Walking Secrets: Health Benefits of Walking
Posted on June 19, 2008
Filed Under Life, Health
Walking is a suitable physical activity for many people. Walkers have less incidence of cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other killer diseases. They live longer and get mental health and spiritual benefits.
Walking is low impact, require minimum equipment, can be done at any time of day and can be performed at your own pace. Walking is also a great form of physical activity for people who are overweight, elderly or those who haven’t exercised in a long time.
Find out about the many health benefits of walking:
- Walking Improved Memory. Studies of senior citizens who walk regularly showed
significant improvement in memory skills compared to sedentary elderly people. Walking also improved their learning ability, concentration, and abstract reasoning. Stroke risk was cut by 57% in people who walked as little as 20 minutes a day.
- Walking strengthens your heart. In one study, mortality rates among retired men who walked less than one mile per day were nearly twice that among those who walked more than two miles per day. Women in the Nurse’s Health Study (72,488 female nurses) who walked three hours or more per week reduced their risk of a heart attack or other coronary event by 35% compared with women who did not walk.
- Walking is good for your brain. Extensive research suggests that walking may improve cognitive functioning, especially later in life. The benefits of physical activity include increased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), stimulation of neurogenesis, increased resistance to brain insults, and improved learning and mental performance.
- Walk and lose weight. Walking is aerobic exercise. It keeps you fit and it helps you take off extra weight and keep it off. Obesity has become an epidemic among Americans; it is especially troubling that so many American children are now overweight or obese. Numerous studies have shown that lack of exercise is a major factor.
- Walking helps alleviate symptoms of depression. Walking for 30 minutes, three to five
times per week for 12 weeks reduced symptoms of depression as measured with a standard depression questionnaire by 47%.
- Diabetes risk lowered by walking. Physical activity has been clearly associated with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. Numerous studies have linked reduction in the risk of developing diabetes in high-risk individuals with weight loss and 150 minutes per week of moderate-paced physical activity.
- Walking reduce cancer. There is strong evidence that physical activity reduces the risk of colon cancer by up to 50%. Physical activity, in the form of walking 30 minutes daily, may also reduce the risk of lung cancer in men, as well as breast and prostate cancer.
- Walking is good for your bones. Research shows that postmenopausal women who walk approximately one mile each day have higher whole-body bone density than women who walk shorter distances, and walking is also effective in slowing the rate of bone loss from the legs.
Conclusion: There is compelling and clear evidence of both the dangers of inactivity and the health benefits of physical activity. As little as 30 minutes of fast walking most days of the week can have profound, beneficial effects.
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2 Responses to “Walking Secrets: Health Benefits of Walking”
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Good info. Thanks for the STUMBLE.
Blessings,
L
http://practicallyathome.blogspot.com
Great pointers. I try to get a one mile walk in every single day of the week. It’s such an easy way to inject some extra exercise into your routine.