When you actually take the time to consider all the health benefits of walking as a form of exercise, they are almost to good to be true. Lower blood pressure, reduced risk of heart disease, reduced risk of stroke, reduced risk of depression and even a lower probability of certain forms of cancer. Consider also increased energy levels, weight loss and generally feeling better and you soon realise just how impressive the list of benefits actually is.
You also need to bear in mind the fact that walking can be fitted into your daily schedule at a convenient time for you. Neither are there any costly monthly membership fees for the gym. In fact, you would be forgiven for wondering why more people don’t integrate walking into their exercise routine. Another point to remember is the fact that you don’t need any special equipment, any expertise or any training. A good, comfortable pair of shoes are pretty much all that you require to get started.
Possibly people may not be including walking in their exercise program because they simply aren’t aware of the many potential benefits to be gained by doing this. We still have something of a “no pain no gain” mentality and this might make it seem implausible that a low impact workout such as walking could have such a positive impact.
However, the evidence is clear. Walking has the potential to provide tremendous health benefits. The key is consistency – you need to take exercise on a regular basis. Ideally, it should be part of your daily routine.
And there is no shortage of opportunities to do this. Maybe you could leave the car in the garage and walk to the office? Use the stairs instead of the elevator every second time. At lunchtime, go for a short 10 or 15 minute walk around the block. Small changes can have a huge positive impact if carried out routinely.
Of course, the fact that the effort required is so small may be part of the problem. Many people may find it hard to believe that they will achieve such a high value of benefits based upon such a small investment of time and effort. One possible way to overcome this, should you find yourself in this category, would be to use a pedometer. Use this every day to record the number of steps you take, the distance you cover and the number of calories you burn.
It should soon become obvious that small changes to your daily routine – walking instead of taking the car from time to time – can have a major impact on your fitness and health. Raising the visibility of your walking workout benefits may well be all the encouragement that is necessary to ensure that you exercise daily and reap the rewards available to you in terms of health, fitness and general well being.
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