In this day and age, everyone would agree that exercise is beneficial for our wellbeing. Maybe some wouldn't consider walking an exercise since the word exercise is usually associated with the strenuous physical activity. Regardless of what would and wouldn't be considered exercise, experts agree that walking is beneficial if it is done on a regular basis. It is a good alternative for people who have injuries that prevent them from doing more demanding exercises, and for elderly people. One of the reasons why it is beneficial is that people are made for walking. We can walk for longer distances than any other animal.
Exercising is connected with a whole range of health benefits including reduced risk of heart disease, excess weight and obesity, type 2 diabetes, depression and anxiety, osteoporosis, low testosterone, impotence, stress, and many cancers. Walking can have the same effect if it is done regularly. For example, moderate walking (5 km/h, or 3.1 mph) can be done several times a day in short periods of 10 minutes each. In order to increase the health benefits, it is preferable to increase the intensity of the walking by increasing the speed of walking or the terrain.
The good thing about walking (besides the benefits) is that it can be toned to each individual according to their preference and the goals they want to achieve. Whether it is weight loss, doing a type of cardio to increase your overall stamina or to simply enjoy walking. Walking can be done on different surfaces, whether it is the local park, the nearest mountain, or even the neighborhood. The options are limitless. Some people prefer to do their walking on treadmills in the gyms. While itt is better than doing no exercise, it is not as good as regular walking because it is not as demanding.
If you are not doing any kind of physical activities, walking can be a sufficient substitute for it. It can be done in a way that doesn't feel like an exercise. Whether it is buying groceries or going to work or school, incorporating walking can be beneficial without having that feeling that you have to go to the gym and sweat. If you could maintain a speed of 4-6 km/h (2.5-3.7 mph) for about half an hour each day you can feel satisfied that you have done your exercise for the day.
Regular walking can protect against chronic disease. Due to the nature of walking, it has a very low-risk injury compared to other exercises. Sometimes walking can be almost as challenging as other types of anaerobic exercises. It can be done on surfaces with a high incline for better results. To make things more challenging, a person can add a weight vest while walking. Walking over long distances is a challenging exercise as well. It can burn a lot of calories, but it takes much more time than running.
Compared to the past, now people walk much less than their ancestors did. That is mostly due to the development of new technologies that have made life much easier for everyone, thereby removing the need to travel by foot. Walking has always been an intrinsic part of every human, because it was the only means of travel for many centuries. The human body was shaped by nature to walk for extremely long distances.
In a study which simulated life in the early colony of Sydney, researchers showed that people walked 4-6 hours a day. Of course, in this day and age, no one would spend that much time walking because it takes up a lot of time, but scientist suggests that in order to decrease the chance of dying by 20%, walking for about 56 minutes or running for 16 minutes a day is enough. As the scientist in the field suggests, taking up walking has many benefits, and unlike other sports, you don't need to buy equipment to do it.
