Walking to Wellbeing

Going for a walk may seem like a really simple thing to do but on a dull day when you may be feeling a little flat, it could be the best thing that you can do for your mind and body

The Benefits

In terms of overall benefits, walking is an excellent form of exercise. It not only helps to increase fitness levels but it also helps to increase bone density and tone the muscles in the lower body. It’s also much cheaper than going to the gym and walking is easier to fit into your day than other forms of exercise. In terms of overall benefits, walking is an excellent form of exercise.

Other benefits also include:

  • Increased cardiovascular and pulmonary fitness
  • Reduced risk of heart disease and stroke
  • Improved management of conditions such as hypertension, high cholesterol, joint and muscular pain and diabetes
  • Stronger bones and improved balance
  • Increased muscle strength and endurance
  • Reduced body fat
  • Alleviation of depression and fatigue
  • Improved endurance, circulation and posture

Studies have shown that a daily walk can reduce the risk of a stroke and can also reduce the number of days spent in hospital overall each year. The British Journal of Sports Medicine also found that those that maintained a walking programme showed significant improvements to their blood pressure, a slowing of their resting heart rate, a reduction of their body fat and body weight, reduced cholesterol, improved depression scores together with a better quality of life and increased measures of endurance.

Walking has also been shown to increase creative output. Researchers call this type of creativity ‘divergent thinking’.

According to one Stanford University study ‘walking opens up the free flow of ideas, and is a simple and robust solution to the goals of increasing both creativity and physical activity’. It isn’t only our creativity that will benefit, as the act of walking is also proven to help with mental health. It’s been shown that just twelve minutes of walking can result in an increase in mood, attentiveness and self-confidence versus the same time spent sitting down. Walking in nature, specifically, was found to reduce us reflecting on negative experiences, which in turn decreases activity in the brain associated with negative emotions and reduces the risk of depression.

Walking Myths Busted

  1. You must walk 20,000 steps a day: If you are starting off then it is better to start with shorter distances than to elevate your heart rate. Breaking up 30 minutes of walking into 10-15 minute instalments can lower your risk of blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, which are all risk factors for heart disease and strokes.
  2. You won’t lose weight by walking: Mixing up your walking routine by walking at different speeds, with perhaps an incline, can burn off approximately 20% more calories than walking at a set pace.
  3. Small increases in walking won’t benefit my health: Walking an additional 2,000 steps a day, even if your current step count is low, can help to lower your body mass index and boost insulin sensitivity, which allows the body to use blood glucose more effectively.
  4. Walking is bad for the joints: Bone and cartilage health are maintained through loading the joints, so walking can be an effective strategy in aiding joint health. Walking is also a really low impact exercise, so puts minimal pressure on your joints in comparison to exercises like running or weight training.

Walk That Way

Improving your walking technique

  1. Try to walk with an upright posture with your shoulders back and down slightly. This will help you to breathe more efficiently. You should not feel any tension in your neck or shoulders.
  2. Walk with a natural and relaxed arm action and allow your shoulders to rotate forwards and backwards as you move.
  3. The muscles around our hips and pelvis contribute to our posture and muscle tightness. It is therefore important to stretch and use products (such as muscle massage gels) to help ease any muscle tightness after particularly long or strenuous walks.