October 27, 2020
These days more than ever, many of us are looking for ways to stay healthy. Did you know that simply walking each day can help you fight infection? To put it simply, when you exercise, your white blood cells – the ones that fight infection – travel through your body more effectively and more efficiently.
In addition to fighting infection, here are 10 more reasons to get walking every day!
#1: Walk for Weight Loss
If your goal is weight loss, don’t dismiss walking as an inferior exercise. When you lengthen your stride and increase your speed to a brisk 3.1 mph, your oxygen intake and effort reaches near the same levels as a more intense cardio workout. This contributes to weight loss and weight maintenance. To put this into perspective, a 30-minute walk will burn around 75 calories.
#2: Walk Because It’s Easy:
Walking is the easiest form of aerobic exercise. All you need are comfortable shoes.
#3: Walk for A Stronger Heart:
Since walking is great cardio, you’ll lower your levels of LDL (bad cholesterol) and raise your levels of HDL (good cholesterol). As a matter of fact, the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health indicate that moderate physical activity helps to reduce the risk of stroke by 20-27%1.
#4: Walk to Reduce the Risk of Disease:
Studies show that walking daily reduces your risk of type 2 diabetes by 58%2, and can lower your risk of colon, breast, and endometrial cancers by about 20%3.
#5: Walk to Prevent Dementia:
People who walk six miles or more per week are less likely to experience brain shrinkage in their later years and are more able to preserve memory4.
#6: Walk to Tone:
While you might think walking is the bare minimum of aerobic exercises, it does wonders for your leg, buttock and tummy muscles. Combined with the weight loss, walking brings will give you a slimmer, sleeker physique.
#7: Walk to Get More Vitamin D:
With most people spending their days working in the office, many people just aren’t getting outside enough. This means a lot of people are suffering from a vitamin D deficiency. Getting outside and taking a walk in the sun will boost your vitamin D intake, your bone health, and your immune system. In fact, some studies seem to suggest vitamin D may prevent COVID-19 infection5.
#8: Walk for More Energy:
It’s a funny thing. When you walk, you put in energy. You’d think that would make you tired. On the contrary, when you exercise, you increase your blood circulation and oxygen intake, helping you feel more alert and awake. Bonus: You’ll also sleep better at night, which will further help you stay alert during the day.
#9: Walk for Happiness:
It’s a well-known fact that exercise boosts your mood. Studies have shown that walking can be as effective as antidepressants in helping to resolve mild to moderate bouts of depression6. This is because exercise releases endorphins while reducing stress and anxiety.
#10: Walk to be Social:
Going on a walk with your loved one or a friend will help you feel connected and involved. It is a great way to vent frustrations, share a laugh, and enjoy some excellent company… and you will probably meet some neighbors on the way!
1 Physical Activity in the Prevention and Treatment of Stroke https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3263535/
2 Preventing Diabetes https://www.johnmuirhealth.com/health-education/conditions-treatments/diabetes-articles/preventing-diabetes.html#:~:text=The%20National%20Institutes%20of%20Health,2%20diabetes%20by%2058%20percent.
3 Exercise Linked With Lower Risk of 13 Types of Cancer https://www.cancer.org/latest-news/exercise-linked-with-lower-risk-of-13-types-of-cancer.html
4 Walking slows progression of Alzheimer’s, study suggests https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101129101914.htm
5 Can vitamin D protect against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)? https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/expert-answers/coronavirus-and-vitamin-d/faq-20493088
6 Is the Comparison between Exercise and Pharmacologic Treatment of Depression in the Clinical Practice Guideline of the American College of Physicians Evidence-Based? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5430071/
This article was created by Dr. James Avery and provided to Aegis Therapies, Inc. for informational purposes only, it does not provide medical advice. Due to the everchanging circumstances related to COVID-19, the information can change at any time and therefore, Aegis Therapies, Inc. and its affiliates and subsidiaries do not warrant or guarantee the accuracy of this information. If you have questions, you should conduct your own research.