Go for a walk. You’ve heard the advice before, but can going for a walk really make that big of a difference? The answer is “yes.”
If walking is already part of your daily routine, keep up the good work. If you’re hit and miss or don’t do any walking “now” is always a good time to start. And it’s easy…
Lace up your shoes and…
- Walk out the door.
- Take a walk break during your work day.
- Walk around the block at home after dinner.
- If it’s close enough, walk to the store to run errands or buy groceries.
- Or plan a hike, visit a park, or go to the beach and take a walk.
4 Health Benefits of Daily Walking
Take a look at your schedule, and find a way to fit in 30 minutes of walking. Why? That’s all it takes to tap into the health benefits of daily walking. Don’t have a 30-minute block of time? Take a few 10-minute walk breaks, and you’ll still positive results.1
Research shows that regular walking can help you:
1. Manage your weight
Did you know 73.6% of adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese?2 Walking can make a difference.
- The average adult burns about 100 to 150 calories on a 30-minute walk.
- If you walked for 30 minutes every day for a year, you’d burn enough calories to lose 10 pounds of fat.
2. Reduce chronic disease risk
Did you know heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S.?
Stroke and diabetes are also on the list. But these chronic diseases are largely preventable with healthy lifestyle habits. Walking can make a difference.
- One recent study found that walking at least 7,000 steps a day may cut the risk for chronic disease and early death by 50 to 70%.3
3. Boost your mood
Ever have one of those days? You know, you’re stressed out or feeling down about something. There were a lot more of those days during the pandemic, right?
An estimated 41% of adults have reported feeling depressed or anxious since the start of the pandemic.4
The good news…walking can make a difference.
- In a University of Mississippi study, researchers found that just 10 minutes of walking can help reduce anxiety and depression, and increase happiness.5
4. Improve overall health
If you’re thinking about making some changes to get healthy, skip the fad diets, insane workouts and gimmicky exercise equipment. It doesn’t have to be that hard.
Walking can make a difference. Research shows that walking can also help:6
- Strengthen your bones and muscles
- Prevent certain types of cancer
- Increase energy levels
- Improve balance and stability
- Boost your immune system
Good job. You read this all the way through. Now walk away. You’ll be healthier, feel better, and live longer.