The health benefits from simply walking are startling. Did you know that walking 10,000 steps a day is roughly equivalent to the Surgeon General’s recommendation that we all get 30 minutes of vigorous exercise five times a week? Study after study shows regular walkers have less incidence of cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other killer diseases. In addition walkers live longer and enjoy mental health and spiritual benefits. With little or no equipment investment everyone can walk.
According to AARP these are some of the benefits:
Managing your weight. Combined with healthy eating, physical activity is key to any plan for long-lasting weight control. Keeping your weight within healthy limits can lower your risks of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, sleep apnea, and osteoarthritis.
Controlling your blood pressure. Physical activity strengthens the heart so it can pump more blood with less effort and with less pressure on the arteries. Staying fit is just as effective as some medications in keeping down blood pressure levels.
Decreasing your risk of heart attack. Exercise such as brisk walking for three hours a week — or just half an hour a day — is associated with a 30% to 40% lower risk of heart disease in women. (Based on the 20-year Nurses’ Health Study of 72,000 female nurses.)
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.
Reducing your risk of breast cancer and type 2 diabetes. The Nurses’ Health Study also links regular activity to risk reductions for both these diseases. In another study, people at high risk of diabetes cut their risk in half by combining consistent exercise like walking with lower fat intake and a 5% to 7% weight loss.
Avoiding your need for gallstone surgery. Regular walking or other physical activity lowers the risk of needing gallstone surgery by 20% to 31%, found a Harvard study of more than 60,000 women ages 40 to 65.
Protecting against hip fracture. Consistent activity diminishes the risk of hip fracture, concludes a study of more than 30,000 men and women ages 20 to 93.
The list goes on and on. Many other studies indicate a daily brisk walk also can help:
- Prevent depression, colon cancer, constipation, osteoporosis, and impotence
- Lengthen lifespan
- Lower stress levels
- Relieve arthritis and back pain
- Strengthen muscles, bones, and joints
- Improve sleep
- Elevate overall mood and sense of well-being.
How much should we walk to lose weight or to maintain fitness? A good rule of thumb is you must take 12,000 – 15,000 steps a day to lose weight. It takes about 10,000 steps a day to maintain fitness. Obviously fewer steps mean you are neither losing or maintaining. Any amount of walking is good. For the best health results set a brisk walking pace for 30 minutes at least 5 times a week.
How can we get started? Like all exercise programs there are some great ideas to get us going. The first suggestion is to buy a pedometer so you can measure how many steps you take each day. They are readily available and affordable. There are two great options available at I Spy I Buy – take a look. Some even help count calories. It is easy to calibrate your pedometer. Count the number of steps taken over a known distance and do a little math. A quarter mile track at a local school are easy places to calibrate your step length.
Next we have to plan our schedules to incorporate walking. Start slowly and build up to your target level. Easy ways to add walking to your schedule is to walk with friends, a loved one or your family dog. Its a wonderful way to spend quality time and get healthy.
If you look at the benefits of walking they read like the wild claims of a snake oil salesman. Its easy to do. Costs very little. And it works.