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This isn’t another article hammering you about all the hardcore exercises you should be doing. We know life gets busy, but we also know many people are sick and suffering from different kinds of illnesses. It can be hard to alleviate the pain and fatigue you may be feeling as a result of these different issues. Yet, you also probably don’t know that walking can improve many aspects of your life, including those you’re dealing with right now. Let’s take a look at the unique health conditions improved by simple daily walking.
For many years, mental health has been taboo. People didn’t discuss things like depression or anxiety. Now, more evidence is coming out to illustrate how important mental health is for your overall wellness. There are scientific reasons why walking is so good for your mental health. For one, walking helps release endorphins, which boost your mood and also lower your stress response. (1) Walking will help reduce your risk of clinical depression, and spending some time walking outdoors can be meditative.
When you take a brisk walk, you’ll notice your heart rate rises. This activity strengthens your heart muscles and also lowers your blood pressure. (2) Research has shown that walking two miles per day can lower blood pressure by 11 points. In addition, a thirty-minute walk daily can reduce your chance of ever having a stroke. When you combine walking, a healthy diet, and the proper supplements, you can dramatically reduce your chances of ever dealing with heart disease. If you can’t walk outside, we recommend taking D3K2 to support your heart health and immune function. Think of how many people are taking cholesterol-lowering drugs or blood pressure medications. What if you could lower these issues naturally?
Sometimes people who suffer from autoimmune disorders feel there’s no hope of getting better because that’s what today’s modern medicine has led us to believe. If you’ve thought all hope was lost, we have some good news. Since walking helps reduce inflammation, making daily walking a priority can be part of the solution to your autoimmune problems. Most of these issues are characterized by inflammation. When you can calm that down, you get pain relief. (3) Regarding autoimmune disorders, walking regulates your immune system. That happens because exercise can decrease the cytokine production in your body, which is responsible for causing more inflammation. People with rheumatoid arthritis often have swelling and pain because of the cytokines in their bodies.
Taking a thirty-minute daily walk will strengthen your nervous system. Sometimes autoimmune conditions can affect the central nervous system by attacking the myelin sheath of your nerve cells. That causes damage that leads to multiple sclerosis. Walking will decrease the antigen production that forms that attack.
This one may surprise you, but researchers know that activity can help stop the risk of certain types of cancer, specifically breast cancer. (4) The interesting thing about this is it can help women who already have breast cancer risk factors. Colon cancer is another kind of cancer that can be reduced by walking. Imagine preventing cancer by incorporating walking into your daily routine.
Moderate or brisk walking will reduce your blood glucose levels. It also raises your insulin sensitivity. If you take a walk within thirty minutes of eating, your blood sugar could be lowered 50 times more than if you’re sedentary. (5) The other positive note about this is the effect can last from 24 to 48 hours, depending on the intensity and duration of the walk. This kind of physical activity can lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 30 percent.
You may know someone who has been affected by neurological issues like dementia. If so, you know how it robs a person of everything they once were. Pharmaceuticals may help slow the progression, but none of them can cut your risk of getting dementia. A recent study has shown that walking about ten thousand steps per day can slash the risk of developing dementia by 50%. (6) That is a gigantic breakthrough for people with family histories of cognitive issues.
If you’re new to walking for health, the great thing about this form of exercise is that it can be done by almost anyone. You don’t need any special equipment to get started. The main thing is to not try and walk a marathon on your first day!
Many people get scared off by the ten thousand steps rule. You don’t necessarily need to make that goal in one setting. You want 5,000 of those steps to be moderate exercise. The rest can be simple daily movements, like walking in a parking lot or grocery store. It can be many things that add up to the other 5,000 steps.
Start slowly, and remember you’re looking for progress, not perfection. It takes time to build up to a vigorous thirty-minute walk each day. Walking after meals is a great way to begin a new routine. It’s a healthy habit to start, and you’ll have time set aside to do it. You could walk first thing in the morning to help your circadian rhythm if you’re walking outside. Getting that sunlight in your eyes early in the morning is great to help reset your body and get better sleep at night.
The walking we refer to is not a simple stroll. Walking for your health needs to be at a fast pace to get your heart rate up and break a sweat. That’s when you’ll reap the true benefits of walking for your health. We mentioned not needing any special equipment, but if you’d like to keep up with your steps, there are pedometers and watches that will do this. Alternatively, many cell phones will also monitor your steps each day.
What we love about walking is that almost anyone can do it and get real benefits from it. It can transform your health in a short amount of time. When you want to change your health naturally, it doesn’t require pills and potions. You must simply decide to improve your health. As you can see, there are many conditions that walking can either improve or help to prevent. It’s one of the simplest forms of exercise you can do, and it takes a minimal amount of effort.
We’ve just begun to scratch the surface of the different issues daily walking can improve. It’s free, and you can start today. We want to help you be the healthiest you’ve ever been. If you haven’t considered functional medicine for your wellness, we would love to show you how to become healthy through natural, holistic methods. We are here to help you with resources and personalized programs for your specific health needs. Contact us for more information on natural healthcare for maximum results.
References :
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/walking-for-good-health
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/walking/art-20046261
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/5-surprising-benefits-of-walking
https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/keeping-active/activities/walking
https://diabetes.org/healthy-living/fitness/benefits-walking
https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/walking-linked-to-lower-dementia-risk
