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| THE BENEFITS OF WALKING |
THE BENEFITS OF WALKING
Walking…….. What's not to love about walking? It's easy to do, costs nothing and is supposed to be good for you. There's no reason to hate walking, unless you are a couch potato like me and to you waking seems like the worst torture ever.
However personal sentiments aside, there's no question that walking is good for you.Walking can offer numerous health benefits to people of all ages and fitness levels.
Now, I could cite a list of studies that show why walking is good for you, but that seems unnecessary. Why don't I just tell you instead?
1. BURNS CALORIES
Walking can help you burn calories and that helps you to maintain or lose weight. Yes, you heard right. Walking can help you lose those pesky little bits of body fat that just won't leave. However, how much weight you actually lose depends on a lot of factors such as your weight, walking spread, distance covered and many more. So while walking will help you lose weight, it is not magic.
2. IMPROVES CIRCULATION
Walking brings up your heart rate, lowers your blood pressure and wards of heart disease all of which helps to strengthen your ticker and improve your blood circulation.
The researchers at the Harvard school of public health, found in a little study found that women who walked at least 30 minutes a day can reduce their risk of stroke by 20% and by 40% is they walk at a brisk pace. So get to stepping and strengthen your heart.
3. SHORE UP BONES AND ALLEVIATE
JOINT PAIN
Walking helps to protect your bones and joints, especially those in your hips and knees. The movement and compression that occurs during walking supply joint fluid, Oxygen and nutrients into our joint areas which help to strengthen them. Walking may also reduce pain for people living with arthritis, so in the chill evenings take the elderly members of your family for a walk and see it work wonders.
4. IMPROVE YOUR MOODS
When walking natural pain killing endorphins are released to the body and this can help your mental health. Walking helps to reduce anxiety, depression and negative moods, so the next time you have a bad day at work or you are feeling down, strap on your shoes and walk the anger and sadness away.
5. HELPS WITH CREATIVE THINKING
Walking helps clear your head and helps you come up with ideas. Stanford researchers found that walking can boost creativity by 40%. Researchers have also found that walking opens up a free flow of ideas.
So the next time you get stuck at work or encounter writers block, take a walk to get your creative juices flowing.
6. HELPS WITH MENTAL DECLINE
A study by researchers at the University of California found that age related memory decline was lower in people who walked more as opposed to those who walked less. Incidence of Alzheimer's was also lower in those who walked at least half a mile per day.
7. STRENGTHENS MUSCLES
Walking can strengthen and tone muscles in your legs and abdomen, which increases your range of motion and shifts the weight from your joints to your muscles and as a bonus it gives you beautiful toned legs to show off in that little black dress.
8. BOOSTS YOUR ENERGY
Walking increases oxygen floor through the body and ur also increases the levels of Cortisol, epinephrine and other hormones that help elevate your energy levels.
Do you see the amazing benefits that come from simply putting one foot in front of the other? So drag yourself off your couch and go for a walk today.
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