Or walk hills or stairs to increase muscle tone and burn more calories. For example, walk one block fast, two blocks slow, and repeat several times. Mix it up and improve your strength and stamina. If you can’t talk or catch your breath while walking, slow down. Keep your head lifted, abdominal muscles engaged and shoulders relaxed. If that doesn’t fit into your schedule, walk shorter distances more times each day.” Work up to walking for 30 minutes or more. Kalkhoff said, “Don’t worry about speed at first. If you’re out of shape, walking for 10 to 15 minutes is best to start. ![]() It’s best to wear layered clothing so you can cool off as your body temperature rises on your walk. Wear comfortable clothes and supportive shoes.Along with improved strength, walking can help you gain improved balance and flexibility.Īs you start a walking habit, here are some tips to follow: Walking is considered a weight-bearing activity that forces you to work against gravity, which helps strengthen your muscles and bones. Muscles and bones are both living tissues that get stronger with exercise. Those with the highest step count were 61 percent less likely to have obesity compared to women who walked the least. It’s something we look forward to doing together every day because it’s an easy way to connect and get out and enjoy our area’s scenery and do something healthy also.”Ī Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study found that every set of 1,000 steps taken daily over the course of nine years lowered the risk of obesity by 13 percent in middle-aged women. He walks every day with his wife and said, “At first we walked a short distance and now we walk three to four miles each day together, rain, shine, or snow. Walking with a friend or loved one also offers social interactions that can improve your mood.ĭr. Physical activity such as walking also reduces depression and anxiety and may serve as an effective prevention strategy for depression. Walking also improves blood flow to your brain, which improves sleep, memory, and the ability to think and learn. Since weight is a significant indicator for Type II Diabetes, walking decreases your risk of diabetes.” Lakes Regional Family Medicine physician Tom Kalkhoff, DO added, “Exercise, which includes walking, also increases your chances of maintaining your weight of even losing weight. It also helps your muscles absorb blood sugar, preventing it from building up in the bloodstream, which can last for hours or even days. They also said if you walk more than 12,000 steps per day, you can reduce your risk by nearly 90 percent.Ī 2017 study by the American Cancer Society found that walking decreases the risk for breast cancer and colon cancer in particular.Įxercise such as walking decreases your risk of diabetes because it lowers blood glucose levels and boosts your body’s sensitivity to insulin, countering insulin resistance. In a 2020 study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), researchers stated that people who walk between 4,000 and 8,000 steps a day can reduce their risk of death from heart disease by two-thirds. As your cardiovascular fitness improves, your heart muscle doesn’t have to work as forcefully to pump oxygen-rich blood through your body. Your heart becomes stronger with regular physical activity. ![]() According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), those of us that follow these guidelines may experience the following benefits: ![]() Walking can be done in bouts of at least 10 minutes at a time, and the daily goal is to reach about 10,000 steps. The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends we walk a minimum of 150 minutes each week, which is roughly 12 miles per week. It’s something nearly two-thirds of American adults do every day to some extent. Walking is the most commonly reported physical activity among US adults.
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