Surprising Reasons Why Walking 10,000 Steps Daily Is Good For You
Are you keen on trying different weight loss regime? Why not try walking 10,000 steps a day?
If you’re working 8 to 12 hours a day in front of your computer, walking is a great way to be active and break free from the long hours of sitting. Walking 10,000 steps provide a lot of benefits that you may not be aware of:
Walking develops muscles.
When you indulged in physical fitness, your muscles undergo tearing. You don’t have to panic because your muscle will grow back to become firmer and stronger.
Walking strengthens your bones.
Not only your muscles will become stronger through walking, but your bones will be strengthened too. During walking, your bones improve its density, which will help you fight osteoporosis later in life.
Walking strengthens your muscles and heart.
When you walk regularly, the amount of oxygenated blood sent to the muscles improves. The muscles are able to do its job to contract, pump and relax with enough oxygen. The more blood circulating through exercise, the more oxygen and blood will be sent to the different parts of the body and more waste will be picked for excretion. Moreover, walking regularly is good for the heart because the risk of developing heart disease, such as stroke, hypertension and atherosclerosis is reduced. Walking is a good cardio exercise that increases the HDL (good cholesterol) and decreases the LDL (bad cholesterol). Brisk walking for at least 30 minutes reduces high blood pressure risk up to 27 percent, according to the Stroke Association.
Walking lowers risk of developing other diseases.
Walking eliminates the risk of developing cancer of the womb, breast and colon by 20 percent and the risk of type 2 diabetes by approximately 60 percent.
Walking improves the lungs.
Exercise like walking improves your muscles and lungs. The more oxygen is inhaled during exercise, the more the lungs works efficiently.
Walking reduces risk of dementia.
Dementia occurs in 1 in 14 people over the age of 65, and 1 in six over 80 years of age. Studies have shown that walking 6 miles or more weekly eliminates the possibility of brain shrinkage and memory loss as people get older.
Walking gives you energy.
You need to have good reserves of energy to do your everyday job and routine. Walking regularly improves circulation and delivers more oxygen and nutrients into your cells, which in turn helps you to become more alert and active. If you feel sluggish during office hours, walk during lunch break to bring you more energy.
Walking tones your tummy, bum and legs.
“Walking helps to drain the lower legs of excess fluid and can help prevent varicose veins through the pumping action of the calf muscles,” according to Marcus Davis, an osteopath with the Harley Street Back Centre in London. It helps you to trim the fats in your bum and tummy and helps them to become firmer.
Walking improves vitamin D.
You can only get vitamin D naturally when you go outside. Walking helps you to absorb the vitamin, which is crucial for calcium absorption. In turn, your bones will become stronger.
Walking helps in weight loss.
People having a hard time to lose weight will surely shed off pounds through walking. Power walking has the capacity to burn the same amount of calories as running and jogging.
Walking is good for your spine.
Long hours of driving, sitting or working on computers can put pressure on your spinal cord. Walking is an ideal form of exercise that is better than running as it is not strenuous as other exercises. It puts less pressure on your discs.
Walking relieves stress, depression and anxiety.
Just like other exercises, walking improves the mood. Research has shown that brisk walking is effective in treating mild to moderate depression, anxiety and stress. Walking helps release endorphins, a feel good hormone.
Celine Powells is a yoga enthusiast, fitness instructor and writer. She believes that walking is an important exercise that provides a lot of benefits for the mind and body. Celine manages a gym for yoga beginners as well as aerobics, zumba and other fitness regimen. Check blog here.
