*According to medical professionals, adding a regular routine of walking to your exercise regiment has many positive health benefits.
Walking can lower your blood pressure, help you lose weight, and feel less stress, Get Pocket reports.
“Walking is the number one exercise I recommend to most of my patients because it is very easy to do, requires nothing but a pair of tennis shoes, and has tremendous mental and physical benefits,” said Melina B. Jampolis, M.D., author of The Doctor on Demand Diet. Here’s what you can expect when you start walking for just 30 minutes every day, most days of the week.
Per the outlet, below are 11 benefits of walking.
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- Walking will improve your mood.
“Research shows that regular walking actually modifies your nervous system so much that you’ll experience a decrease in anger and hostility,” says Dr. Jampolis
- It will help you burn calories and lose weight.
“As you continue to walk, you may notice your pants begin to fit more loosely around your midsection, even if the number on the scale isn’t moving much,” says Dr. Jampolis. “That’s because regular walking can help improve your body’s response to insulin, which can help reduce belly fat.”
“Daily walking increases metabolism by burning extra calories and by preventing muscle loss, which is particularly important as we get older,” says Ariel Iasevoli, a personal trainer at Crunch gyms in New York City.
- Walking can reduce your risk of chronic disease.
The statistics are impressive: The American Diabetes Association says walking lowers your blood sugar levels and your overall risk for diabetes. Researchers at the University of Boulder Colorado and the University of Tennessee found that regular walking lowered blood pressure by as much as 11 points and may reduce the risk of stroke by 20-40%.
- It can even delay the onset of varicose veins.
“The venous system includes a circulatory section known as ‘the second heart,’ which is formed by muscles, veins, and valves located in our calf and foot,” says Luis Navarro, M.D., founder, and director of The Vein Treatment Center in New York City.
“This system works to push blood back up to the heart and lungs—and walking strengthens this secondary circulatory system by strengthening and preserving leg muscle, which boosts healthy blood flow.” If you already suffer from varicose veins, daily walking can help ease related swelling and restlessness in your legs, says Dr. Navarro. “
- Your digestion will improve by walking more.
That’s because a regular walking routine can greatly improve your bowel movements, says Tara Alaichamy, D.P.T., a physical therapist at Cancer Treatment Centers of America. “One of the very first things an abdominal surgery patient is required to do is to walk because it utilizes core and abdominal muscles, encouraging movement in our GI system,” she says.
- And your other goals will start to seem more reachable.
When you become a regular walker, you will have established a regular routine—and when you have a routine, you are more likely to continue with the activity and take on new healthy behaviors.
- Walking can help you feel more creative.
According to a 2014 study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, Learning, Memory, and Cognition, going for a walk can spark creativity. “Researchers administered creative-thinking tests to subjects while seated and while walking and found that the walkers thought more creatively than the sitters,” says Dr. Jampolis.
- And it can help alleviate joint pain.
Contrary to what you might think, pounding pavement can help improve your range of motion and mobility because walking increases blood flow to tense areas and helps strengthen the muscles surrounding your joints.
- Walking more can boost your immunity.
Research from Arthritis Research & Therapy suggests that high-intensity interval walk training can help improve immune function in older adults with rheumatoid arthritis, an inflammatory disease that affects the joints.
- It can even help you live longer!
A study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society showed that older adults, between the ages of 70 and 90, who left the house and were physically active lived longer than those who didn’t.
- And last but not least, you’ll sleep better at night.
If you work out regularly, you know that you’ll sleep better at night. That’s because sleep naturally boosts the effects of melatonin, the sleep hormone.
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