Updated: 12/19/20

11 Reasons to Love Walking.

Getting out and walking is so important especially if you spend so much time indoors during this Covid-19 crisis. But even before the crisis, many people might have been reluctant to walk for exercise thinking “that something I only do while on vacation.”

Am I right? Do you walk while on vacation? Do you see the number of people that take a walk after dinner while away on vacation? Then, you come back from your time off all refreshed and get right back into the work routine that got you stressed out in the first place.

Just maybe, it was that daily walk the had you refreshed as much as being away? Have you ever thought about the mind-body connection and walking?

It’s never been easier to link walking as a social endeavor with the advent of Facebook Groups. I’m begun Your First Walking Group as a way for the person with any level of walking ability to connect with others in a positive, supportive, and informative manner.

Let the group celebrate your walking accomplishments and assist you during the difficult times.

11 Reasons to Love Walking: Watch the video!

Here are 11 reasons to love walking at any time of the year.

#1 Soak up the sunshine: Walking out in the fresh air feels easier and much more enjoyable than working out inside a stuffy gym. Sunshine causes the body to produce vitamin-D which is known as the sunshine vitamin. Your body was meant to be in the sun and exposure to sunlight is a crucial component of good health and wellbeing for several reasons:

• Improving your mood: Sunlight increases levels of serotonin which help promote feelings of happiness. This is especially important in the winter when there is limited sunshine. Also if you spend the majority of your day working indoors.

• Boost Immunity: It has been proven that sunshine stimulates your immune systems’ vitamin D and T cells which results in boosted immunity.

• Reduce Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: Vitamin D plays a huge roll in the production of insulin and studies have shown a positive association between insulin resistance and vitamin D deficiency.

• Lower Blood Pressure: Research has shown that nitric oxide stored at the top layer of the skin reacts to sunlight which causes blood vessels to widen as the oxide moves into the bloodstream.

• Weight Loss: Lack of sunlight can result in depression which can affect your appetite. Sunlight increases your activity level Better Bone Health: vitamin D actually helps our body better absorb calcium.

• Can Cure Depression: Exposure to sunlight has been linked to increased levels of a natural antidepressant in the brain. The brain produces more serotonin on sunny days than darker days.

• Improves Brain Function: Sunlight directly affects the brain’s pineal gland. It’s the gland that produces melatonin; a powerful antioxidant that is important for sleep quality and helps prevent depression.

• Seasonal Affective Disorder: Without enough sunlight exposure, a person’s serotonin levels can dip low. Low levels of serotonin are associated with a higher risk of seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

#2 Aches and pains can’t catch you: Walking is like giving your joints a lube-job! Synovial fluid is pushed into and out of our joints and helps circulate nutrients to our cartilage, which improves function. As an added bonus, walking also improves balance and endurance.

#3 1,000 extra steps a day help you lose weight: The American Journal of Health Promotion found that women who increased their daily step count by 1,000 lost an average of 2.1 pounds over 9 months. The average person can hit 1,000 steps in just half a mile.

Read More: DOES 10,000 STEPS KEEP THE DOCTOR AWAY?

#4 Tracking your steps and mileage is exciting: Whether you use the iPhone health app, a Fit-Bit, or any other step-tracking device, you’ll stay motivated and most will prompt you to get moving. I keep a spreadsheet of my walking mileage.

#5 Changing your walking routes changes your calorie burn: Walking on flat terrain will burn the least number of calories. Walking up hills and climbing steps will burn the most. Vary your route to change the scenery and your calorie burn.

#6 Walking every day is powerful medicine:

• Brain Function: Engaging in a brisk walk for 68 minutes or more a day may improve neuron health, according to a study in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease

• Immune Function: Walking briskly for 20 minutes a day 5 days per week results in 43% fewer sick days than those who exercise once a week or less, per research in the British Journal of Sport Medicine

• Bone: Women who walk 4 hours a week have a 41% lower risk of hip fracture than those who walk less than 1 hour a week according to the landmark Nurses’ Health Study

• Breasts: The American Cancer Society found that walking 1 hour per day lowered your risk of developing breast cancer after menopause by 14%.

• Mood: Walking just 1 hour per week could prevent 12% of all depression cases a study in the American Journal of Psychiatry found.

• Heart: Regularly walking 3 miles per hour or faster can cut your risk of heart disease by half, compared with walking 2 miles per hour or slower according to a study in Circulation.

Read more: BENEFITS OF FITNESS WALKING - 3 WAYS TO BUILD A STRONG BODY AND HEART

#7 15 Minutes a day = more energy: Need to refocus your concentration in the afternoon? A mere 15 minutes of walking, or climbing a few flights of stairs, is more energizing than consuming 50mg of caffeine.

Read more about BENEFITS OF A 15-MINUTE WALK – YOUR LIFE MAY DEPEND ON IT

#8 You never know when you’ll find “Money” on the road! (Or other interesting things): I’ve found money on the road.. actual dollars, I once found a fifty! I’ve found golf balls… 21 at this point in time and I don’t live near a golf course.

Here is the most interesting golf ball I’ve found!

But mostly, I found myself while out on the road walking.

#9: Easy to tone while on the road: Add one or more of the following bodyweight fitness movements and you add metabolism-boosting power to your next walk. Pushups, lunges, squats, and planks.

#10: Deeper Connection to Others: When you walk with a significant other, you tend to walk similarly. This is called Synchronous movement and that alone can increase rapport and strengthen your relationship. Walking encourages conversation about the more difficult stuff in life.

With the popularity of Facebook, it’s now easier than ever to find a walking group. Check out My First Walking Group to get your “feet wet” in the social media group space. My First Walking Group will be informative and supportive as you walk to better health and fitness. Join us and develop a connection to others.

#11: Greater Confidence: According to a study published in the journal Body Image found that people who walked in nature were much more likely to feel good about their bodies!

Choose at least one of these 11 reasons to love walking and get out and do it.

Read more about Walking for Health and Fitness.

Walk on,
Frank Ring
Author: Walking for Health and Fitness, and Fitness Walking and Bodyweight Exercises
Contact Frank at Frank@walkingforhealthandfitness.com

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