Walking is one of the activities we all perform daily, but few people recognize its benefits. Fewer still understand the profound importance of walking and make a conscious effort to increase their step count.
In today’s post, we’ll go over the activity, its benefits, and why you should walk more each day.
What Benefits Does Walking Offer?
A notable benefit of walking is that it improves your metabolic and cardiovascular health. Despite appearing effortless, walking is a form of physical activity that can raise your heart rate, promote fat-burning, and elevate your calorie expenditure.
Another benefit of walking is that it can promote weight loss. As briefly stated above, walking boosts your calorie expenditure, making it easier to establish and maintain the necessary calorie deficit for weight loss. For reference, the average person can burn up to 400 calories from walking 10,000 steps.
The third notable benefit of walking is that it strengthens your muscles and improves your bone mineral density. As a result, you become more functional, improve how you look and are at a lower risk of fractures.
Another critical benefit of walking is that it gets you going, boosts your energy levels, makes you more creative, and clears your head. Many notable people, including Steve Jobs, have gone on long walks as a form of active meditation and to promote creativity. The next time you feel stuck on a problem, why not go for a short walk? It might be precisely what you need.
What Makes Walking So Great?
Walking is fantastic for various reasons. One thing that distinguishes walking from other activities is its accessibility and simplicity. You don’t need special equipment, impressive fitness capacity, or a lot of free time. All you have to do is put on comfortable shoes and walk.
You can go for a walk in the park, take a stroll during your lunch break, or simply include more walking into your life:
- Take the stairs
- Park your car farther from your destination and walk the remaining distance
- Get off the bus one stop earlier and walk to where you need to be
- Walk instead of driving around for errands
How to Start Walking More: 2 Simple Steps
- Download a Step-Counting App
The first step to walking more is downloading a simple step-counting app and setting a daily goal. You can start with something less challenging, such as 3,000 or 5,000 steps, gradually increasing it to 7,000 to 10,000 per day.
- Identify Three Times Of Day Where You Can Sneak Some Walking In
The next step is to set specific goals for when and where you’ll be walking each day. Doing so is beneficial for ensuring consistency and increasing the chances of hitting your daily step goals.
For instance:
- Walk to work or school in the morning
- Take a 15-minute walk during your lunch break
- Take a short walk after dinner
Everyone is different, and you should look at your schedule to determine where you might sneak some steps in.