23 Benefits of Walking for Weight Loss, Healthy Living & Wellness

Do you know that just walking 30 minutes a day, 3 or 4 times a week is enough to make you fit, healthy and live long?

Going by the research carried out at University of California, one of the principal causes of worsening of the human body organs is its diminished ability to break down glucose.

The study showed that even relaxing exercise, like taking morning walk, plays a crucial role in keeping glucose metabolism functioning correctly.

Do you spend the whole day sitting at your desk and not taking daily walk? Why not get up occasionally and do a few minutes of brisk walking? Don’t worry about what other people think because health benefits of walking 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 miles a day is enormous and will make you shine better in wellness than those who stay away from walking for health and fitness.

Exercise doesn't need to be complex. Physical activity as easy as a daily brisk walk can help you live a healthier.

Walking is a very cheap fitness, weight control and wellness tool. It requires nothing but a pair of tennis shoes. It gives great physical and mental benefits.

Of course, you might have known that any physical activity, including walking, is a blessing to your overall health. But walking when compare with running and other workout, comes with a host of benefits.

Here are the health advantages you will be enjoying when you start walking 30 minutes a day:

A. Benefits of Brisk Walking

1. It enhances your physical balance and coordination.

2. It improves your mood.

3. It helps you in managing your body weight and keep fit.

4. It makes your bones and muscles strong.

5. It prevent high blood presure, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Note: Brisk walking is not running. It is a fast walking. The farther, faster and more frequently you walk, the more the benefits.

B. Surprising Benefits of Daily Walking Exercise

1. It counters and reduces the effects of weight-enhancing genes.

Walk briskly 1 hour daily and enjoy this benefit.

2. Walking reduces the risk of developing breast cancer.

When a woman walks 7 or more hours a week, she has 14% lower risk of getting breast cancer than ladies who walk 3 or less hours per week.

3. It helps you crave less for sugary snacks and candies.

This fact is from a study performed by University of Exeter. The research showed that a 15 minutes walk a day can limit your hunger for chocolate and candies and even decrease the amount of sugary snacks you eat in stressful situations.

4. Walking improves immune function.

When you walk, you are protected during cold and flu season. Study shows that people who walk for about 20 minutes a day, 5 time weekly have 43% fewer sick days than the people who walk less.

5. It lessens joint pain.

Studies show that walking decreases arthritis-related pain, and that walking 5 to 6 miles a week can prevent arthritis from occurring in the first place.

6. Brisk walk helps us live longer.

Study shows that natural fast walkers live longer than slow walkers.

7. Walking is good for your brain.

The benefits of walking exercise extend to brain as it gives cognitive benefits, cognitive control, improved memory and high academic performance.

C. Health Advantages of Walking 30 Minutes a Day

1. It enhances your temperament and attitude.

What a glass of wine will do for you in smoothing your rough day, even with negative side effects, 30 minute brisk walking will do better without any side effect.

Study shows that consistent daily walking enhances nervous system to the extent that anger and hostile feeling is reduced.

Mood-enhancing benefits is even higher when you make your walking exercise in group and social.

Walking with your partner, neighbor or a good friend boots mood more than walking alone.

Moreover, walking outdoor is far better than walking on treadmill. Outdoor walking exposes you to natural sunlight which helps hinder Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

2. Walking improve your creativity.

Research has shown that taking a walk in the face of feeling stuck at work or looking for a solution to a difficult problem speed up emergence of idea to solve the problem.

As reported in 2014 Journal of Experimental Psychology, Learning, Memory, and Cognition, taking a walk ignite creative ideas.

3. Taking daily walk helps reduces belly fat, gives you thin waist and enhances body composition.

One of the incredible benefits of walking is creation of thin waist by reducing belly fat even when weight scale pointer is not

changing much. Walking helps achieving this because it improves your body's response to insulin, which helps reduce belly fat.

Daily walking stimulates metabolism, burning extra calories and by checking muscle loss, which is very important as we grow older.

4. Regular Daily Walking Makes Your Legs Look Great.

Unattractive varicose veins increase as we age. Walking is a sure way to stop these ugly line from developing on our legs.

Do leg stretch after walking — your legs will like you for that.

5. Walking enhances blood circulatory system.

The muscles, veins and valves located in our foot and calf serve as "second heart". This structure works to pump blood back up to the heart and lungs — and walking strengthens this secondary blood circulatory system by fortifying and preserving leg muscle, which improves healthy blood flow.

6. Your Digestive System Work Smoothly and Correctly if You're a Regular Walker.

Daily morning walk makes digestive system strong. This is because a regular walking routine greatly improve gastric mobility.

7. Successful Walking Exercise Beget Success in other Aspects of Life.

8. It reduces stress.

9. Walking prevents falls in the elderly.

Walking on natural rough ground like hiking trails, enhances balance and reduces falls in the elderly.

10. It can be a kind of meditation and relaxation.

11. Walking barefooted have great anti-oxidant effects and prevents body inflammation.

While you’re developing the habit of a daily walk, choose a location that’s good for barefoot walking – like a sandy beach or grassy park.

Walking barefoot makes your body absorbs free electrons from the Earth through the soles of your feet. This is known as grounding.

The electrons have powerful antioxidant effects that protect our body against swelling. One of the reviews of Journal of Environmental and Public Health declared that walking barefoot on the earth could enhance several health conditions.

How to Walk to Maximize the Health Benefits

Directing your normal walk into a fitness stride needs good posture and decisive movements. This is how you should do your walking:

1. Your head should be up, looking forward and not at the ground.

2. Your neck, shoulders and back must relaxed, not rigid upright.

3. Walker must swinging their arms freely with a little bend in your elbows. A little pumping with your arms is alright.

4. Walk with your stomach muscles slightly tightened and your back straight, not curved backward or forward.

5. Walk smoothly, rolling your foot from heel to toe.

Plan Your Daily Walking Routine

As you start your walking program, please take not of these:

1. Get the right kit.

Dress in comfortable clothes and gear good for different kinds of weather. Please kit with bright color or reflective clothe for visibility if you walk outdoors when it's dark.

Get brisk walking shoes with a firm heel, proper arch support and thick flexible soles to soften your feet and absorb shock.

2. Choose your route carefully.

If you'll be walking outdoors, avoid tracks with cracked potholes, sidewalks, uneven turf and low-hanging limbs.

If the weather isn't proper for walking, choose walking in a shopping mall that offers open times for brisk walkers.

3. Warm up.

At the beginning of your everyday walking exercise, walk slowly for 5 to 10 minutes to warm up your muscles and prepare your body for the exercise.

4. Cool down.

When you're through with your day walking, walk slowly for 5 to 10 minutes to help your muscles relax.

5. Stretch.

After you cool down, slowly stretch your muscles. If you would stretch before you walk, please warm up first.

2 Things that can Make You An Habitual Walker.

1) Dogs, they need to walk every day. Because of the love we have for them, walking with dogs is a great motivation to develop good walking habit.

2) Google’s Ingress game. It’s a fun application that helps explore neighborhoods and discover places you don't know exist before.

Walking is a man's best medicine

Please share with your friends and don't forget to make your opinion known in the comment below.

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