When we talk about a healthy lifestyle, we think about a balanced diet and daily exercise. Although most people straight away think about heavy weight lifting and regular gym, however, daily aerobic exercise is not taken into account. The food we eat is used for generating energy, the energy that is produced is mainly used for three functions. One of the major functions is growth, the other is healing, and then comes the daily activities. Considering the exercise, we are just adding up to the daily activity account which uses less than 30 percent of the daily generated energy. The major portion of our energy is used in healing and performing a daily bodily function like digestion, respiration, heart beating, mental work, etc. when a person starts exercising, he is not adding up to the energy generation but also two main body functions i.e. healing and daily activities. In short, you are trying to get your body moving more than usual and as a result, your muscles and other organs go through wear and tear. To heal your body, a large portion of the energy is used, and hence, you attain a toned body with healthy and more powerful muscles.
Now for the beginner who is unable to understand why walking is such an underrated exercise, especially considering it is not only good for the body but also good for mental health. To help your underrated logical point of view as well as why walking is good for health and the benefits of walking, here are some of the most important things that you should keep in mind.
Why Is Walking Good for Health
As we mentioned earlier, our body spends energy in three different functions and each function is important for overall health. There is no doubt walking is good for health but to make it easier to understand we have listed some of the most important benefits of walking.
Heart Strengthening
The health journal globally claims that the biggest reason behind mortality is heart disease. Most people die of heart attack whereas, some die of heart disease that is linked with obesity. According to the health journal of the UK, just a 30 minutes’ walk on a regular basis can reduce the risk of heart disease by up to 19 percent. In short, when you start walking, you are using all the deposited fat, which helps in increasing the blood flow and your heart is tested for stress every time you walk. In case, the person goes through a heart attack, he will have a better chance of surviving because of the stress test on the heart every day.
Calorie Burner
Walking is an excellent calorie burner; this means that you are not only spending energy on daily activity but also in the healing process. Your heartbeat and breathing also increase and this accelerate the use of energy. Some of the most significant ways that can help you increase calorie burnout include, increase in speed, the distance that you cover, the kind of terrain you choose, and the weight of extra fat that your body has. With more distance you will have to work more and hence the energy spent will be more. Similar is the case with the choice of terrain, if you choose a steep terrain, you will be spending more energy as compared to a simple and easy terrain.
Help With Joint Pain
This is one of the most shocking points so far. Most people keep saying that they don’t walk daily because they have joint pain. When they walk, they feel pain and so they sit throughout the day and eat everything. As a result, they end up gaining weight. According to the health line journal, it was explained that with the help of walking you will be able to protect your weight-bearing joints i.e. hips, knees, feet, etc.
The reason is that it helps in stimulating the bones for better absorption of calcium as well as vitamin D that supports the absorption of calcium. As the bone density increases, bones become stronger and so you can avoid major accidents. To understand the effect of walking on the function of a joint, you need to keep in mind that there is a lubrication cushion between the joints. This lubrication cushion is strengthened along with the tendons and ligaments that help further with the overall joint strengthening. Issues like arthritis, inflammation in joints, and redness can be reduced with the help of a daily walk.
Mental Health and Depression
Although this is not linked with physical health, mental health is equally important. According to the journal of psychology, just 30 minutes of the walk can help in reducing the signs of depression. In addition to this, brisk walking for 30 minutes daily improves motivation, elevates mood, and helps with the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders. To explain this, you need to understand the working of endorphins as well. This hormone is realized in the body as you perform your daily exercise. This is the same reason athletes feel high after working out.
Maintaining Blood Sugar Level
Daily walk helps in marinating the blood sugar level as well. People who have a family history of late-onset or type 2 diabetes should walk for at least 30 minutes. This will help them stay healthy and they don’t have to use insulin. Even after having a meal, taking a short walk is very important. The study explained that 15 minutes walking regularly after each meal helps in improving the blood sugar level. However, the study also explained that it is better to take a walk after a meal rather than at any other time. This explains that although, daily exercise before breakfast is advertised by almost everyone it is no Boosts immune function
Boosting Immunity
Amidst the pandemic, everyone is talking about boosting immunity through natural ingredients. However, if we talk about a daily walk, we can see that it reduces the risk of common cold and flu. According to a recent study conducted on a sample size of 1000 adults. People who walk daily fall 43% less sick as compared to people who do not exercise at all. Similarly, people who walk daily show fewer symptoms compared to people who do not go for a walk at all. So it is better to go for a walk daily even if it is just for 10 minutes. The best thing is that you don’t have to spend any money at all because even the jogging pants used for daily walks are very inexpensive.
Why Is Walking So Underrated?
If we can jot down some of the most important reasons behind the underestimation of walking as an exercise, we need to understand the fitness industry first. The fitness and health industry model are largely based on money. Everything that is endorsed as the best thing within this industry is promoted based on money and business. This is also the reason most fitness trends are just fads. For a few months you will see them everywhere and then you will never see them again. Apart from this, everything that can be converted into a business and can generate revenue will be endorsed. Mostly we see people endorsing the use of a gym, expensive diet plans, special detox, and quick fixes. Most of the quick fix’s result in the form of permanent health damages and diseases. Overall, it is safe to say that walking is the only free thing. You don’t need too much money; you don’t have to spend your wage on buying expensive sportswear. Apart from this, jogging pants that are used for walking are usually multipurpose. This means you can use these jogging pants for walking, daily gym, casual lounge suit, and a lot more. As long as an exercise doesn’t bring money, its benefits are brushed under the carpet and this has been happening for a very long time.