If you want to lead a happy and healthy life, it is suggested that you eat nutritious food and workout regularly. A lot of people think this means you have to join the gym and start lifting weights, but it can be as simple as going for a 30-minute walk every day. Hippocrates was a Greek physician and over 2,000 years ago he said, “Walking is a man’s best medicine,” and it turns out he was right. There have been a lot of studies to show the benefits of walking regularly in the great outdoors and how it can help you lead a better life. Here are just some of the benefits.
Improves Your Mood
There are lots of things that can make people happy. Some people love a square of dark chocolate and others enjoy watching a movie after a long week at work. However, going for a walk can help to modify the nervous system and decrease a person’s anger and hostility. Then there is the fact that if you go on a walk with a family member or friend, you are being social which can help to boost the endorphins rushing through your body. If you are taking the walk outdoors, the exposure to the sunlight can help if you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, something that commonly occurs during the winter months.
Helps the Heart
Walking at a certain speed, especially a brisk pace can help to get a person’s blood pumping without putting a strain on their cardiovascular system compared to other types of exercise. It can strengthen the heart and studies have found that regular walking can reduce the likelihood of having a heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular attacks. Walking also helps with the blood pressure by keeping it lower than not exercising at all, boosting a person’s overall health.
Boosts Creativity
When people are feeling stuck with their work or are lacking in creativity, they often find that going out for a walk can clear their head. A study took place in 2014, which showed that walking sparked creativity. Compared to the people who were seated, the people who went for a walk ended up thinking more creatively than the sitters. So, the next time you are faced with a problem you can’t solve or are struggling to come up with ideas, go for a walk in the great outdoors and find some inspiration.
Fights Dementia
Researchers in Canada discovered that there was a link between low-level aerobic exercises, such as walking, and cognitive brain function in people who had a form of dementia. Vascular cognitive impairment is a cause of dementia and the researchers found that people who had it often displayed improved genitive function when walking regularly. Just three hours of exercise a week was enough to make them feel better, leading the researchers to believe that walking can diminish a person’s chances of developing dementia.
Waistline Decreases
As with any form of exercise, people who regularly walk will notice that their waistline is getting smaller. Even if it doesn’t say so on the scales, you may notice that your jeans are looser around your midsection. The reason for this is that walking improves the body’s response to insulin and helps to reduce belly fat. The metabolism is increased by daily walks and can prevent muscle loss, which is something that is more important when people grow older and consequently weaker. If you want to see these effects, you don’t need to be walking for hours every day. As long as you are moving regularly, you will see your weight slowly decrease.
Walking may seem like a small thing to do, but it can have so many benefits for your physical and mental health.
