The only form of exercise our bodies are designed for also produces a wide range of benefits for physical and mental health. Imagine that: we are designed to do something that really benefits us! Think about it, wherever you go, you have to take at least a few steps to get there, even if it means going from the couch to the kitchen to get another beer from the fridge. Making a habit of taking a few more steps every day can optimize your body to keep going much longer and in much better shape.
Walking as exercise helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol, which reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke. The benefits of walking are just as powerful in protecting the body against heart attacks as more strenuous forms of exercise. This protection extends to boosting your immune system, which helps protect your body from attack from a variety of diseases and inflammation, including arthritis. This boost to your immune system can also make you look and feel younger, in just a few short weeks.
Walking also burns calories, making it an excellent method to shed unwanted pounds. This helps you adjust to your old clothes, feel better, and reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes. Walking increases your energy levels throughout the day so you can get things done without thinking you need that afternoon snack. Walking reduces cravings, which helps resist snacking and can help you avoid other bad habits, like smoking.
In addition to all the physical health benefits, walking is also good for your brain and mental health. Walking stimulates neuron growth and synaptic activity in the frontal lobes of the brain. Yes, your brain actually grows while you walk. This will improve your cognitive performance and may help reduce decline in older people.
Walking relieves stress by balancing hormones and reducing cortisol levels created in reaction to the stress of the day, physical and emotional. This has immediate benefit in improving your mood, reducing anxiety, and can be a powerful tool in combating depression. This mood-boosting ability to walk is further enhanced if you can walk through a park or alongside trees and grass. Engaging your brain in nature stimulates more stress relief processes and you will feel instantly relaxed.
If you’re not used to walking regularly, start by talking about short, frequent walks. Fit them into your routine, where you can take ten or fifteen minutes to think about something or reflect on the day as you move. Slowly increase your speed and distance as you feel comfortable and make walking a regular activity every day. In fact, try to think of walking as your “go to” practice whenever you’re faced with a particularly stressful moment, or if you need to muddle through with a problem.
If someone wants to discuss something with you for fifteen or twenty minutes, suggest that they go for a walk with you. Both will benefit from the exercise and may even produce better solutions in their most relaxed state with neurons firing positively. Having a regular walking buddy also helps keep you accountable and committed to your walking routine. Other than comfortable walking shoes and weather-appropriate clothing, walking doesn’t require special programs, gym memberships, or specially acquired skills. Walking is the natural way to improve your life. After all, you were designed for it.
