Why walking is good for you

How many times have you heard that walking is good for you? If you are anything like me, you have heard this hundreds of times whether it’s on the news, on Facebook, from friends as well as the medical profession. So before you invest in a new Fitbit and aim to hit that utopia figure of 10,000 steps every day, let’s explore why walking is good for both your physical and mental health.

Walking is good for your physical health

1. It burns up calories. How many calories you burn depends on far you walk, the terrain you are walking on and how fast you walk but a brisk 30 minute walk will burn up about 150 calories.
2. It can help to lower blood sugar especially if you take a walk after meals.
3. It’s good for your digestion and encourages “movement” in your gastro intestinal system.
4. It can strengthen your heart. By having a 30 minute walk, five days per week, you can reduce your risk of coronary heart disease by about 19%.
5. It eases joint pain – walking keeps your joints lubricated and healthy as well as strengthening the surrounding muscles. Walking is also very beneficial for people living with arthritis and walking 5 to 6 miles a week may also help prevent arthritis.
6. It’s good for your immune system as it’s a great natural way to get some Vitamin D while being outside in the fresh air. A study in 2011 tracked 1,000 adults during flu season. Those who walked at a moderate pace for 30 to 45 minutes a day had 43% fewer sick days and fewer upper respiratory tract infections overall.
7. It’s good for your bone health which is so important as we get older. Walking is a weight-bearing exercise and it forces your body to work against gravity.
8. It helps you to sleep better.
9. It gives you more energy than reaching for a cup of coffee and a chocolate biscuit. So even if you are feeling tired, get the trainers on and go for a short walk to increase the flow of oxygen in your body.

Walking is good for your mental health too.

1. It can help ease anxiety and depression. It can also boost self-esteem and reduce symptoms of social withdrawal.
2. It can boost your mood. Research shows that just 10 minutes of walking can lift your spirits. The effect may be amplified even more if you take a stroll through some greenery. Indeed the Forest Research report published in December 2021 revealed that spending 30 minutes in woodland each week had a very positive impact on mental health resulting in a saving of £6m in mental health costs in Northern Ireland each year.
3. It helps your creativity. By walking outside in nature, your creative juices start to flow more so than sitting at a desk.

Start to walk more today

So you can see that there are many positive benefits of having a walk every day. Building a “daily constitutional walk” into your routine is vital for your physical and mental health.

Perhaps you are more sedentary and don’t know how to get started. Well you can’t eat an elephant in one sitting (not that you would be eating elephants anyway!) and start with 10,000 steps per day. That’s just not achievable or sustainable. Instead put on your trainers, open your front door and go for a short five minute walk. Then tomorrow do it again and build your walk into your daily routine just like brushing your teeth. Once you have mastered the five minute daily walk, increase the duration to ten minutes and then fifteen minutes per day. I try to walk for at least 30 minutes every day but usually this stretches to 60 – 90 minutes at the weekend.

The important thing is to start and not put it off. And once you start walking every day, you will start to feel the health benefits for yourself and share your love of walking with others.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this blog so feel free to comment below.