. So if you have problems related to blood sugar, consider walking regularly because it will come in handy!
11. Lowers risk of breast cancer:
Walking for just at least six hours every week can reduce the risk of developing breast cancer by 50%, as per research by the expert, Dr Wolin Yang, who says that women should ideally accumulate about 18,000 steps daily to see beneficial results health. Thus weight management, calorie-burning through increased metabolism also works against cancer cells.
12. Reduces back pain:
Back pain can be reduced significantly after taking up regular walking because it strengthens core muscles around the spine, according to ” The Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy.” So try walking for at least 30 minutes daily if you’re experiencing back pains!
13. Walking is not dull:
People who have trouble staying motivated often complain that they don’t have time or that keeping fit is too dull. Still, if you make walking your daily fitness routine, you won’t feel like skipping it because it doesn’t turn out to be monotonous, and most importantly, it’s free, so why are you waiting for it? All these benefits are enough reasons to start getting active by walking, so no matter who you are or where you live, walking can be done anytime.