Walking is viewed by many as the poor relation to running, used by those who just aren’t yet fit enough to jog or a good alternative as you get older, but walking is an extremely beneficial form of exercise in its own right and even those who go for the more energetic forms of exercise should include walking in their fitness routine.
With Walk 2014 happening on the November 7 on Yas Island and the weather cooling down nicely, this is the ideal time to make walking a part of your daily routine, preferably for at least 30 minutes each session. So what are the benefits:
1. Improve your health: Walking lowers blood pressure and keeps your heart healthy. You can make a really positive impact on existing health issues such as hypertension and diabetes. You will also get a good night’s sleep.
2. Avoid disease: Your lymphatic system will be stimulated, helping you avoid infection; some cancers can be avoided with regular exercise; moderate exercise is good for the cardiovascular system so you can take care of your heart and lungs; you can avoid diabetes and high blood pressure; your cholesterol will be at much healthier levels.
3. Lose weight: The key to managing your weight is regular, steady exercise. You are far more likely to stick to walking every day for the rest of your life than other high-intensity forms of exercise.
4. Improve mental health: It leaves you feeling good, not just because of the rise in the “feel good” hormones, but the fact that you are moving freely, outside with nature and often with others, so social too. Improvement in health and social engagement have a positive impact on mood. Walking reduces stress.
5. Increase vitamin D levels: Necessary for helping the body absorb calcium and this, along with walking being a weight bearing activity thereby stimulating bone growth, can help avoid osteoporosis.
6. Prevents dementia: Being active has a protective effect on brain function and regular exercise reduces dementia risk by up to 40 per cent. Older people who walk six miles or more per week can avoid brain shrinkage and so preserve memory as the years pass.
7. Tones your body: Not just your hips and thighs, but your core muscles too and more besides. Walking uses more muscles than running.
8. Energising: Unlike the more high intensity forms of exercise, walking doesn’t leave you feeling exhausted, but rather, increases your energy levels.
9. Detoxifying: It will improve your digestion and your circulatory system, both important for eliminating toxins from the body. If you pick up the pace, you will sweat out toxins too.
10. All inclusive: Everybody can do it, from the very young to the very old and everybody in between because it is manageable for us all and safe.
