Benefits of Walking

Benefits of Walking That' l Have You Lacing Up

Walking might not always be the fastest route from point A to point B. But walking has many more advantages for your health and mind in addition to merely being a quick mode of transportation. Therefore, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that, according to recent Strava data, it ranks close to the top of the list of the activities with the quickest growth.

Walking was twice as popular in 2021 as it was in 2020, according to the exercise tracking app's Year in Sport 2021 report, which was published in December. This is significant considering that strolling increased by a factor of three last year due to the epidemic. In this last year, walkers uploaded an average of 2.5 to 4 hours of walking per week.

Lisa Nichole Folden, DPT, a certified physical therapist and health coach in Concord, North Carolina, believes that walking's continued popularity makes total sense. She regularly incorporates it into the workout regimens she suggests to her patients and clients, who are frequently busy parents trying to fit a lot in.

She tells SELF that she tries to concentrate her practice on all facets of health rather than just physical well-being. Dr. Folden claims that for many people, walking can fulfill that need. It can fulfill many needs, including physical, mental, and emotional ones, according to her.

Several years ago, Chicago-based trainer Kelly Amshoff had an epiphany on these numerous advantages of walking. She originally believed that the only successful workouts were those that left you sweating and aching the next day. But as soon as she learned she was expecting her first daughter, her perspective shifted. I realized that this is incorrect and that the objective is to move your body, she explains. She switched to almost daily walking.

She returned to teaching Tabata and other classes through her website ImWithKelly after having another child and a few years. She still sees her almost daily walks as necessary, a chance to get some exercise while catching up on audiobooks, spending time with her daughters, or engaging with friends. She believes daily walking has numerous advantages.

Numerous advantages of walking can persuade you to lace up, from social time to emotional management. But first, here are a few simple pointers to bear in mind before you leave.

Recommendations for walking

For starters, going for a walk may not be as simple as it first appears. Some towns may be less accessible to those who reside there than others since not everyone has access to safe parks, green spaces, or walkways.

Injury risk is a second safety factor that should be taken into account. According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, wearing shoes that fit properly can help prevent injuries. Your ideal shoe should have room for your toes to move around in the toe box, leave about a half-inch between your longest toe and the tip of the shoe, and offer stability through the arch, sufficient shock absorption, and a smooth tread. Wearing reflective clothing will also help drivers see you if you're out on foot in low light, early in the morning, or late at night, as SELF previously advised.

• Is walking a form of exercise?

Walking is regarded as a form of cardiovascular exercise, just as jogging, cycling, and swimming. Basically, cardio refers to any form of exercise that raises your heart rate, and walking certainly qualifies. An enhanced cardiovascular challenge is just one of the advantages of incline walking, but you can also increase the cardio component by picking up the speed and doing some quick walking, as well as by organizing your workout around a few hills or elevation changes!How far should I stroll?

It is entirely up to you how long you should walk; it might be short sprints or extended sessions. You could find that an hour-long walk helps you on days when your body is begging for exercise. On other days, you can experience a mental health boost just from taking a little break—a five-minute walk around the block. In reality, the requirement that exercise sessions must be at least 10 minutes in length to "count" as part of your overall exercise amount was eliminated from the most recent Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans report. For health advantages, the recommendations call for at least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise.

Lacing up can be beneficial for both your body and your mind, whether you're cramming in a brisk walk or planning a lengthy stroll. These 15 advantages of walking may entice you to put on your sneakers at this very moment.

A fantastic active recuperation method is walking.

Every action has a counteraction, and every moment of high intensity is followed by a period of recovery. Walking, as opposed to sitting or standing still, keeps your heart pumping and your muscles heated. To offer a low-impact cardio boost, you can also take a few steps in between strength exercises, advises Philadelphia's Jayel Lewis, a certified international personal trainer and business coach.

On days when you don't perform rapid runs, strength exercises, or HIIT classes—and there should be days when you don't—walking also serves as a stand-alone active recovery activity. Walking not only gives your body a rest, but it also may hasten your recuperation by increasing blood flow through tired, aching muscles.

According to Jackie Dragone, the founder of the coaching company The Program and a health and fitness coach, "you cannot hit it hard seven days a week; it is not sustainable." "You need days where you can move but do pull back a little bit, where you recognize that your body needs rest." So certainly, daily activity is okay as long as it consists of simple motions like walking.

• Your aching body may feel better after a walk.

Walking is a great way to relieve various aches and pains and can help prevent overuse injuries by giving your body a break from strenuous exercise. Walking was just as effective in relieving low back pain as physical therapy, according to a 2018 research of 246 individuals published in the journal Evidence-Based Practice. In a separate research of more than 1,500 adults, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, just one hour of weekly walking helped people with joint pain delay impairment.

However, it's critical to maintain perfect form to enjoy these advantages: According to Jill Miller, a yoga and fitness instructor and co-creator of the online video series Walking Well, the majority of our strides have changed as a result of years of injuries and everyday behaviors like sitting. According to Miller's partner in Walking Well, biomechanist Katy Bowman, M.S., many of us as a result lean forward, do not engage our hamstrings, and land on a bent knee as opposed to a straight one. Your hamstrings and the muscles around your hips should be under pressure, not the front of your thighs, which is where it should be.

Miller advises using therapy balls, foam rollers, or other self-massage equipment to roll your body in order to reduce some of the stress. A dynamic warm-up, which can include exercises like bodyweight lunges, forward folds, and squats, is another way to prepare your body, according to Amshoff. Stretch your hamstrings afterward (see Bowman's instructions on why and how to do it).

• You can control a variety of disorders by walking.

There is probably data demonstrating that walking can help you achieve almost each health advantage you've ever heard you might achieve through exercise. One small study from 2016 that was published in Creative Nursing found that just 10 weeks of daily 20-minute walks for women improved their blood pressure, cholesterol, and other heart health indicators. The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends taking brisk 30-minute walks five times per week to reduce your risk of developing cancer.

When compared to other forms of exercise, walking is frequently more convenient (and occasionally more agreeable) if you do have a health issue or chronic sickness. And it continues to have many advantages, including greater function and less fatigue during breast cancer treatment, better blood sugar control (when done after eating) if you have diabetes, and higher quality of life if you have cancer or have survived it.

•  Your balance can be enhanced by walking.

Dr. Folden sees a lot of patients in her physical therapy business who have fallen, and it's not simply an issue for older people since some of them are in their 20s and 30s. Falls that result in injuries can put you out of commission and raise your risk of disability because, as she says, "we're not always cognizant of changes in our balance and our coordination."

Even though it may appear easy, walking improves balance since it not only increases strength but also poses a considerable challenge to your brain and nervous system. Dr. Folden claims that being able to manage and navigate varied terrain, such as pavement, grass, gravel, and objects in the road, is essential to sustaining long-term health and wellness.

• Walking uphill can result in even greater benefits.

Find a hill to run up and down, or turn up the slope on your treadmill, to make the most of some of these advantages. According to Dr. Folden, attacking elevation engages your ankles, knees, and hips in a different way, strengthening the muscles that keep us from falling and enhancing the positive feedback loop between your muscles and your brain.

It also stretches out your Achilles tendon, a tough string at the back of your heel that is a frequent location of injury, as well as your calves.

"Your muscles are like rubber bands; if you buy a fresh pack, you can stretch it from one side of the room to the other without any problems. However, if you leave that rubber band on your desk for a year, ten years, or fifteen years, it will probably pop when you go to stretch it, according to her. "That constant lubrication and motion is what our muscles need."

Lastly, moving upward provides an even greater cardiac boost. Making your heart work harder is how you may train it to pump more effectively, according to Dr. Folden. A little heavy breathing while you ascend will ultimately increase your cardiovascular endurance, provided you don't have any cardiac conditions. (If you do, consult your doctor before beginning any new form of exercise.)

Catching up with friends and family while walking can be a terrific idea.

Relationships are important; in fact, loneliness has been dubbed an epidemic and has been associated with a shorter lifespan. Our dependence on others is a factor in our physical health that is frequently disregarded, according to Bowman.

We've learned over the course of the pandemic that being outside is always safer than being inside, so going for a walk with friends can serve a dual purpose by giving you a chance to catch up and get some exercise and fresh air. You can also bring your children along, as Amshoff does; Folden frequently walks her son the seven blocks to the playground, allowing them both to get some exercise and quality time together.

• You can improve your mental health by walking.

Moving your body can significantly alter your thoughts. One 10-minute walk significantly improved the self-reported moods of 66 young adults in a 2018 study published in Health Promotion Perspectives

Research suggests that physical activity can be one component among a larger group of habits that can be helpful, despite the fact that many people with mental health conditions like anxiety or depression are frequently told to "just work out!"—something that can be annoying and unhelpful since in many cases that's not enough to treat the conditions. In fact, a recent analysis of 55 articles found sufficient evidence to support promoting walking to prevent and treat these illnesses, according to a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

According to Leeja Carter, Ph.D., assistant professor of sport and exercise psychology at Long Island University-Brooklyn, setting a goal to walk and then following through on it increases something called self-efficacy. Following through with that—being like, "I actually did it"—can give you a profound sense of confidence about what you can accomplish and how you can do it, and that you could perhaps do it again tomorrow, she adds. It's a belief in yourself that, over time, further enhances your health and well-being.

• Your mental performance may improve if you walk.

By increasing blood flow, you can provide your brain's gray matter with the essential nutrients and oxygen it needs to function. In the near term, this can assist you in thinking more clearly. Those who walked for just 10 minutes performed better on math and memory tests right away, according to a 2018 study of nearly 300 students from elementary school through college that was published in Frontiers in Public Health.

If you already have memory problems, walking might be beneficial. A 2021 study in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease of 70 people with memory loss discovered that after a year of consistent walking, they demonstrated signs of improved brain health, including better blood flow and more flexible arteries, as well as performance on cognitive tests.

When you're outside in the fresh air, you might also have an inspiration. When Dr. Folden hikes to the playground with her son or even just strolls around her porch among the trees, she often has her best ideas. "When it happens, you think, 'Oh, that's a good one. Let me record that," she offers. It lessens pressure "when you allow yourself to be open and take in what's around you rather of focusing on a task or some content you need to make." Then, ideas can start to come.

• Making connections with nature while walking.

Walking in a park or near water might help you feel more grounded and stimulate your creativity. A 38-participant study by Northwestern University found that walking in the forest had much better psychological advantages than strolling along a busy road. Group nature walks were associated with fewer depressive symptoms, less stress, and an all-around better mood, according to a bigger study published in the appropriately called journal Ecopsychology.

You might even try walking barefoot for a few steps, advises Martha Patricia Montes, a certified personal trainer with Chicago Latin Fitness, to SELF. This is so that barefoot walking can also have certain advantages. One of the reasons, according to her, is that it causes muscles in your feet, legs, and hips to fire differently than they do when you're wearing shoes. Additionally, "We connect to earth on a deeper level."

Of course, as we already noted, not everyone has access to peaceful, open spaces where they can walk. The good news is that watching nature films has been shown to have a favorable impact on emotions, so even if you're cooped up indoors, you might benefit from starting a YouTube forest walk.

• It can be beneficial to go for walks with your dog.

A small British study of 43 pairs of dog owners and non-dog owners discovered that the typical dog owner walks an additional 22 minutes each day. Walking is good for your pet's joints, digestion, weight, and behavior in addition to providing health benefits for both you and your dog. It's also a lot of fun and a great way to spend time with your dog, whether you adopted a pandemic puppy like many others did or you're just looking to spend more time with your devoted family pet.

You might walk more slowly than you would on your own, depending on the dog. However, Montes advises that you can increase the intensity of your dog walk by performing bodyweight exercises like lunges, squats, or jumping jacks while your dog is taking bathroom breaks.

• Your eye pain might be reduced by walking.

Your field of vision becomes limited to the few feet in front of you when you sit in front of a screen all day. This contributes to digital eyestrain by wearing out the eye's focusing muscles. Even though this often doesn't impair your vision over time, it might aggravate symptoms like headaches, painful eyes, and blurred vision.

However, Miller notes that strolling outside "demands that you use long-range vision, as well as continual scaling of barriers or terrain out in front of you and on either side." A small 2019 study published in PLoS Biology found that the more regularly you watch what's happening in the outside world, the better your brain and eyes work together to absorb it.

• Walking is quiet enough to fit into a hectic day.

In contrast to other exercises, you might not get sweaty, therefore Amshoff notes that you don't always need to arrange a shower in between that and your workday. It provides a nice respite if you work from home, whether it is for a quick lunchtime break or as a way to begin or end the workday. It's also possible that you won't even need to modify. Simply switch out your slippers or office shoes for a comfortable pair of walking or running shoes, she advises.

In contrast to other exercises, you might not get sweaty, therefore Amshoff notes that you don't always need to arrange a shower in between that and your workday. It provides a nice respite if you work from home, whether it is for a quick lunchtime break or as a way to begin or end the workday. It's also possible that you won't even need to modify. Simply switch out your slippers or office shoes for a comfortable pair of walking or running shoes, she advises.

Brisk walking can also be used as a warm-up before engaging in another physical activity, such as another workout or a manual duty like shoveling snow, advises Montes. Alternately, multitask like Amshoff, who listens to audiobooks while making calls, or Dragone, who frequently walks while listening to business podcasts.

According to Carter, there are enormous advantages to occasionally turning off all of your inputs and simply allowing oneself solitude and space. Some alone is a significant type of self-care, especially in these stressful times.

• Walking can strengthen your sense of community.

Walking gives you the chance to explore your own neighborhood like a tourist, which is fantastic if you still don't travel much these days. You might visit those outdoor sights you never have time to visit or possibly stumble upon a hidden treasure. For instance, Stern discovered a brand-new walkway that she likens to "a secret garden" right in the center of Columbus Boulevard in Philadelphia.

Additionally, you can strengthen your relationships with your neighbors, which are more crucial than ever in the event of a pandemic and other natural disasters brought on by climate change. Walk from door to door to visit with neighbors, deliver food or other necessities to those in need, or take a moment to pick up some trash on the nearby streets. It's good for your body, mood, and spirit, according to Carter.

• You can find things to improve it by walking.

If you're just starting to take a stroll around your neighborhood and are only now really taking in all that it has to offer, you can quickly learn that it can be a fruitful environment for spotting items that could use some improvement. Watch for trouble spots as you walk, such as a path that may use more lighting or a busy street that could use a nearby path or a crossing. Then, contact the chairwoman of your park district or your city council representative directly with requests for improvements. To discover if any of your neighbors have already reported the issue, you can also search online groups for your community, such as ones on Facebook or through Nextdoor.You can work together in this manner.

Adding a walk to your day can be a satisfying change from your regular routine, whether you're out on the streets to improve your neighborhood, increase your fitness, or calm your thoughts. Consider it a form of physical and mental self-care.

... Or the volume can be increased.

Any way you choose to walk counts as exercise. Lewis notes that it's helpful to establish your primary goal in advance. Leave the technology at home and slow down if your main goal is to unplug.

On the other hand, there are numerous methods to up the ante and transform daily strolls into a walking workout. You can also undertake walking-based intervals, such as walking faster for one minute, then slower for two, on repeat, in addition to hill training, as was indicated above. Jenna Stern, a Philadelphia-based trainer and the creator of the body-positive online fitness studio The Philosophy, advises putting on your favorite playlist and walking slowly during the verses and more quickly during the chorus. She says she discovered she was walking more after a running injury temporarily sidelined her early in the pandemic. Amshoff suggests using a weighted vest in addition to stopping every half-mile to perform bodyweight exercises.