Walking is good for the body. It is the most basic mode of transportation. As we age, illness and disease can impact one's ability to walk. But amazing findings in mobility studies show that if you keep moving, you can improve balance and flexibility. Walking is one of the best ways to do this. In fact, walking can help reduce future medical expenses. Check out these nine ways walking impacts your body:
1. You burn fat – If you walk at a steady speed fast enough so your heart beats faster and causing you to breathe harder and deeper, walking can help you burn fat.
2. You boost your metabolism – Walking increases your demand for energy, which results in an increase in your metabolism.
3. You strengthen your legs – Walking builds strength and endurance. This leads to stronger legs, especially stronger calves and hamstrings.
4. It helps with digestion – Taking a walk after dinner helps with digestion. It stimulates your digestive track making it easy for your food to be digested.
5. Your body releases tension – Walking warms up your muscles and stretches them through motion. According to research, “gentle walking is the best exercise to help gently stretch out your muscles through motion. Take long strides and gently swing your arms to get the full stretching benefits.”
6. You achieve mental clarity – Walking has incredible stress and anxiety relief benefits. It has been proven that taking a walk could actually direct your brain into a calmer state of mind.
7. You get a better nights sleep – Taking a walk before bed will help keep you up less often at night. According to various studies, exercise boosts the effect of the natural sleep hormone melatonin.
8. You strengthen your heart – Walking is one of the easiest ways to strengthen your heart. It is a form of aerobic exercise; it increases your heart rate and blood circulation through the body, and it brings more oxygen and nutrients to the organs.
9. You are in a better mood – Walking boosts endorphins, which puts you in a better mood. According to a recent study, “employees who took a 30-minute walk at lunchtime felt more enthusiastic and more relaxed in the afternoon than those who didn’t trek outdoors.” Walking also promotes a positive mood and wellbeing.
