Importance of Walking a Mile a Day for Your Health
Not a lot of people believe that walking everyday could have its amazing health benefits. After all, there is always such catch phrases like “no pain, no gain”. How can someone believe that something so simple and so relaxing as walking can actually help lose weight along with all other health benefits, right?
The fact is that walking is a simple exercise that offers its wide range of health benefits. A lot of people have been misled that something as enjoyable as walking cannot be anything beneficial. But there are plenty of facts that support the view of walking with its many health benefits to offer. This multitude of benefits through walking at least a mile a day are as follow:
- Strengthens Your Heart
One of the reasons why it is important to walk at least a mile every day is that it can help reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. For elderly people who cannot do rigorous exercise anymore, walking serves as a great cardio exercise for lowering their levels of bad cholesterol. This also increases their good cholesterol. A mile walk everyday can also prevent and control high blood pressure which causes stroke.
- Helps Lose Weight
Losing weight is the most common health benefit of walking every day. Walking at 2mph for about 30 minutes can help you burn of about 75 calories. If you are up on raising your speed to 3mph or 4mph, you can burn as much as 150 calories. With that, you can believe that a short walk on your daily routine will help shed those extra pounds in a short time.
- Gives You Extra Energy
If you get extra energy for the day, then you’ll be able to do more things. You might think that walking will drain your energy, but it’s the opposite that is actually true. Walking is, in fact, one of the best energizers that boost your circulation. It also increases the oxygen supply to all of the cells in the body. This way, you can feel more alert and more alive. Thus, this allows you to do a lot of things for the whole day.
- Lowers Your Risk of Contracting Certain Disease
Walking regularly can reduce your risk of contracting certain diseases such as type 2 diabetes, color cancer, breast cancer or womb cancer. Having an active hobby such as walking makes you feel healthier and more active. Thus, you can improve your immunity system and reduce the chances of getting sick. With that, it is ideal to walk for at least a mile every day.
- Boosts Vitamin D in Your Body
Everyone needs to get outside more as the body needs it. There is an increasing rate of people who are vitamin D deficient. With this deficiency, it has its drastic effect to the health of a person. Deficiency of vitamin D usually affects bone health including the immune system. One way to get soaked up in sunlight which helps in boosting vitamin D is by walking every day. Enjoy the outdoors and get your vitamin D fix by doing this.
- Improves Mental Health
Walking is said to affect not only your physical but mental health. Studies have shown that exercise such a walking can help improve your self-esteem, improve your mood and ease all those symptoms of anxiety and depression. Walking in nature is also relaxing and helps you to be feeling good. Also, it helps in preventing dementia and preserving the memory of old people even as the years pass by.
- Tones Up Calves, Quads and Hamstrings
If you are looking to get fit, walking is such a great idea. This very simple exercise is capable of toning your legs, bums and your tummy. All that you need is a good, regular walk of at least a mile every day. You can also add a hill walk in your routine making it more effective. If you pay attention to your posture as well, you will be able to tone your abs and waist to a good fit.
- Lifts Your Spirit and Mood
As mentioned before, walking is good for your mental health. With that in mind, you can expect that it is even better for your soul. When you walk, you can become closer to nature. It can somehow lift your spirit. It also improves your mood and makes you happy. When you are happy, you can do things in a more positive mood. Thus, this can be a simple factor for success. You become more optimistic and your health benefits to it as well.
Over the years, it has been noted that the number of young people involved in physical activity is declining. Children are even found to spend less and less in walking than they did a decade ago. This is one of the factors that contribute to obesity in children. Obesity is by far one of the alarming health concerns of a lot of countries in the world.
Many children spend less time in walking and in doing outdoor activities because of TV, computers and video games. At the same time, parents have become fearful of letting their children play outdoors. Thus, children are having less time of walking, playing outside, bathing in the sun and taking in the benefits there is outside.
One way that children can take advantage of the benefits of walking is on walking at least a few minutes a day. They could make walking a means to an end so that children become motivated to walk. That way, children can lose the extra pounds, reduce their risk to disease, get vitamin D and lift their mood and more.
There are lots of benefits walking can offer to children and adults. If one simply takes it a point to walk at least a mile every day, they are therefore taking each step towards being healthy and active. This way, they can lead a quality life despite their hectic schedules every day.
Kevin Angileri