8 Amazing Benefits of Walking 

8 Amazing Benefits of Walking 

To step into a healthier world, all you need to do is put your foot in front of the other. So, start going out for a walk that has a zillion health benefits. While most of us consider weight loss with walking, but there are lot more benefits that you can get from walking. Out of the many physical activities for a healthy lifestyle, walking away tops the list. Unfortunately, most people find jogging and heavy exercise difficult, and some even lack motivation. A simple and effective solution to this is a walk.

The benefits of walking in the morning are potent and effective for a healthier lifestyle. You don’t need to hire a personal trainer or to go to the gym. You also do not need any equipment or gear. All you need is a good pair of walking shoes, and an open area, such as a park or walking track. The greenery around is a plus to treat your eyes. Further, it is a break from the monotony of this concrete place in which we live.

Why Walking is Important?

“Early to bed, early to rise makes one healthy, wealthy, and wise”. We all have heard this saying. But, have you ever thought why this is a classic saying and even considered as a universal truth? You name any successful person, and there is one thing all have in common; Going to bed at a fixed time, waking up early, and performing physical activity. With minimum physical activity throughout the day, it gets tough to hit the gym. Therefore, going for a walk daily is the best way to indulge in physical activity. Hitting the gym every day is also difficult for those who wish to start exercising. It also gets difficult for those who have a hectic schedule. So, to start building a routine and get the benefits of walking in the morning.

Benefits of Walking

If you wonder, what are some health benefits of walking daily? Then, build a regular walking schedule helps you more than just losing weight. You can prevent many health problems concerning your heart, mental health, joints, diseases, and body strength. As a bonus, not only do you lose weight with walking, but also makes your skin glow.

1. Keeps Your Arteries Clear

People at the risk of atherosclerosis have great benefits of walking. Atherosclerosis is a disease that occurs when the arteries in your heart, limbs, brain, kidneys, or liver get blocked with cholesterol or plaque deposits. It restricts the blood and oxygen supply to critical organs and can even lead to multiple organ failures. Walking helps to reduce the plaque formation in the blood vessels. As a result, it reduces the risk of heart attacks. Regular morning walks also help to lower cholesterol level and prevent plaque deposition in arteries.

2. Improves Mental Clarity

A morning walk helps improve mental clarity and ability to focus during the day. A recent study found that among older adults, those who used to start their days with a morning walk had improved cognitive function, than those who remained sedentary. Walking also helps you think more creatively. Research has shown that walking opens up a free flow of ideas that help you solve problems better than if you are sitting or remain sedentary. It usually happens when you go for  outdoor walks.

3. Helps Deal with Depression

Inadequate production of natural painkillers or stress balancing hormones endorphins in our body, that leads to depression. A 45-minute morning walk daily helps in releasing and proper flow of endorphins in your body. It will help relieve the symptoms of depression and make you feel positive, energetic, and handful. It also reduces your nervousness and anxiety, allowing you to stay more proactive. The first step to get out of depression is to go for an outdoor walk. A depressed state of mind will not allow you to do it. Meanwhile, convincing yourself to walk daily is the first step to fight with depression.

4. Reduces the Risk of Diabetes

A brisk walk will help you burn about 300 calories. It helps you use up stored sugars. The more you walk, the more calories will burn. Further, morning walks help curb the sweet tooth. It cuts down sugar cravings and with improved sugar levels, there are fewer chances of getting Type 2 diabetes.

There are more benefits of walking in the morning for people who already have diabetes and are looking to stabilize their sugar levels. Studies prove that regular walks help in controlling blood sugar levels in the people with diabetes. It helps in regulating the function of insulin and Glucagon in the body. These hormones allow glucose absorption in the blood vessels. Therefore, regular morning walks help in reducing insulin resistance and improve diabetes.

5. Helps You Get Better Sleep

Do you struggle with sleepless and restless nights? If so, a regular morning walk schedule can help you. It helps calm your mind and utilize the stored energy in your body, and helps your body stay active throughout the day. As a result, you can get a good, sound sleep at night. It happens because walking uses stored energy from the body and leaves your body tired. It happens mainly for those who are not more active physically. After any activity, your body needs rest, and that’s why regular walking in the morning or evening helps you regulate the sleep cycle and gives you sound sleep.

6. Keeps Laziness Away

Laziness makes you feel demotivated to do anything. With so many benefits of walking in the morning, it also includes boosting energy and levels and burning stored calories. This refreshes and rejuvenates your body to keep laziness at bay. Start with a small 30 minutes brisk wall and gradually increase your duration. If you can’t go for 30 minutes at a stretch, you should try quick breaks then. Break down that 30-minute walk into two or three laps. It allows yourself to rest for 2 minutes between each lap and then continue further.

7. Increases Lung Capacity

Most people think they have to walk only for fitness. It not only keeps you fit mentally but also physically. Walking helps increase the energy pool in your cell and increases the oxygen holding capacity of your lungs. Moreover, your body muscles and tissues need high oxygen levels to carry out essential enzyme reactions when you walk briskly.

As a result, it increases your lung capacity and helps improve oxygen supply to all body organs.

8. Improves Brain Function

Regular brisk walking improves blood circulation and oxygen flow in the body, and reduces stress levels. As a result, your brain volume increases and helps improve your brain function. It is instrumental to prevent possible future mental health issues such as memory degeneration, Alzheimer’s, and dementia. Studies have proven that walking boosts the brain and improves mental health. It helps in increasing your concentration. Moreover, it gives your mind a fresh and mew outlook toward things.

Benefits of Walking for Weight Loss

Walking may help you lose weight if you do it regularly, though it requires special attention. You don’t need to go and follow strict diets to lose weight. These diets may help you lose weight alarmingly fast, there are high chances of putting on even more weight when you get back to your normal lifestyle. Following a healthy diet and regular walks can make your weight loss with walking. It also helps maintain the weight in the long term.

Walking is simple, and that’s why you don’t feel winded as you would after a heavy workout. Your joints get a good workout when you walk. It gives you more  flexibility. Gradually, you increase your speed and walking duration. This will help in burning more calories. Avoid walking on the road as it can be hazardous because of the speeding vehicles and also air pollution can cause harm to your body. Insulin management of your body gets better with walking. Furthermore, you can also shed a lot of belly fat. It also helps in toning and defining the muscles in your calves, legs, and buttocks. Once you develop the habit of walking daily, you can then try interval walking.

However, try interval walking once you complete a year of regular walking.
Interval walking requires you to follow these steps:

  • Warm-up for the first 2-3 minutes
  • Then, walk as fast as you can for 1-2 minutes,
  • Slow down from a pace for the next 1-2 minutes
  • Keep alternating between the two

This will help your body burn calories even after your walk for the day is over.

Final Words

Starting your day with a short walk is the best physical activity you can do. There are many benefits of walking in the morning. You feel more energized throughout the day, improved mental clarity, boosts mood, and get a better sleep at night. Make sure to stretch before and after a walk, drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated. If you have some disease, and are concerned whether you should change your walking routine or not, then consult your doctor before starting a new exercise routine.

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