Benefits of Walking to Improve Your Health

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. This is especially true when taking a stroll through some greenery or soaking in a bit of sunlight. This can be particularly helpful during the colder months, when seasonal depression spikes.

Stimulate your digestive system:

Coffee isn’t the only thing keeping your digestive system going strong- a morning walk can also help stimulate your digestive system. A regular walking routine can greatly improve your bowel movements. 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

Help you burn calories and maintain a healthy 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. Regular walking can help reduce belly fat and, as a result, improve your body’s response to insulin. Daily walking also helps to increase your metabolism by burning extra calories and by preventing muscle loss, which is particularly important as we get older.

Improve your sleep:

If you work out regularly, you’ll sleep better at night. That’s because sleep naturally boosts the effects of melatonin, the sleep hormone. Healthy adults who walked daily had a significant positive impact on sleep quality and length of sleep. Walking also helps reduce pain and stress, which can cause sleep disturbances.

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. Research shows that walking for at least 10 minutes a day—or about an hour every week—can stave off disability and arthritis pain in older adults.

Kickstart your immune system:

These days we’re all looking for ways to improve our immunity, and walking seems to be a smart strategy. Moderate-intensity exercise—and walking in particular—ramps up our immune system. It increases the number of immune cells that attack pathogens in our body, which lowers our risk of becoming seriously ill from infectious diseases.

Delay the onset of varicose veins:

As you age, your risk of varicose veins increases. 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. 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.