Health Benefits of Walking
Walking for fitness can help you achieve a number of important health benefits. For example, you can:
Reduce your risk of a heart attack: Walking keeps your heart healthy by lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol) and raising high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol). A regular walking program also reduces your risk of developing high blood pressure, a factor that also contributes to heart disease.
Manage your blood pressure: If you already have high blood pressure, walking may reduce it.
Reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes: Regular exercise reduces your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. If you’re a woman, overweight and at a high risk of diabetes, walking can improve your body’s ability to process sugar (glucose tolerance).
Walking for weight control: Control of body weight occurs when the calories taken in as food are balanced with the calories expended through walking and other physical activities. The key issue for weight control is to maximise the total volume of calories used, (at any intensity) and to combine this with healthy eating.Walking one mile (1.6km) can burn up at least 100kcal (420kJ) of energy and walking two miles (3.2km) a day, three times a week, can help reduce weight by one pound (0.5kg) every three weeks. Walking also alters fat metabolism so that fat is burned up instead of sugars, helping to reduce weight.
Boosting “good” cholesterol: The level of high-density lipoproteins (HDL). Physical activity helps reduce low-density lipoproteins (LDL or “bad” cholesterol) in the blood, which can cause plaque buildup along the artery walls — a major cause of heart attacks.
Lowering your risk of stroke: Regular, moderate exercise equivalent to brisk walking for an hour a day, five days a week, can cut the risk of stroke in half, according to a Harvard study of more than 11,000 men.
Economic benefits: Transport is second only to food as the largest item of household expenditure in Australia (15.5 per cent vs. 18.2 per cent). The family car costs quite a lot to run. In comparison, the cost of walking can be as little as the cost of a good pair of walking shoes. Replacing short car trips with walking helps local communities—goods and services can be purchased locally rather than driving further away. Small businesses can do better in areas that are pedestrian friendly. Also, more pedestrians within a neighbourhood creates less traffic. More pedestrians can increase a sense of safety in the local area, which can encourage visitors and attract new businesses and jobs.
A brisk-paced walk can help you look and feel better, increase energy, and pick up your spirits. Walking can work to improve your health, too. A daily walking routine can help you lose weight, lower cholesterol, strengthen your heart, and reduce the likelihood of serious health problems down the road. And with America spending more than ever on preventable health problems like heart disease, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, and conditions associated with obesity such as arthritis, every step counts.
