Great Health Benefits Of Going For A Walk

Even if you hate exercise, there are many good reasons to go for a walk. For one thing, it’s relaxing, it's fun, and most importantly it’s good for your health, both physically and mentally.

Do you know what the health benefits of walking are? This short article is intended to convince you that heading out for a walk each day is a great idea and that it will motivate you to stick to your walking schedule until you start to see results, which you will in time, I promise!

Walking gets you out of the house and into a new environment, hopefully in the fresh air

It doesn't matter how fast or slow you walk, walking gets you outside and in the fresh air. Just this alone will make you feel better. Your body will be absorbing oxygen and sunshine as well as getting you out of the house for a nice change of scenery. These are important for your health and well-being.

Hopefully, you will find the air quality outside, particularly if you go for a walk on the beach or in a park, to be much better than the air inside your house. An important and additional benefit is that the sunshine outside will help your body produce healthy and needed vitamin D.

Studies show that we are often low in vitamin D and we need it to help build up our immune system to help in maintaining our health, especially as we age.

Walking is known to help you to trim your waistline and maintain a healthy weight

Walking particularly at a quick pace and doing it regularly can help you get to a healthy weight and then maintain it. It is still important that you watch what you eat and aim for a healthy and nutritious diet that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables as well as drinking water throughout the day. Combined with a healthy diet, walking can be another tool to help you drop those extra pounds.

Did you know that a brisk 30-minute walk burns 200 calories? You will find that in time, this will start to contribute to you losing pounds.

It's interesting to note that when you start walking and you’re overweight you burn a lot of calories, even on short and slow walks, simply because you’re carrying so much weight around with you. As you start to lose weight, your overall strength and endurance increase, allowing you to walk longer, further, and faster and you will actually start to crave and look forward to your daily walk. I speak this from experience.

Walking can be helpful in improving your coordination and your sense of balance

As you walk, particularly when walking over the rougher ground it naturally helps to improve your sense of balance and coordination.

Here is a little trick to help you work even more on your sense of balance is to move your head around. Turn your head gently to the right and left as you walk for a count of 30. Then move your head up and down for a count of 30. Doing these simple exercises one or two times as you are taking your walk each day will help you with stability and balance.

In a short time, you will be in the habit of going for a daily walk and start to look forward to it. If you skip or forget your walk you will start to miss it. Try to maintain a walking schedule of at least five days a week. Walking every day would be even better.

Walking helps to shore up your bones and muscles

Even though walking is a low-impact form of exercise it helps to strengthen and tone your body. If you’re just starting out, it is all you need to start to get into better shape. As you get more fit, consider adding weight lifting exercises in addition to your daily walks to continue to get stronger and help develop strong muscles and bones.

Once you get used to a regular walking schedule and start feeling better, you will start to want to add to your exercise program which will contribute to both your physical, as well as mental well-being.

Walking is a mood booster and help's fight depression

Last but not least, the great thing about walking is that it releases natural endorphins that will help lift your mood and can even reduce depression and pain. Give it a try. The next time you’re feeling tired or are in a bad mood, force yourself to lace up your sneakers and go for a brisk walk. It works every time. It can help you feel better about yourself, your life, and even about circumstances that you can't change. I can attest to this from my personal experience.

Some studies show that the more steps people took during the day, the better their moods were. Additionally, it helps one to sleep better.

Going for a walk is one of the easiest, cheapest and beneficial things you can do for your mental and physical health. Give it a try! Best of all, Walking is FREE!