why walking ?

And a study of 299 adults, published in the journal Neurology in 2010, found that walking was associated with increased gray matter volume in the brain, a measure of brain health.

1. Decreases stress and improve mood. Like other types of aerobic exercise, walking, especially in open spaces, stimulates the production of neurotransmitters in the brain (such as endorphins) that help improve your mental state.
2. Longer life. In a review of studies published in 2014 in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, researchers found that walking approximately 3 hours a week was associated with an 11% lower risk of premature death than those who performed little or no time. No activity.

And it’s never too late to reap the benefits of walking: A small 2013 study in the journal Maturitas found that older people with an average age of 80 who walked only four times a week were less likely to die within ten years of study follow-up compared to those who walked the least.

Walk for health

Experts agree that any amount of walking is good for you, but you need to log walks of certain miles and increase the intensity to get the maximum benefits.

The minimum prescription for good health is walking 30 minutes at a moderate intensity, five days a week. “More is better, but you can get a significant portion of the health benefits of walking even with that moderate amount,” says Sallis.

Here are research-backed ways to incorporate more steps each day, as well as get the most out of every step you take.

1. Walk as much as you can. The University of Warwick study compared people with at least one sign of metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors for heart disease (high blood pressure, fat around the waist, high blood sugar, and high levels of triglycerides and cholesterol), with people without risk factors. They found that those who did the minor activity had a more significant number of risk factors. Those who walked the most (accumulating at least 15,000 steps per day) had a healthy BMI, smaller waists, less cholesterol, and lower blood pressure better blood sugar control.
2. It helps take less medication.

By just walking for half an hour, people with depression can improve their mood. Walking 30 minutes reduces negative thoughts, anger, tension, and fatigue. Other studies have shown that exercise favours the results of antidepressant medications.

Improves circulation.

Performing exercises where we work our lower extremities will improve the circulation of our body. In this way, you can prevent the appearance of varicose veins and keep your body’s organs in good condition.

Tones legs, buttocks and abs.

A good walk can help strengthen and shape the legs, giving definition to the calves, quads and hamstrings and lifting the glutes. If you pay attention to posture while walking, you can tone your abs and gradually reduce your waistline.

Walking is good for your bones.

By walking daily, we are stimulating and strengthening the bones, increasing bone density.

Helps fight breast cancer.

According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, women who regularly walk after being diagnosed with breast cancer have a 45% greater chance of survival than those who are inactive. The Yale University researchers who led the study also found that those who exercised during the year before being diagnosed had a 30 percent greater chance of survival.

Significantly reduces the risk of developing colon cancer by 20%.

Walking helps speed up digestion by preventing the accumulation of semi-digested food and fecal matter that can cause inflammation. In addition, by improving the irrigation of all the body’s organs, the body’s defence system works much better.

Strengthens the heart.

Walking for at least 30 minutes a day reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke by up to 27%.

Improve stress.

It is expected that after an intense day of work, our mood is terrible or we have a lot of tension. A walk on foot is the solution for this, as it relaxes, clears the mind, reduces stress and even makes us cure insomnia because it is a more natural exercise, in which not much energy should be delivered.