Walking every day has become a part of my regular routine. With having the
Hubby at home because of the pandemic means we can exercise together and over
the last few months we've learned that the best time for our walk is a
morning, before we start work. It's been months now, and we've walked every
day apart from one or two when it was raining too much. A daily walk has many
benefits, including your mental health and weight loss, and today I'm sharing
more of those benefits with you.
10 Benefits Of A Daily Walk
1. Calorie Burning
It makes sense that if you get outside (or even on the treadmill) and do a
little exercise you'll burn calories. This will help weight loss and keep you
healthier. I walk roughly 4.2 miles most days which takes about one and a half
hours and in that time I burn roughly 450 calories - some of the meals I eat
are less than that!
I am overweight and losing weight will help me live a healthier lifestyle, if
I can do that without pushing myself too hard then I'm in.
A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world.
Paul Dudley White
2. Tone Your Legs
Toning your legs sounds like something you'd need a gym for, but actually if
you have a route with hills or have the treadmill inclined then your walks
will also tone your legs. The regular route I walk has lots of hills. I live
at the top of a steep bank and no matter which way I walk I go down a bank
first, which means I have to go back up on the way back. My regular route has
the hills spaced out so I don't have it all at one time. There's a long, steep
downwards hill first, then shorter and shallower upwards hills throughout the
walk until finally a slow shallow downwards walk towards my home.
In the months I've been walking I've watched my thick wobbly legs get more
defined and I can actually see the muscles when I move my feet up and down.
Once I've lost more weight the muscles will be even more defined.
3. Ease Joint Pain
Walking helps strengthen muscles that supports your joints and bones. It can
help if, for example, you're suffering from arthritis. The Hubby suffers with
joint pain and has to take pain killers whenever we want to walk, but it helps
keep his joints working rather than sitting down all the time and suffering. A
daily walk helps him stay healthy and eases some of the joint pain he may
otherwise get.
4. Strengthen Your Heart
Take a walk for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, and you can reduce your
risk for Coronary Heart Disease by 19% - according to Healthline. Exercise
that gets your heart pumping helps keep your heart healthy.
5. Energy Boost
At first you may not get an energy boost from walking daily, but eventually
you'll start to notice you have more energy as a result of going for a walk.
When I first started walking my regular route I couldn't see that I would ever
get more energy from it, but it happened. It sounds counter-intuitive but it's
true. I get up every day and go for a walk early in the morning and I'm
energised for the rest of the day.
6. Improve Your Sleep
This one makes more sense doesn't it? When you're tired from your walk you're
bound to sleep better. I struggle to sleep sometimes and it's when I go for a
long walk every day that I sleep better. I'm probably so worn out from all the
walking that I can't stay awake, but it does help. Fresh air every day,
getting my muscles moving, and getting my heart rate up, early in the morning
helps me relax at the end of the day.
7. Improve Your Mood
Whether you're storming about the house because everything is a mess, or
feeling low and want to shut yourself away, going out for a walk will really
help. The sun may be shining, or the clouds may be covering the sunlight but
either way being outdoors and getting a little exercise will improve your
mood. By going for a walk you're increasing oxygen levels flowing through your
body. Mood improving hormones are released by walking daily too.
8. Get Social
Enjoy walks with friends or your partner and you'll find yourself feeling
better. At a time when we've all spent time alone at home or isolated from our
social circles getting outdoors to do some exercise is a great way to
socialise - as long as it's not in a large group. The Hubby and I chat
constantly when we're walking, we talk about all kinds of things and cover a
variety of topics.
9. Creative Thought
A walk outdoors, along the canal or through the woods, will help improve your
creative thinking. For writers, like me, this can be a huge help. Sometimes my
head can feel blocked, like the creative juices can't get past something and
I'm stuck, but by going for a walk I get fresh air around my head and walk
where I'm surrounded by nature and this helps with my creativity. Whenever I'm
struggling I go for a walk.
In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.
John Muir
10. A Sense Of Achievement
One of the best things you can get from walking every day is a sense of
achievement, especially if you're not used to walking. Just 30 minutes a day
can help you live a healthier lifestyle and you can give yourself a high five
for that. In turn you'll improve your self-esteem because you are achieving
something.
I am not saying that it's easy to start a new routine, nor am I suggesting you
start walking every day if you can't manage it, but what I am saying is if you
try things will improve. It's not going to happen overnight, these
improvements will take time, but if you stick with it you'll start to notice
yourself feeling better. You'll have more energy, you'll feel happier.
When I get up in a morning to do my walk I complain. I don't want to do it,
but I know that by the time I'm finished (yes I'll be out of breath and my
muscles will ache) I'll be pleased with myself.
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