Walking to Improve Health

Walking to Improve Health

Walking is a simple exercise that produces hormones like adrenaline and proteins like endorphins in the body. Adrenaline and endorphins boost one's mood, relieve pain and create a feeling of well-being.

Benefits of Walking

Walking benefits nearly all aspects of one's life. It increases energy and activity levels, strengthens the body and relieves stress.

Walking improves decision-making and problem solving skills, and one's ability to focus. People may use time spent walking to address difficult situations at home or think about problems at work. Others can do the exact opposite. They may walk to get away from their troubles.

Physicians recommend walking as a way to relieve stress. Walking places an actual distance between someone and the environment that causes their stress. It also helps because many people carry stress as tension in their body and walking allows their muscles to stretch and relax.

Walking, along with advice from a doctor, can be a treatment for depression. Exercise leads to the body's release of endorphins, the proteins responsible for making one feel happy. So if someone is sad, they may be able to lift their spirits if they just take a walk.

Prevention and Recovery

Walking may prevent diseases and conditions related to blood flow like heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Since blood flow also increases in the brain, walking may prevent dementia (a condition which results in loss of intellectual functions).

Walking may reduce the risk of heart attacks by lowering the harmful low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) and increasing the healthy high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL). Walking can also help manage high blood pressure, another factor that may lead to heart attack.

Walking may reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (the most common form of diabetes). Walking circulates the blood in the body allowing sugars to be processed more efficiently.

Physical therapists often suggest walking as a way of recovering from an accident, disease or surgery.

The Social Aspect

People who walk are almost always in company. Walking is a great way to meet new people or to get closer to those around you. Couples can walk together and use the time to talk and parents may walk with their kids to provide time for bonding. Conversation occurs naturally when people are together.

A Spiritual Connection

Some people treat walking like meditation, a time to clear their minds and become aware of their surroundings. This may stimulate spiritual questions, allow one to connect with a higher being or help find meaning in life.

The Weight Aspect

Many people want to lose weight. Walking helps! In fact, walking can be better than running in some conditions. It raises one's heart rate high enough so calories burn, but still builds a strong cardio-respiratory health. Some runners risk the chance of using up their fuel too early, which could hurt their cardio-respiratory system.

Walking Statistics

The 2000 United States Census showed 2.93 percent of workers above 16 walked to work. While that doesn't sound like a lot of people, it's actually almost four million!

The Omnibus Survey completed in 2003 for the Bureau of Transportation polled people on why they walk. Sixty percent said they walk for their own personal health, 20 percent do for personal errands (to the store) and all others walk to get to work, as part of their job or for recreational activities.

The 2002 National Survey of Pedestrian & Bicyclist Attitudes and Behaviors Reports proved one in every five adults above 16 never walked for exercise. It also showed 18.8 percent of those polled said they were too busy to walk, four percent felt other transportation was faster and 3.9 percent said they were too lazy.

Why Not?

The best part about walking is it can be done anywhere and anytime. You don't need anything except a pair of comfortable shoes.

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Page Modified:February 14, 2008