Walking regularly leads to many health benefits. A university of Tennessee study found that women who walked daily had less body fat compared to those who didn’t. It reduces the risk of blood clots, as the calf acts as a venous pump that contracts and pumps blood from the feet and legs back to the heart. This reduces the load on the heart. From most of the exercises, walking is one of the easy aerobic exercises, and benefits in many other ways.
Walking helps prevent heart diseases, increases the heart rate, reduces the blood pressure and
strengthens the heart. Women with Post-menopausal, by walking one or two miles a day can reduce blood pressure by nearly eleven points in 24 weeks. Women who walk minimum 30 minutes a day can reduce the risk of stroke by 20% to 40%, according to research at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.
Michael A Schwartz MD of Plancher Orthopaedics and sports medicine in New York stated, walking can reduce the loss of bone mass for those who are facing Osteoporosis. In fact, studies have shown Post-menopausal women found that walking 30 minutes each day reduces the hip fracture by 40%.
Walking releases natural painkilling endorphins into the body, this being one of the emotional benefits of exercise. It has been shown, an individuals mood is uplifted with the increase in the steps taken during the day.
A burning of 200 calories can be achieved by a simple 30 minutes brisk walk over time. Walking
tones your leg, abdominal muscles and even arm muscles if you pump them as you walk. This
increases your range of motion, shifting the pressure and weight from your joints to your muscles. Men between the ages of 71 and 93 who walk more than a quarter of a mile per day had half the incidence of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease than those who walked less. This research was conducted by the university of Virginia Health system in Charlottesville.
A study published in the journal of clinical outcomes management found that people who are older than the age of 65 and have symptomatic OA, Aerobic walking and resistance exercise programs may reduce the incidence of disability activities.
