As I progressed in my journey to a healthier me, I soon noticed how walking can make improvements in my health. My clothes began to fit loosely, my fatigue was being eliminated, my mood improved, and I began to look forward to my next walk.
I never considered a walk to be a source of cardio exercises for myself. Cardio is a form of exercise that raises your heart rate, such as Zumba or running. I never considered walking to be cardio. Yet, walking is one method many use to maintain a healthy weight. It helps keep joints and bones healthy, reduces muscle aches and fatigue, and helps us live longer. There are many other benefits of walking. Here are a few that I find have impacted me.
Improve mood, creativity, and brain power.
First, I experience an improvement in mood, creativity, and brainpower. When having a rough day, it is advised to indulge in either a glass of wine or a square piece of dark chocolate based on research studies performed. These studies do not tell you how these items can add calories to your intake. Taking a walk is a caloric deficit activity that allows you to burn 100 calories for each mile.
There were many times that I felt frustrated with work or in my personal life. There were many times when I would hit a brick wall while trying to solve a problem. In these moments, I recalled thinking, what can I do to help? Immediately, I thought, “Walk away for a bit.” I used these frustrating moments to walk this trail while at work. When at home, I used the nearest park. No matter the setting, I noticed my mood improved within a matter of minutes! As the mood improved, I was able to creatively think out potential solutions to help solve the issues I was facing. Walking helped me refocus and decompress.
Stimulate the digestive system, Improve Sleep, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.
Second, I showed an improvement in my body’s digestive system. Studies have shown that walking has improved sleep performance, stimulates the digestive system, and reduces the risk of chronic diseases.
Before adding walking into my routine, I noticed my digestive system was not working as it should. My sleep was not as good as it should have been. I found that my health was starting to be impacted by my habits. My blood test results reached an all-time high, I had trouble sleeping, and my digestive system was lacking. Incorporating a walking routine into my life; helped improve my digestive system performance, sleep, and blood test results.
Walking to improve flexibility.
Third, I found walking flexible to add to my routine. No matter where you are or at what time of day you’re in, you can always take a walk. You do not need to sign up for a class, be part of a Facebook Walking community, or wait for operational hours to go outside to walk. When and how often you do it is totally up to you! That’s the beauty of walking.
Walking because it’s free.
Fourth, it’s a free activity that has no fee or membership required to walk. You can walk around your neighborhood block, take the stairs in your house/apartment, etc. There are endless methods to incorporate a walk into your everyday routine, all free.
Socializing Opportunities
Lastly, it’s an opportunity to get out and socialize. You can always choose to either walk alone whenever you wish. However, walking a friend or partner allows for socializing opportunities that you may not have been able to achieve elsewhere.
You can find me on the weekends taking a walk with my best friend. This time helps us reconnect and talk about how our week went. We are built to be social creatures. I find this time with my best friend crucial to our relationship. There is always lots of laughter and gossip going around while we walk.
Furthermore, there are many other benefits that I have not included that walking can provide. We can cover all the benefits another time. For now, these are the reasons that have helped me both mentally and physically.
In the comments, tell me how have you benefited from walking more?
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