Walking is a great way to improve and maintain both your physical and mental wellbeing. Walking is a great way to introduce the body to the strain of weight baring exercise on its own terms as it is something we do all the time, if sometimes not enough. Walking is a great tool for weight loss but only if done regularly and as part of a routine.
The benefits to walking are simple and there to see for both body and mind. The endorphins released in the brain during and after exercise are a natural “high” that will keep us happy long after we have finished exercising. As for our body’s, the benefits we see from walking are numerous. As I said before walking is a weight baring exercise. This promotes healthy bones, less joint pain and increases both strength and stability. Walking also lowers stress, bad cholesterol and hypertension (high blood pressure) which in turn reduces the risk of heart disease and strokes.
It is recommended that we try to get 10,000 steps in a day in some form of walking or running. A few easy ways to do this are walking the dog, walking to the local shop instead of driving or even something as simple as taking the stairs rather then the escalators in the shopping centre.
A great way to keep yourself on track to stick to walking is to set goals as you go and they don’t all have to be fitness related. For example if there is a book or a podcast that you really want to read or listen to download the audiobook version and set yourself the target of five chapters. This helps break the monotony of just walking to walk as well as giving you a feeling that you accomplished something. So not only are you getting in your exercise for the day, you’re also accomplishing other tasks for the day!