Frequent walking can improve our health by providing us with reduced risk or better management of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and stress.

Walking may be the best exercise there is for a multitude of reasons. It doesn’t require special equipment, it can be done spontaneously, it easy to do with friends, it can be done indoors and outdoors, and the level of exertion does not have to be intense. It is virtually injury free and can be done by almost anyone. In return, there are huge health benefits to be gained from walking – both physical and psychological..

The potential for walking to reduce the risk of several diseases and health issues has been extensively studied. It is most known for it’s role in weight control, reducing the risk of heart disease, preventing or managing diabetes, and helping to prevent osteoporosis.

1. Weight control. Walking is known as a method of weight control for two reasons. While you are moving your muscles, your body burns extra calories. Even better, once you are done walking, your body goes to work building stronger muscles so that you can walk even more. This requires energy too, so your metabolism becomes faster.
2. Reducing the risk of heart disease – This is especially important because heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. Walking is a cardiovascular activity, defined as a sustained activity using large muscles. Because working muscles require more blood flow, the heart and blood vessels become more efficient at transporting it. Our hearts become stronger, our ratio of good to bad cholesterol gets better, and we develop a more extensive network of blood vessels servicing both the muscles and the heart (which is also a muscle). This can also help to lower high blood pressure.
3. Preventing or managing diabetes. When we walk regularly, our bodies not only burn excess calories which cause us to lose weight, but our bodies become more adept at using sugar in the blood stream which helps to regulate insulin levels.
4. Helping to prevent osteoporosis. Walking is good for the bones. It is a weight bearing exercise and weight bearing exercises have the effect of strengthening the bones, or making them more dense. This is very important because of the prevalence of osteoporosis which affects more than 25 million Americans.

In addition to the diseases discussed above, walking has been linked to reducing the risk of certain cancers (colon and breast), Alzheimer’s disease and arthritis. It is generally believed to improve the functioning of the immune system. Walking has also been reported to reduce the discomfort of premenstrual and menopausal symptoms.

An advantage to walking is it is also a good way for someone recovering from diseases to ease into a fitness program because it can be done slowly without exerting too much effort.

The psychological benefits that have been studied in relation to walking are increased self-esteem, reduced stress, reduced anxiety, better sleep, and general sense of well-being. Taking care of ourselves tends to improve our self-esteem. Stress and anxiety are reduced for physiological and psychological reasons. The more obvious is that walking provides us with an outlet to blow off steam. However, the body produces “feel good” hormones called endorphins in response to aerobic exercise.

The bottom line is that when we walk regularly, we feel and look better!