Stay young, stay green, stay clean – keep walking (Part 2 of 4)

In continuation to the last post, I will continue listing some of the benefits of walking that we all need to remember from time to time. The best part about walking benefits is that we all know about these benefits but we often forget because we get extremely busy in our lives.
It is hence necessary that we keep remembering that walking is an extremely easy to do and useful activity that we must all indulge in from time to time.

1. Walking helps you reduce weight and stay healthy!

Weight loss is one of the most sought after things in the world. All over the planet people are searching for magical foods, super diet plans and the holy grail of them all medical pills that can help reduce weight. Although there are some not-traditional means that have shown some success, it is easy to notice that old school methods like consuming more calories than eating is still the only sure shot of achieving weight loss. In most cases, you have to consume roughly 5 per cent more calories than your input to lose weight. From a simple glance, it looks easy, but is that actually easy to achieve?

Have a look around you and see how many people in your circle are actually happy with their personal weight and you will find out that this task, despite looking very easy, is actually not very easy. The reasons are simple; there is a lot of great tasting food around but not too many avenues to burn those calories down. It is effective and easy but going to a gym regularly requires empty time slots along with some financial input every month which does not suit all people.

Walking steps in here – a cheap (literally free) alternative that is also not very difficult and almost possible for every single person. No matter what sort of personal shape you are in currently, you can start walking (the distance does not matter that much in the start anyways!). In terms of calorie burning, walking does not offer immense returns but once you have developed the basic stamina and skill to walk fast; you can burn as much as 200 calories in a walk roughly lasting 20 minutes. Once you have developed walking muscles, your calf muscles and your back muscles, you can increase the speed of at which you walk along with the distance to easily get extra benefits. The increased muscle mass also means that the fat will be burned faster and you will burn more calories once you get used to walking longer distances over higher speeds.

A great way to start getting back in shape!!

2. It can help you fight against mental & physical diseases!

Mental health is a topic that many people shy away from because of their fear about the disease. We do not possess a lot of knowledge about mental disease and most of the medication only works in certain cases. The increased problems of Dementia and Osteoporosis have been extremely dangerous for old people making living difficult for high age group segments. Currently, the statistics show that almost 8 per cent of people over the age of 65 are suffering from dementia and the problem becomes even more dangerous when the percentage rises to almost 20% for people over the age of 80.

The health benefits of an active lifestyle have been known to scientists and ordinary people alike but they become even more startling when statistics reveal that the probability of dementia goes down by almost 30 per cent for people who engage themselves in healthy activities. According to the reputable Age UK foundation, older people walking more than six miles per week are more capable of avoiding brain shrinkage than people who walk less than six miles. In order to preserve your memory, it is suggested to people that they should start walking more.
Not only that, a lot of problems related to joint pains can be eliminated by regular light walks. Dr. Benjamin (M.D and Medical Practitioner with over 20 years of health care experiences in renowned hospitals around the world) suggests that walking helps bones and joints become stronger and more capable of managing stress that comes with age. The stimulation and strengthening of bones mean that conditions like arthritis and regular joint pains that come with age can be better managed.

















Photo credit: Hernan Piñera / Foter / CC BY-SA