Walking can change your life for the better. According to the Mayo Clinic, even mild physical activity like walking can help you live a healthier and happier life. The benefits of walking include:
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Preventing or reversing lifestyle-related health issues like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease
- Improving mental health and mood
- Strengthening the muscles and bones.
The fantastic thing about walking is that you can walk as slowly as you like and still enjoy some of its benefits. But, walking faster and farther provides more significant benefits.
How to Change Your Life One Step at a Time
Anyone who enjoys walking can walk to save money, improve their health and elevate their mood. The top six ways that walking can change your life include the following:
1. Weight Loss
Walking can quickly become addictive as you begin to pay more attention to your home or work neighborhood environment, and the extra weight begins to fall off visibly. Most walkers report that walking boosts their metabolism while helping them relieve stress and anxiety, which can be a great boon when managing stress-related weight issues.
2. Improved Mental Focus and Mood
According to ocregister.com, walking dramatically improves both mood and focus. Walking on a beautiful spring morning can elevate your mood, but even a quick workout on the treadmill or walk around the park after a snowstorm can provide relief from depression, anxiety, and stress.
3. Better Heart Health
Walking gets your blood circulation pumping more efficiently, and research shows that it normalizes cholesterol levels and blood pressure rates. The American Heart Association recommends walking briskly for 30 minutes to receive the maximum heart benefits, but those of us unused to walking can gradually increase their stamina.
4. Preventing Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease
Seniors can benefit from walking at their own pace at the local mall, park, or in their neighborhood. According to medical research, walking regularly can reduce your chances of developing dementia by up to 50 percent. Walking can also help those who are prone to developing dementia.
5. Restoring Emotional Balance
Some days make you feel like crawling back to bed and starting over. According to expert physical trainers, walking is one of the best ways to reset the clock and restore your emotional balance. You can better power through your workday, solve problems, and find a way to overcome any obstacle just by walking or literally one step at a time.
6. Jumpstart Your Creativity
Walking helps you to relax your mind and let the stream of consciousness boost creativity. New sights can inspire art, creative writing, and performance on a stage or at work. Letting go and allowing your mind to wander can help you tap into your subconscious and recall creative ideas that you have long filed away.
Walking Safely for Your Mental, Physical, and Emotional Health
It’s important to consider safety when walking. Some of the steps you can take to ensure that you can get maximum benefits from your walking sessions include:
- Walking safely in designated pedestrian areas
- Wearing sturdy but comfortable shoes that provide heel and arch support
- Walk in comfortable, loose clothing
- Drink plenty of water to keep hydrated
- Wear sunscreen to prevent UV radiation.
Also, when walking in heavily trafficked urban areas, take all the precautions to prevent nasty accidents. Don’t assume that drivers, cyclists, and motorcyclists are there to protect you. They might be tired, impaired, emotionally distressed, or distracted, which can up pedestrians’ risk of injury exponentially. So, do your research on pedestrian safety before leaving home, as well.
