Your health is the most important thing in your life. Think about it . . . without your health you can’t enjoy any money you make, any relationships you form, any foods you eat, any job you do, any business you start. In fact, without good health, it’s difficult to fully enjoy just about anything.
Maybe your doctor has been encouraging you to get some exercise or maybe you just feel it’s time to get moving. In either case, walking is probably the best exercise you can start with. And, in many cases, it can be the only exercise you’ll have to do for the rest of your life.
Walking is so incredibly flexible and varied because you have the choice of a range of speeds from strolling to race walking, each of which has a different set of benefits and each of which can be done without any expensive equipment. With just a few minutes every day you can improve your overall health, improve your cardiovascular health and lose those extra pounds.
Before starting any exercise program it’s important to talk with your doctor to be sure that you are healthy enough to start a program and that it won’t interfere with any of your current medical conditions or medicines you may be taking.
Walk to improve your health gives you the opportunity to enjoy bright sunshine days or walk on a treadmill and watch your favorite television show. Walking increases the blood flow through your body and the rate at which you use oxygen. Both of these factors will also increase your productivity and creativity.
Don’t be surprised that you’ll be able to easily solve more problems while you’re out on your walk or develop an answer to a pressing problem. Many people also find that they remember things they’ve been struggling to remember for days as the blood begins to flow through your arteries and feed your brain.
According to the Mayo Clinic a brisk walk will help you maintain a healthy weight, help prevent or manage a variety of health conditions, strengthen your bones, lift your mood and improve your balance and coordination. (1) Each of those benefits will only help you to enjoy your life more and more each day.
To improve your health you’ll want to be sure that you are walking at a brisk pace, with your head held high and your shoulders back. Take care to be relaxed in your upper body and allow it to move easily. Swing your arms freely, tighten your stomach slightly to protect your lower back and strike the ground with your heels first.
In findings by the National Walkers’ Health Study researchers revealed some interesting information about how we walk and who is gaining the most benefit from the exercise. According to their results those who walked slowest (2 miles per hour) had the highest death rates, while those who walked at a brisk pace were much lower. (2)
The takeaway is that intensity matters, even when you are walking!
(1) MayoClinic: Walking: Trim your Waistline, Improve Your Health
(2) National Runners Health Study and national Walkers’ Health Study
RESOURCES
MayoClnic: Get Walking with this 12-week Walking Schedule
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: More People Walk to Better Health
