Walking For Health - Part 2 - Health Plus Digest

Don’t be surprised that you’ll be able to easily solve more problems while you’re out on your walk or develop an answer to a pressing problem. Many people also find that they remember things they’ve been struggling to remember for days as the blood begins to flow through your arteries and feed your brain.

According to the Mayo Clinic, a brisk walk will help you maintain a healthy weight, help prevent or manage a variety of health conditions, strengthen your bones, lift your mood and improve your balance and coordination. (1) Each of those benefits will only help you to enjoy your life more and more each day.

To improve your health you’ll want to be sure that you are walking at a brisk pace, with your head held high and your shoulders back. Take care to be relaxed in your upper body and allow it to move easily. Swing your arms freely, tighten your stomach slightly to protect your lower back and strike the ground with your heels first.

In findings by the National Walkers’ Health Study, researchers revealed some interesting information about how we walk and who is gaining the most benefit from the exercise. According to their results those who walked slowest (2 miles per hour) had the highest death rates, while those who walked at a brisk pace were much lower. (2)

The takeaway is that intensity matters, even when you are walking!

References:

(1) MayoClinic: Walking: Trim your Waistline, Improve Your health

http://www.mayoclinic.org/walking/art-20046261

(2) National Runners Health Study and national Walkers’ Health Study

http://atvb.ahajournals.org/content/suppl/2013/04/04/ATVBAHA.112.300878.DC2/ATV201776_Supplemental_Material1.pdf

Resources:

MayoClnic: Get Walking with this 12-week Walking Schedule

http://www.mayoclinic.org/walking/art-20050972

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: More People Walk to Better Health

http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/Walking/

Walking for Health