A simple morning walk done regularly might just be a life-saver for you. Walking is easy on your joints and heart, and the fresh and clean morning air can help calm your nerves, improve your mood, and keep you energetic and positive for the rest of the day. It is a wonderful way to start a new day. Also, walking is one exercise that won’t cost you anything beyond time, as it requires no equipment and can be done anywhere regardless of where you might be at that point of time.
If you’re suffering from obesity, depression, stress, heart problems, or joint pain, you should try walking more as it may be the solution to all your health issues. Many medical studies have mentioned that walking can reduce the risk of developing various chronic diseases.
As walking is a low impact exercise, most doctors favor it over running thus making it far less intense on the joints and heart. Walking has numerous health benefits regardless of how fit or old a person might be. It can also reduce the chances of developing various diseases and extend your lifespan.
Here are some of the best benefits that you can achieve just by walking more.
1. Reduces The Risk Of Diabetes
Diabetes is one of the most common lifestyle-related diseases during current times. But you can quite easily manage this metabolic disorder if you walk regularly in the mornings.
Based on extensive research, a 30-minute morning walk can improve blood sugar control as well as help the management of insulin in Type II diabetes. Walking allows the cells in the muscles to use up more glucose, helps burn body fats that are not needed, and also helps in improving the Body Mass Index (BMI). This benefits diabetic people greatly.
Walking can prevent diabetes for healthy people and slow the progression of the disease for those who already have it. Walking daily regulates the glucose levels in your blood which can help you lower the odds of developing Type 2 diabetes throughout the course of your life.
Doctors recommend that everyone gets at least 5,000 steps each and every day specifying that at least 3,000 of the 5,000 steps should be at the pace equivalent to a brisk walk. Doctors have said that getting the recommended amount of steps or even exceeding it can help people manage their diabetes and reduce the severity of their symptoms.
2. Improves Heart Health
Walking can help you make your heart healthier. Some scientists have also mentioned that the best exercise is walking for those who have sedentary lifestyle. This is especially true for adults. It is reported that walking will significantly reduce the odds of developing cardiovascular diseases. Also, if you already have heart problems, it might not be a good idea to run, but it will still be safe to walk. The American Heart Association says that brisk walking can help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Heart diseases are deadly and also very expensive to treat. Heart attacks are one of the top causes of death all around the world, so if you can add a decade or two to your life just by walking more, you should probably start as soon as you can!
3. Helps With Weight Loss
Obesity is one of the major cause of diseases primarily caused due to a sedentary lifestyle. Health and fitness experts say that you can easily lose weight without making any major changes to your diet by simply walking every day, along with other moderate, vigorous exercises. If you need to lose weight (or your doctor has suggested so due to health reasons), please start walking for getting a better and healthier life.
Walking is easy on your heart, and you will work out without feeling exhausted. Around a hundred calories a mile might not seem like much, but they can add up to much better weight management and control over time. Nothing helps like a nice brisk walk for 30 to 50 minutes. It helps elevate the heart rate and burns calories that are essential for weight loss.
4. Controls Cholesterol Levels
Our body needs some good cholesterol to maintain optimum health and build cell membranes. However, there is a greater risk of heart related problems when there is an excessive amount of blood lipids like LDL cholesterol.
At the same time, low amounts of HDL (good cholesterol) can also be harmful. Following an active lifestyle and including activities like walking and exercise in your daily routine is an excellent way to make sure the levels of cholesterol in your body are regulated and in control.
5. Regulates Blood Pressure
Many people suffer from hypertension, the official term for constantly above-average blood pressures.
If you aren’t able to walk 10,000 steps each and every day, be sure to walk for no less than an hour each day to ensure that your blood pressure stays at a normal level and doesn’t get dangerously high which could lead to a stroke.
6. Can Help Fight Cancer
Cancer is one of the most painful and miserable killers. The worst part about the disease is that it kills its victims off slowly, leaving them to suffer for months or even years before finally being at peace when they pass on. Sure, there have been cancer survivors, but the number of casualties resulting from cancer is far higher than the number of those who have beat it.
Sedentary lifestyles can be a major risk factor for developing cancer. Scientists already confirmed that walking more often and in greater distances is a great way to lose weight, and losing weight is an effective way to lower the odds of developing cancer.
Walking has also been useful for people who are currently undergoing treatment for cancer as it alleviates some of the side effects caused by chemotherapy. Another study showed that walking is especially effective at lowering the odds of developing breast cancer. Various studies have confirmed that walking can help prevent ovarian, breast, kidney, and cervical cancers. Walking is also known to improve sleep in cancer patients.
7. Reduces The Risk Of Stroke
Brisk morning walks everyday helps a great deal in keeping the heart healthy and strong. According to research conducted by the University of South Carolina, walking briskly for half an hour five times a week aids in lowering the risk of strokes.
Additionally, it has been seen that brisk morning walks promote functional recovery for people who have previously had a stroke.
8. Prevents Arthritis And Osteoporosis
Having a sedentary or inactive life has many negative effects on the body, including having stiff joints. The stiffness of joints can further lead to the development of arthritis.
Recent studies suggest that moderate physical activity, such as walking for five days or more in a week, can help relieve arthritis pain and stiffness and provide more energy (reference source – https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/ ).
Moreover, osteoporosis is more common in women due to losing bone density. Walking aids in exercising the joints gently and strengthens them as well, along with improving bone density.
9. Improves Blood Circulation
It might sound ridiculous, but walking more can actually make you smarter. We swear we aren’t messing with you, and if you walked more, you’d be smart enough to know that. Walking increases the supply of glucose and oxygen to the brain allowing it to function at optimal efficiency.
It has also been able to lower the LDL cholesterol levels in your body, a type of cholesterol that can clog your arteries and increase the odds of having a stroke. Through the reduction of these LDL levels, walking improves the blood circulation in your body which in turn helps your cells and brain function properly, making you smarter.
10. Enhances Brain Function
Regular exercise, such as walking, can greatly help protect memory and improve thinking and productivity. Morning walks not only rejuvenates the body but also has a positive effect on the mind.
When you walk, you get increased supply of oxygen and blood to the brain, which leads to an enhancement in mental alertness, brain function, and memory.
Several researches and studies shows that exercise improves circulation, sending more oxygenated blood to the brain, improving your cognitive ability. When we exercise, our heart rate increases, pushing more blood around the body to satisfy the demand for fuel by our muscles.
Going for a walk once or twice a day improves memory recall as well as increases brain volume and improves brain function in elderly individuals. Make a habit to take a walk every morning to keep your brain functioning properly all the times.
11. Tones Up The Body
Just getting rid of the fat is not enough if you really want to look slim and toned. Walking is a great option to get a fabulously toned body without having to do strenuous, intense exercises. A brisk morning walk can greatly help in restoring muscle tone.
Walking works like magic on all parts of the body. You can nicely tone your legs, belly, and other areas of your body just by walking. Going for a walk daily can also define the muscles in your calves, buttocks, and quads. Make morning walks your prime way to get a perfectly toned and beautiful body.
12. May Help With Depression
Depression is a big problem of current times. It affects about 264 million people. It may often give rise to many other disorders in both young and old people. The good news is that you can cure this if you can just get up and go out for a stroll, you can slowly tame this problem as when you walk, the natural pain-killing endorphins flow properly throughout the body.
Patients with depression found that walking briskly every day for about 35 to 60 minutes showed a significant improvement in their condition. An article published in the Scientific American tells that 200 minutes of walking per week can make you feel more energetic and positive.
13. Helps in Preventing Against Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is a condition that is caused by arteries that are blocked due to plaque or LDL cholesterol depositions on the arterial walls. It is a hardening and narrowing of your arteries. As the arteries become blocked, it can put blood flow at risk.The block generally occurs in the inner walls of arteries in organs such as the brain, kidneys, heart, and legs.
As blood flow is restricted due to this disease, the circulation of blood does not occur properly. Regular morning walks can protect you from this condition and make sure that blood flow and circulation are not effected.
14. Strengthens Bones
As you age, your bones become weaker. The good thing is, if you walk more frequently and regularly, you can strengthen your bones to ensure that they maintain their current condition. As walking is a low-impact exercise, it ensures that your bones retain their healthy density even when you age. If you retain your bone density, you’ll significantly lower the odds of developing osteoporosis in later life.
Fractures and other bone-related injuries will also decrease in frequency if you retain your bone density through regularly walking during both your youth and old age. As bones serve as the framework of the human body, healthier and stronger bones can increase stamina, improve balance, and give you good posture.
Regularly walking can also decrease your chances of developing arthritis at any given point in your life. To summarize, your bones serve an important purpose in your body, many important purposes in fact, so it is your responsibility as the owner of your body to maintain their health by walking regularly instead of taking a ride every-time.
15. Boosts The Immune System
The immune system is an important part of your body and protects you from any invasive pathogens that might put your health at risk. Walking improves blood circulation in the body and has good effects on the immune system. It greatly improves the supply of oxygen throughout the body. Walking for just 30 minutes a day strengthens the immune system and keeps you protected from various illnesses and diseases.
Infections, diseases, and death can all be postponed if you have a healthy immune system. Walking for at least half an hour a day can strengthen your immune cells. The T-cells, B-cells, and natural killer cells are all important parts of your immune system, and walking regularly can increase the numbers and health of these cells.
It can also help your body heal quicker due to the fact that it speeds up the release of WBCs. Walking can strengthen your defensive capabilities against pathogenic invaders, expedite the healing of wounds, and prevent potentially life-threatening diseases. With all the health benefits that walking offers, you surely should be motivated to walk more often.
16. Helps To Reduce Fatigue
A brisk morning walk makes you feel rejuvenated and refreshed. It can also alleviate fatigue and boost your energy levels, making you feel energized throughout the day.
Walking every morning gives your body the energy to get through the entire day. It helps increase the circulation of blood and supply of oxygen and keeps you active and alert all day long.
Morning walks are a great way to say goodbye to stress and negativity. Stress can have an adverse effect on your body, making you fall sick more easily and causing depression, anxiety and other serious disorders. Walking improves blood circulation to the brain and helps uplift the mood. A simple brisk morning walk can make you feel more relaxed and calm.
17. Promotes Good Sleep
Stress from your day to day life can cause insomnia. The best way to fight this is to take a brisk walk for at least 30 minutes every day. Morning walks help calm your mind, and at the end of the day, you can get a good nights sleep and feel well-rested when you wake up. If you do not have an active lifestyle, and you find it difficult to fall asleep, you must definitely walk in the mornings regularly.
When you exercise by walking, your energy expenditure increases and lots of calories are burned. Walking relieves tension and stress associated with the development of sleep disorders like insomnia as well. If you feel like you have too much energy in the evening, get out on the road for a walk to prepare yourself for a good night’s sleep.
18. Build Muscle Strength
Do you spend all day sitting in a chair in your office or home? It might be a good idea to take a walk on your lunch break. Sitting for prolonged periods results in a shortening of the tendons in the hips, resulting in hip and posture issues.
People who live a sedentary lifestyle with not much physical activity or exercise, experience “muscle atrophy.” This process usually leads to a phase where muscle strength and suppleness declines due to lack of activity. It’s for this reason that people who rarely exercise, feel stiffness and soreness in their body.
Taking a walk recovers your body out of this wasting state. As your legs move, it uses all the muscles in the legs, as well as the back, core and upper body.
Regular walking combined with a balanced and healthy diet significantly increases muscle mass and strength. As the power builds in your legs, you’ll be able to walk faster and farther every week. Try to keep a diary of your walking activity and take note of how you feel each day and the improvements you make all along.
19. Helps In Slowing Down Aging
As you age, the ends or tails of the chromosomes, known as telomeres, get shorter. And since chromosome is DNA, which codes for various proteins, shorter DNA would mean lesser protein. With time, our body experiences a reduction in protein synthesis. This leads to the development of the signs of aging, such as wrinkles. This ultimately ends up in loss of function and aging.
Studies suggest that physical activity may activate the telomerase enzyme, slowing the aging process in people who exercise regularly. The telomerase enzyme is partially responsible for maintaining the integrity of DNA too. Therefore, everything you can do to increase the activity of this enzyme will benefit you in delaying the aging process.
Walking is a great low-intensity physical activity that helps keep all your cell functions active and your heart healthy. It also improves brain function and blood circulation. Since your body remains active, the shortening of the ends of the telomeres slows down, thereby slowing your aging process (reference source – journal article).
So why wait? Start walking today, and you can expect an increase in circulation that improves the flow of oxygen throughout the body, enhancing longevity. Stay youthful and energetic and enjoy life.
20. Aids Digestion
People who are suffering from digestive disorders will gain great benefit from taking regular walks. After eating, our natural inclination is to sit down and rest after satisfying our hunger. However, ideally you would be having better digestive benefits if you decide to take a walk instead. Many people often cannot control their cravings and overeat food during their meals. When the digestive system is at its maximum capacity, it draws large quantities of blood to help with digestion.
This process after having a heavy meal will leave you feeling lethargic and clumsy. Try eating smaller portions throughout the day and take a walk after your meal to improve digestion and fitness. When you eat a light dinner, your GI tract doesn’t require the same quantity of blood to aid digestion, like it would after eating a big heavy meal. Thus, as your gut feels much lighter, you’ll be able to take a walk around the block without developing a cramp.
21. Prevents Cognitive Disorders
As we age, we run the risk of developing hereditary cognitive conditions which affect our mental health. Dementia is an adverse health disorder where affected individuals begin to lose their cognitive abilities, such as memory. The most common form of dementia that affects Americans is Alzheimer’s disease. This condition slowly degenerates cognitive capabilities, leaving the affected individual unable to perform simple tasks. Studies show that eating a nutritious balanced diet and exercising every day delays the onset and development of Alzheimer’s disease. Research also shows that patients who walk frequently, feel more confident in themselves, and are less dependent on others.
Some people, suffering from dementia may need assisted walking therapy to ensure that they are not lost while trying to walk somewhere. Though not a cure for dementia, walking can drastically improve the quality of life for people who are living with cognitive disorders.
22. Increase Cardiovascular Capacity
The first time you decide to hit the road and take a walk, you’ll become quickly aware of your level of fitness. Most people are very surprised to find that they’re out of breath after a fast-paced walk just around the block. Some others may notice they develop cramps or have stiff and sore body the next morning.
Walking is an amazingly effective form of exercise, as it elevates heart rate, improves circulation, and helps to connect your mind and body. Almost all people will get some benefit from taking a walk, but if you want to really change your health, then you’ll need to make it a regular habit.
You’ll notice your fitness increasing every week. While you may have had a difficult time to walk around the block on your first walk, by the end of the first week, you’ll feel like extending your route, because your fitness is much better now. The body adjusts itself as per the physical demands you place on it, and this improvement is partially due to an increase in cardiovascular capacity.
23. Helps Your Skin Glow
Expert dermatologists suggest that exercises that improves blood circulation, gives your skin a healthy glow. And there is no better exercise than simple walking.
Walking regularly may help delay the onset of the signs of aging, such as fine lines and wrinkles. Proper blood circulation prevents pimples, acne, and many other skin problems. With morning walks, you can achieve naturally radiant skin easily.
24. Helps to Reduce Stress Levels
We live in a busy world. Work responsibilities, spending time with the family, and keeping up with social commitments takes up plenty of time during the week. As a result of a busy lifestyle, we experience a stress response that lets us know when our body needs a break to relax and calm down.
When we fail to pay attention to our natural stress response, it results in burnout. People in this physical and mental state are prone to developing all sorts of adverse health disorders, such as adrenal fatigue. People who are living with this autoimmune disorder, experience an imbalance in the production of the stress hormone; cortisol, responsible for the “fight-or-flight” response. As a result of the overproduction of cortisol, the affected person feels exhausted, but can’t get to sleep, spending their evening tossing and turning in bed. Going for a walk relieves tension and stress built up during the day.
25. Improve Productivity
Exercise can improve your performance at work as well. Walking regularly everyday, increases your energy levels, allowing you to work harder for longer time. Exercising helps clear our brain of toxins that build up throughout the day. As a result, you’ll find your thoughts are fast and clear, allowing you to achieve more at work or home. Walking as part of an everyday routine improves one’s focus and attention and the ability to think flexibly by encouraging to shift thinking to produce a constant flow of creative thoughts and ideas.
Walking stimulates neurotransmitter function, keeping your mind sharp while allowing you to deal with more pressure and stress than you would if you didn’t exercise. As you increase your walking activity, you’ll notice a steady increase in levels of energy throughout the day. Walking enhances circulation, and you’ll see that you feel less fatigued than you usually would, allowing you to put more time in on those projects you’ve meant to finalize.
Conclusion
There is simply nothing like a brisk morning walk every day to improve your overall health. Every part of your body benefits from this exercise. A brisk 30-minute walk can extend your lifespan by about a year. Going for a walk improves your overall health, reducing your chances of developing chronic disease while saving your money on medical bills and medications throughout your life. Start your journey to good health today, and get out for a walk in the sunshine and enjoy the fresh air in your place. The morning hours have the least amount of pollutants in the air. Fresh air has oxygen in abundance. When you inhale oxygen, it gets delivered to the cells, which use it to perform all functions. When your body functions properly, the chances of you contracting or developing diseases diminishes drastically.
A morning walk is a wonderful way to start your day. Once morning walks become a habit, you will start feeling better and become proactive. Start this healthy habit today and move towards a healthier and brighter life.
