Why You Should Walk Every Day
By Genevieve Smith
You don’t always have to hit the gym hard to get a good workout. Health research suggests that taking a brisk walk for a half-hour a day makes a significant impact on mood and health. The sunshine and exploring associated with a daily walk benefits both your mental and physical state positively. Let's take a look at some of the research!
Why to Get Outside
The benefit of walking is that it’s low impact and approachable for those sustaining injury. It’s an opportunity to clock in some time with Vitamin D-providing sunshine, and a chance to get a little sightseeing checked off the list. Many cite walking as a way to clear their minds, a chance to reset. As Rumi wrote it: "Beauty surrounds us, but usually we need to be walking in a garden to know it." Who could argue with a poet whose words have lasted over eight centuries? The research backs up a nice handful of reasons to get out and get walking.
It stirs up creative thinking - Convergent and divergent thinking, the kinds linked to the creative process, are stimulated by walking. Next time you’re stuck on a problem or just looking to get a fresh perspective, tie up those laces and head out into the garden.
It lifts the spirits - Studies have found depression to be successfully combatted by daily walks. Research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found about 65 percent of patients to be lifted out of depression by the end of the study, thanks to walking each day.
It feeds your metabolism - Get the heart pumping to combat high blood pressure, and even reverse the effects of a sedentary lifestyle. Regularly taking time to briskly walk will help sideline the onset of heart disease or diabetes by keeping your cardiovascular system working and body weight in a stable place.
It lengthens your life expectancy - Regardless of body weight, science finds that daily exercise adds years to your life for all the reasons listed above. Who could argue with that?
Walking gets you sweating, gets you thinking, and gets you exploring. It’s tangible for most, thanks to being low impact and devoid of any special needs for gear. Pop on a pair of supportive shoes and sun protection, and you’re good to go!
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Salem, N.H.