Why Walking is Good Exercise for Everyday Benefits?

Have you ever happened to see a person walking down the street, or outside of the office for that matter, and wondered what they are thinking about? Most people are deep in thought. This is because walking does not just exercise for its own benefits, but it has many everyday benefits! Walking is beneficial during all seasons of the year. It gives your brain time to process ideas. It can help with stress management and reduce depression.

Why Walking is Good Exercise for Everyday Benefits

Walking is one of the most straightforward forms of exercise you can do on a regular basis. It’s easy to start, it doesn’t require time or special equipment, and the effects are immediate better moods, higher stamina, increased confidence. That being said, walking is not a good exercise for everyone. If you have a significant medical condition that could be worsened by exercise, consider consulting your doctor first before considering any fitness routine. 

If you’re in good physical shape, walking can be a great way to stay fit and preventive. Walking is low-impact and the slight increase in exercise that it provides is helpful for everyone.

Walking is a great way to avoid injuries and maintain your health and well-being. The chance of injury with walking is significantly less than from other activities such as running or playing sports, so even if you have an injury from another source, it’s possible to cross-train for other activities while maintaining fitness with walking.

Walking Exercise Benefits

Walking is among the most accessible and one of the best for overall health among the myriad fitness routines. If you’re looking to get out of a fitness rut, here are some reasons why you should walk more often.

Mental health benefits

Walking is the simplest exercise for brain health. Walking improves cognition and health in areas like memory, focus, attention, and problem solving. This is because it sharpens your focus with healthy activities that help you to be more active mentally throughout the day. 

Also, people who walk regularly place less stress on their bodies than those with sedentary jobs. This contributes to the fact that walking helps increase happiness.

Physical health benefits

Walking is an effective form of exercise that provides numerous health benefits. It lowers blood pressure, helps build muscles, improves balance, and is an excellent weight loss strategy. According to the Arthritis Foundation, walking for 10 minutes at least five times per week may help ease joint pain associated with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. If you have lower back pain, walking may help relieve discomfort during pregnancy by strengthening core muscles and improving posture.

Walking can also improve sleep quality by lowering stress levels throughout the day.

Getting in shape

Walking is one of the most well-known fat-burning exercises with surprising effect on losing weight. The average person burns approximately 150-200 calories during a typical 30-minute walk. Indeed, waking burns out more calories than most other exercises. In addition, it helps you get rid of the fat located around your belly or other areas of your body and lose weight. As you lose weight, your body becomes fitter, and you can get back into shape even faster.

Those who want to burn more calories should increase their speed or the amount they walk each day. But if you have a lot going on, try walking with your hands raised above your height, which will increase the intensity of the exercise over time and change it from a “stroll” into a “jog.”

Boosting energy

Staying active makes you feel more energetic. Walking helps you ease the energy loss associated with sitting, thereby improving your overall level of energy each day.

Another way that walking boosts your energy is by improving blood flow throughout your body. When your heart rate rises to meet the demands of exercise, it pumps oxygenated blood throughout the body (and away from other non-essential areas like your digestive tract). This can help to relieve tummy troubles like cramps or bloating, which are all signs of low blood flow through organs like the stomach or intestines.

Improving fitness level

Walking is among the most minimally-intense forms of exercise. For this reason, it’s also a great fitness option for those who don’t like to try new workouts and simply want to tone up and become more fit. If you’re just starting out, walking allows you to increase your fitness level at your own pace without having to do too much at once. It’s also ideal for people who are recovering from injuries or have suffered from other physical ailments that can sometimes hinder their progress with other kinds of exercise methods.

Balance issues

Walking improves balance because it requires you to focus on balance frequently. When you walk, your feet and your eyes follow the path forward, which keeps you focused on the road ahead. This prevents people from toppling over and keeps them in line with their steps. Because it involves a form of repetitive exercise to keep balance, walking can improve your balance and help ward off falls that could cause serious injury or death.

Better Sleep

Walking can help you sleep better because it helps your body release endorphins, those feel-good chemicals that make you more energetic and happier. These endorphins also make you feel drowsy as they trigger the release of the sleep hormone, melatonin. In addition to providing a way to increase drowsiness by releasing these chemicals, walking can also reduce stress and anxiety as a result of repetitive movements during your day.

Cancer Prevention

Walking is a great way to prevent cancer. It keeps you fit, agile, and flexible. For your bones, it’s an effective way to maintain bone density. It’s also proven to reduce the risk of certain cancers, including breast cancer in women . It improves physical movement , which can reduce the risk of obesity.

Improving athletic performance

Walking is a great way to improve your athletic performance, because it’s low-impact exercise, so it won’t work against you in any athletic competitions. It also includes short bursts of energy that can give you an edge over your competitors.

The truth is that walking helps you work out for longer periods of time less intensely without getting too tired or hurting yourself. Walking is also portable, which means that it’s more convenient to use when traveling or on the road. As you can tell from this list, there are plenty of reasons why walking should be incorporated into your lifestyle daily.

Weight loss

Walking is one of the best and most popular ways to lose weight and be fit. The regularity and intensity with which you walk determine your success in losing weight. For example, if you walk for about an hour every day, with a speed of 3.5 miles per hour this will speed up your weight loss by 50 percent when compared to someone with a sedentary lifestyle.

Reduces stress 

Stress is responsible for many health related issues such as heart problems, asthma attacks , depression , insomnia etc. Walking can help reduce or relieve stress by clearing your mind and helping you feel more relaxed . It gives a great outlet to release anger and frustration frequently associated with stress .

Benefits of walking for 30 minutes a day

Improved memory, a stronger immune system, and a decreased risk of certain diseases. That’s what you can expect from walking 30 minutes per day. Take a walk with this list of benefits to see if your daily exercise habit could be giving your life more reasons for gratitude.

Walking 30 minutes per day for 1 year improved memory and brain function, especially in the elderly. Improvements were seen within the first month after starting the exercise program. Some studies showed that changes remained after 1 year of walking.

Good Heart Health

Walking can reduce your risk of heart disease by lowering blood pressure and strengthening blood vessels. In a study of more than 1,000 adults, those who walked briskly for 5 or more hours per week had a much lower risk of heart disease than those who walked less than 2.5 hours per week. The benefits were greater for women than men and for people who drank alcohol regularly.

Good Sleep

A walk before bed may help you sleep better. One study of 55 adults who took either a 20-minute walk during the day or stretching and toning exercises at night found that those who walked had more restful sleep than those who stretched and toned.

Benefits of walking for 45 minutes a day

The importance of walking is that it can be an efficient way to burn calories. It’s best to use it as a replacement or addition to outdoor activities, instead of replacing it with sitting on the couch. Walking at a brisk pace for 45 minutes on most days is enough for this purpose. There are some benefits of walking for 45 minutes a day:

Good sleeping habits

A 45 minute walk can help to lower your risk of developing sleep apnea, especially if you have a chronic condition such as obesity or large neck circumference.

Reduced stress

A study from NASA found that walking at a slow pace for about 30 minutes lowers the levels of cortisol in the body. Cortisol is a hormone released by the adrenal gland that stimulates fat storage and slows down metabolism. Walking also releases endorphins, stimulating a positive feeling and relieving pain and stress.

Weight Loss

A study published in the “Journal of Physical Activity and Health” found that overweight women who walked on a treadmill for 45 minutes three times a week for six months lost an average of one pound of body fat per week.

Benefits of walking for 1 hour a day

The benefits of walking for 1 hour a day are wide-reaching. Walking can help you lose weight, feel better, and live longer. Some significant side benefits of walking include a reduction in risk for Type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, depression, and more. Regular walking can also help you focus or energize you. Best of all, walking doesn’t require any expensive equipment or equipment at all – just your body! In addition to the obvious physical benefits walking provides, it is also a good form of exercise.

Walking is the perfect way to both maintain your health and get some fresh air without going too far from home. Recent studies have found that spending an hour a day walking can significantly reduce the risk of chronic disease and early death.

Walking for one hour a day has proven to be beneficial in reducing your risk of:

Obesity

Thirty minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity on most days of the week is used as a guideline as to how much exercise you should be getting on a daily basis. Walking for just one hour per day may just help you reach that goal. A 2009 study found that adults who walked at least one hour per day were 46% less likely to be obese than those who didn’t walk.

Diabetes

A 2008 study by the Harvard School of Public Health indicated that 1 to 2 hours of walking per week reduces the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 19%. Those who were obese and walked less than one hour weekly had a 44% greater risk for Type 2 diabetes. A 2002 study of women who walked more than 2 hours per week reduced their risk of Type 2 diabetes by 50%. A 2012 study found that those who walked at least 30 minutes seven days a week had a 44% lower risk for developing diabetes which is compared to those who didn’t walk at all.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD)

Research has shown that adults who exercise regularly and increase their physical activity levels by approximately 60 minutes per week will reduce the risk of CVD by up to 45%.

Walking Shoes and What You Need

A good pair of comfortable shoes 

You can walk in your old sneakers, but you might want to invest in a pair of shoes designed for walking. Here are some recommendations for choosing the comfortable shoe like these durable walking shoes for everyone that has some features:

• Look at the soles of the shoes. How many inches thick is the sole?
• What is the heel height? If you have to walk a long time, you need shoes that have high heels. Otherwise, if you need to walk along while doing work or other labor, then choose a pair of shoes with low heels.
• Check which part of your foot is more prominent when standing and walking forward and backward.

Sport clothes

Good sports clothes for walking are made of lightweight material or with thin, breathable fabric. You can also find good sport clothes for walking with special fabrics like insulating thermal layers.

Tips for choosing sports clothes for walking: 

• Choose cotton or other natural fibers when shopping for clothes made from these materials. 
• Air dry your clothes when they are not worn to avoid shrinking and weight loss.
• Wearing a hat is very important to protect your head from heat and sun exposure.

Warming up before walking

Warming up before walking is always good for the joints. So, if you are unsure of how to warm up properly, here are three easy stretches to do before you start your walk.

Do these stretches before each walk to improve your health and mobility. 

• Kneeling Quad Stretch – Kneel on one knee and then raise the other foot off the ground. Push that back leg’s knee out with both hands, then lean forward over it until you feel a stretch in the front of your thigh. Hold for 30 seconds. 
• Kneeling Hip Stretch – Kneel on one knee and then raise the other foot off the ground. Keep your back straight, lean forward, and grab your lower thigh above your knee with both hands. Pull your thigh toward you as you push the knee of the front leg out with both hands. Hold for 30 seconds. 
• Lunge Stretch – Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold two dumbbells or a barbell with both hands, resting it on your shoulder.

Tips for an effective walking workout

To make the most use of walking for your health, you should keep these things in mind:

• Walk often – The best results are achieved when a person walks regularly three to four times a week for at least 30 minutes.
• Walk whenever you like – It is best to divide the walking time into several short walks rather than walk for 30 minutes straight. This gives the opportunity to bend over, change pace, and take a break.
• Choose uphills along the way – Walking uphill makes walking even more beneficial. It allows you to burn up to 25% more calories during walking.
• Wear good walking shoes – Buy good walking shoes that fit correctly and have thick midsoles. This will reduce the risk of injuries and helps walking even more beneficial.
• Listen to your body – If you tend to get sore muscles Sunday evening, you might want to alternate walking days instead of walking for 30 minutes straight.
• Drink water – Drinking enough fluids helps the body recover from physical exertion. For example, during walking, it is best to drink water after each kilometer. The ideal amount should be 0.5 liters per hour while walking.

Walking Exercise To Lose Weight 

If you’ve been exercising and dieting unsuccessfully to lose weight, it might be time to consider adding walking as a component of your routine.

As we all know, the American obesity crisis continues to grow worse and worse each year; however, researchers at Stanford University have found that walking was more successful than dieting for weight loss. The findings showed that the average person burns 300-400 calories per hour when they walk. For every mile walked, the calories burned can be anywhere from 100 to 500.

The researchers discovered that people who walk for at least an hour each day lose about 3.4 pounds (1.5kg) in a year. The study also found that the benefits of walking were similar for men and women; however, men who walked for over an hour lost about 2 percent more weight than women.

For anyone looking to add walking into their regular workout schedule, here are some other weight loss benefits to consider:

Increases Energy by Burning Calories.

Walking is a low-impact exercise, so it’s easy on joints and muscles. It works your leg muscles, skin, and bones. That said, walking will help increase your endurance because you’re using more muscles to burn calories.

Actively Increases Metropolitan Transit System Usage

Living in a walkable city or suburb? Then chances are you use the metro, train, bus, bike, and even car more than most people. This means that you burn more calories when you ride in your auto than if you were to add walking to the equation.

Burns More Calories at Rest

If you add walking into your workout routine, it is unlikely that you will be sitting down all day long doing nothing but watching television and eating tortilla chips.

Increases Metabolism

As you get older, your metabolism slows down and can even decline after age 25. Adding some cardio like walking to your routine helps speed up the metabolism and increase fat burning, which will lead to more fat loss even if you don’t change anything else about your diet.

Decreases Depression and Stress Levels

You probably already know that exercise releases endorphins, which decreases stress and depression. It makes you feel great! Consider adding walking to your workout routine, especially if you’re dealing with the winter blues or summer weight gain.

Do we need to walk 10000 steps a day?

If you are serious about weight loss, then you should know that walking 10000 steps per day is the goal to aim for. There are some who believe that this is an antiquated piece of information not relevant now, but they are wrong. The research on the benefits of walking 10000 steps a day for health is still ongoing, and it’s likely to be updated in the future with more conclusive results. 

Let’s be realistic here. If we take the current lifestyle and habits of the current generation, then we know that they can’t walk 10000 steps a day (unless there is a wheelchair nearby.) If you look at the average person’s activity levels, the idea of walking 10000 steps a day may seem like an impossible task, but there is hope. Many people believe that it is difficult and they give up before they even start.

The problem here is that we can’t see the benefits immediately; we don’t feel good after we walk only 100 steps, but we definitely feel better after walking 1000 steps. That’s why many people quit right away. They don’t see the progress immediately, so they think that it’s pointless to continue. This happens to everyone at some point, not just beginners.

Enjoy your walking routine

Many people do not want to go outside and walk because it is uncomfortable or boring. While walking can be done anywhere, there are things you can do to make it more enjoyable.

• Find a partner to walk with. Partner walking makes the time go by faster, and you will feel like others are supporting you through your activity goal. 
• Walk somewhere new. Walking somewhere that has an interesting environment will make the process much nicer because you will be distracted from the fact that you are exercising at all times.
• Walk faster. If you walk faster, you will likely not realize how long the walk is taking. 
• Make it a competition with a friend or a partner. The goal of a competitive partner is to try and win in a trial of strength which makes going outside for exercise more interesting because it becomes a competition. 
• Walk-in places that are less crowded. You should find alternate routes when possible or avoiding certain areas during peak hours.

Negative Effects of Walking Too Much

Here are some of the negative side effects of walking too much:

• Walking too much can lead to injuries that require surgery. 
• Walking for more than 10 hours a week is not good for the joints and they might get sore if you do it for long periods of time. 
• If you walk too much, your feet and lower back might hurt. 
• Walking too much can cause infections in the feet and the ankles. 
• If you add more walking to an already strenuous exercising routine, such as running or jogging, it is likely that you will get injured when doing this.

FAQs

How to calculate lost calories in a walking workout?

One of the best ways to compare walking on an activity that requires calories is with the walking calculator. It provides an estimate of how many calories are burned for walking at different speeds. For example, it calculates that walking at 3 mph will burn 353 calories per hour while walking at 2 mph will burn 374 calories per hour.

Calories burned while walking also depends on how much time it takes to walk for the same distance. For example, walking for 10 minutes will burn around 200 calories if one walks at 3 miles per hour. It should be noted, however, that this calculator does not include any measurements on distance walked. 

The calorie formula calculator uses the formula of 2800 calories/pound (at rest) (the amount of energy needed by a body to operate at normal temperature) multiplied by 0.75 (a constant).

What is a suitable speed when walking for fitness?

The typical advice on how to walk for weight loss or general fitness is to take at least 180 steps per minute, which translates into about 3.5 miles per hour or 1 mile every 8-10 minutes depending on stride length and height differential between people walking together.  If you go slower than 2 mph it may not be as beneficial for your health or body weight gain prevention as going at the brisker pace.

How long should I walk?

Once you’ve walked for 10 minutes, your body’s natural painkiller (endorphin) levels rise and lower stress hormones (cortisol).

Once you’ve walked for 30 minutes, your risk of heart attack halves.

Once you’ve walked for an hour or more, your chances of developing diabetes are reduced by 50%.

There are many benefits to walking. If you’re healthy enough to do it – walk! Walk as often as possible! It’s free, easy, and good for your health.

What is the best distance for my walking workout every day?

Walking is a good exercise for health and experts recommend walking 10,000 steps per day. At 3 miles that would equal about 15 miles of walking. You can also check your pedometer to see how many steps you take in a day and walk more to get the recommended amount of steps each day.

What happens when you walk too much?

The human body was not created to walk 10+ miles or over 5 hours a day.  Walking for more than five hours a day can result in fatigue, burnout, and injury. It is also associated with knee pain and lower back pain. 

While walking may increase muscular strength, endurance, and flexibility, persons who walk too much can injure themselves. Here are some side-effects of excessive walking such as:

• Tendinitis – inflammation of the tendons that attach muscles to bones or the inflammation of the sheath that surrounds muscles;
• Muscle strains – stretch or tear of a muscle; and
• Stress fractures – small cracks in the bone typically caused by repetitive stress to the bone and not healing.