8 Benefits of Walking

1.Lifts your spirits

The next time you’re feeling down, consider stepping out for a walk. Studies indicate that walking reduces symptoms of depression. And it may help with anxiety and loneliness.

Leave your phone at home and head somewhere scenic for an even bigger mood boost. Research that forest bathing— taking time to slow down and experience the outdoors, like during an immersive nature walk — is particularly beneficial. It’s proven to help increase self-esteem and improve mood.

Helps you maintain a healthy weight

Walking is an approachable exercise that can help you maintainly a healthy wieght And that’s true whether or not you can carve out time for long walks.

In asmall study of women with overweight or obesity, researchers compared the effects of long bouts of walking with shorter, more frequent bouts. The women who took two 25-minute walks a day lost more weight than those who took one 50-minute walk per day.

 

2.Walking strengthens your joints.

Shinkle says walking can play a huge role in reducing the development and progression of osteoarthritis, a form of arthritis that affects the joints. "Exercise has long shown benefits in treating and preventing osteoarthritis: A recent study shows that walking may improve pain and slow the progression of the disease," he says. Researchers found that people who walked for exercise had a 40 percent reduction in the development of new frequent knee pain when compared to a group that didn't walk."Exercise [like walking] has numerous health benefits and should always be a first-line prevention and treatment approach to degenerative joint disease.

3.Walking controls your blood sugar.

A meta-analysis of data from more than 300,000 participants made an important discovery: Those who walked regularly had a 30 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This is because walking can help control or lower blood sugar. Walking at a brisk pase in particular (faster than 20 minutes per mile) was linked with a 41 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes. A study of 201 people with type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, found that every additional 2,600 steps of walking each day was associated with a 0.2 percent lower A1c, or blood sugar level.

4.Walking boosts immune function.

Another health benefit of walking every day: Researchers believe that exercise can significantly boost immune function, potentially causing a change in antibodies and white blood cells that help your body fight off illness. The temporary rise in body temperature may also prevent bacteria from growing while slowing down the release of stress hormones (which can increase your chance of illness). Plus, walking may flush bacteria from the lungs and airways, reducing your chances picking up cold and flu viruses.

 

5.May slow biological aging

Researchers at theUniversity of Leicecter have reported a causal link between walking pace and telomere length (the caps that protect our DNA and suggest how well we are aging). The report suggests that a lifetime of brisk walking may add as much as 16-20 years to our lifespan. It’s not just our pace either the more walking you do – the higher step count– the lower your chance of all-cause mortality.

6.Reduces anxiety and tension

The knock of effects of walking go beyond the physical – they include psychological benefits and better social connections. In those with mild to moderate depression, exercise can be an effective anti depressant, whilst having a regular walking routine maybuild a sense of purpose and improve mood. Keeping to a moderate intensity seems to be an effective long-term strategy for maintaining mental health.

 

7.Eases joint pain

Walking can help protect the joints, including your knees and hips. That’s because it helps lubricate and strengthen the muscles that support the joints.

Walking may also provide benefits for people living with arthritis, such as reducing pain. And walking 5 to 6 miles a week may also help prevent arthritis.

 

8.Boosts immune function

Walking may reduce your risk for developing a cold or the flu.

One study tracked 1,000 adults during flu season. Those who walked at a moderate pace for 30 to 45 minutes a day had 43 percent fewer sick days and fewer upper respiratory tract infections overall.

Their symptoms were also lessened if they did get sick. That was compared to adults in the study who were sedentary.

Try to get in a daily walk to experience these benefits. If you live in a cold climate, you can try to walk on a treadmill or around an indoor mall.