How Can Walking Improve Your Health?

If you want to live a healthier life, walking may be the answer. Researchers have discovered that moderate-to-vigorous walking has a number of health benefits. Among these are a reduction in the risk of heart disease and stroke, strengthening bones, and reducing body fat. In addition, walking helps prevent and relieve stiffness, making it easier to move. This is just the tip of the iceberg, but there are more reasons why walking can improve your health.

Reduces heart disease

Many people do not know that walking can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease. This activity is relatively easy to do, involves minimal expense, and offers many proven health benefits. Even just 15 minutes of moderate exercise can reduce your risk of heart disease by as much as 11%. Additionally, regular walking improves your blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels. Fortunately, the benefits of walking don’t stop there. Here are some tips to keep in mind as you begin your daily walk.

In the Honolulu Heart Program study, scientists found that walking reduces the risk of coronary heart disease in men. Walking more than four hours per week decreased the risk of coronary heart disease. However, walking less than two miles a day had no impact. Although the study included only physically capable men, the positive effect remained. Furthermore, men who walked at least 0.25 miles per day were found to have a lower risk of coronary heart disease.

Strengthens bones

Research shows that walking is an excellent way to strengthen bones and maintain health. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, walking should be done for at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week. This exercise is beneficial to the bones, tendons, ligaments, and muscles in the musculoskeletal system. Moreover, walking can be done anywhere, including a park or a city street.

Although high-impact exercise such as running causes more stress on the bones, walking can help increase bone density by up to 50%. The same goes for brisk walking – it produces similar strains as jogging, but doesn’t put as much strain on the joints. Walking regularly can help you avoid hip fractures and improve bone health, but it’s important to mix it up with other exercises, such as swimming and biking.

Reduces excess body fat

Walking for health does more than just burn calories. In fact, studies have shown that increased physical activity has health benefits, including lower risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, and obesity. If you haven’t tried walking yet, it’s easy to get started. Simply set a daily step goal, and aim to reach it. As you begin to see results, you can increase your activity level and increase your steps to reach that target number.

Many people walk for health purposes, but if you’re overweight or obese, walking is a good way to improve your body composition. Walking not only improves overall fitness and overall health, but it helps reduce stubborn belly fat. Walking at a slower pace for longer periods of time has been shown to reduce the size of belly fat cells by 18%. This benefit can be further enhanced by making dietary changes.

Lowers blood sugar

According to a study by metabolic researcher Dr. Matthew Laye, a short post-meal walk after a meal can reduce glucose levels by about 22 percent. Compared to sitting, a short walk after a meal can reduce blood sugar levels by up to 25 percent. Researchers suggest that it can also improve cardiovascular health, which is another benefit. Walking also helps improve the health of people with other types of diabetes.

In fact, any movement can help control glucose levels. The length and frequency of your walk also matter. A brisk walk can lower blood sugar and improve health as much as a long one, but both kinds of exercise are beneficial. The benefits of walking vary depending on your age and fitness level. Walking for 30 minutes after eating a meal can help lower blood sugar levels in the short-term. A longer walk, however, can lead to greater long-term benefits.

Improves brain health

Research suggests that aerobic exercise can help the brain. Walking and other types of exercise improve the health of white matter in the brain. Interestingly, a recent study shows that regular exercise improves cognitive scores. While the benefits of aerobic activity are well known, they also increase brain blood flow. This makes walking an excellent exercise choice for boosting brain health. And what’s even better, walking can improve memory as well. So why is it beneficial for the brain?

For starters, walking increases the release of endorphins, the hormones that can boost our moods and decrease sensitivity to stress. Endorphins also help us feel good, and a recent survey by the University of Southampton showed that walking could increase these hormone levels. In addition to boosting mood, walking can also increase levels of BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor), a protein that supports neuronal development. This protein is essential for cognitive function and synaptic plasticity. Interestingly, studies have shown that BDNF levels are linked with a high risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.