Benifits of Walking
“Benefits of Walking” Walking provides a wide range of benefits, some of which are more obvious than others. The obvious benefits of walking include the benefits to the individual from physical fitness and mental health improvements. A less obvious benefit is the way in which getting more people walking more often can help to generate a stronger local community, which in turn will contribute to happier and healthier neighborhoods. Every channel you turn to, every magazine you flip through, and every sports store you go to, shows the concept of exercising.
Most people think of exercise as too much work. They make excuses like I don’t have enough time, or I’ll do it later. The purpose of this essay is to persuade my listeners to get out their walking shoes and start reaping the benefits of a healthy life and start walking. First we will discover how walking benefits our bodies, second uncover how easy it is to incorporate walking in to our daily lives, and third reveal the only equipment that one needs to take the first step putting one foot in front of the other.
For many of us we are always finding ways to get out of exercising. Either we are too busy or we are putting it off until we have more time, but actually we never get the time to exercise and we just see ourselves jumping from a size 6 to a size 12. Well I have help for you. We were all born with 2 arms and 2 legs, so let’s put those legs to the use they were intended. Walking is one of the easiest forms of exercise and provides many health benefits.
Regular walkers have fewer heart attacks and strokes, have lower blood pressure, and have higher levels of healthy HDL cholesterol than couch sitters do. In one study of women, a regular walking program did just as much in the heart-protection department as more vigorous exercise did. Thirty minutes of walking a day makes your muscles more sensitive to insulin. That allows glucose to do its duty inside your cells rather than pile up in your bloodstream and cause other havoc.
Even just a 5-minute walk cuts down on cigarette cravings. It engages your brain’s emotion centers, unleashing mood-enhancing hormones that decrease cravings and take your mind off that cigarette. And establishing a walking habit proves to you that you have the discipline to stick with your stop-smoking plan. Physical activity nourishes brain tissue and stimulates its production of neurons, synapses, and blood vessels. Some studies have found that walking can counter faltering memories in people over age 50.
Anyone who has come back from a walk in a different frame of mind than they went out with can attest to this. Studies back up that walking benefits your mood and may even ward off depression and anxiety. Not only can a walk perk you up when you need it, but also it helps improve the quality of your sleep, so you’re more energetic all day long. Walking regularly can lower your risk of arthritis, macular degeneration, and even cancer by an astonishing 50% compared with people who don’t exercise. Walking has the highest compliance rate of any exercise.
