When I was walking Chip the other day with one of my friends, we got talking about all the health benefits we feel we gain from walking, as well as the positive effect walking has on our mental health and our sense of well-being.
When I was in my 20’s and 30’s I was teaching a strenuous programme of fitness classes, back-to-back Body Pump and Combat, Dance, Aerobics and Step classes, teaching most evenings and sometimes 7 days a week. At the time I thought I was at my fittest, even though I was COMPLETELY exhausted and never felt particularly energized or healthy.
Now my fitness regime consists of the occasional bike ride, daily Pilates and walking Chip twice a day and I can honestly say I feel healthier and fitter, both physically and mentally, than I ever did back then.
One of the top benefits of walking is that it’s free!!! And if like me you love being outdoors, there are so many gorgeous walks with beautiful scenery and gorgeous views all around us which can’t help but promote a sense of well-being. I’ve recently started using an app called Alltrails and have found loads of walks I never knew existed right on my doorstep. Why not check it out??
I’m not saying walking is BETTER than other forms of exercise, but I do want to point out that it is an extremely effective physical activity and can be very much underestimated. It is something you can enjoy at any age and any fitness level. Even if to begin with you just walk around your garden or to the end of the road and back, it is something you can easily fit in to your daily routine.
BURNS CALORIES
Walking burns calories, but how many will depend on factors such as how fast and how far you walk. The terrain, as walking uphill will be much harder than walking on a flat surface, and other factors such as your age and weight. This is all easily tracked on devises such your smartphone or a fit-bit.
Temperature should also be a consideration, and whenever you are walking you need to stay hydrated, but particularly if you are out on a warm or hot day.
STRENGTHENS THE HEART
Walking increases your cardio vascular and your lung fitness and walking for at least 30 minutes a day is said to reduce the risk of Coronary Heart Disease by 19%. It can also help to lower blood sugar levels (as you exercise your muscles use more glucose, which is the sugar in your blood stream, it also makes the insulin in your body work better), blood pressure (regular physical activity makes your heart stronger and a stronger heart can pump more blood with less effort. If your heart can work less to pump, the force on your arteries decreases, lowering your blood pressure) and also lowers cholesterol.
EASES JOINT PAIN
Because walking is a low-impact exercise it is less stressful on our joints. Walking increases the blood flow to cartilage, helping to cushion our joints. As the leg muscles strengthen, they support the knees and hips, the joints are more protected, and pain and stiffness decrease.
Walking uses some of the biggest muscles in our body, the quadriceps and hamstrings, the gluteal (buttock) muscles, and abdominals, as well as muscles of the lower leg, our pelvic stabilisers and even muscles in our back, our arms and shoulders. I will be talking more about the muscles used in walking in a later post.
IMPROVES YOUR ENERGY LEVELS AND YOUR MOOD
Sometimes going for a walk when you are tired or feeling low is the last thing you feel like doing, but, because walking increases your oxygen flow, it can also increase levels of the hormones, cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine that boost your energy levels. And walking also boosts the release of our happy hormones such as Serotonin, Dopamine, Oxytocin and Endorphins reducing stress and anxiety and depression and increasing our self esteem, promoting positivity, pleasure and happiness.
ENHANCES CREATIVITY
We may have become a nation of fit-bit wearing, step counting, Strava junkies and yes I do occasionally like to record my walks to see what distance and how many hours I’ve walked, or how many steps or what calories I’ve burned, and I can get really cross if I have forgotten to track. But… whether we’ve recorded it or not, we’ve still done it, so it still counts. Although I have to say … I try my hardest NOT to be on my phone when I’m walking, I don’t text and I don’t really want to speak to anyone on the phone when I’m walking either. Walking Chip, is my ME time, where I have the head space to think more clearly, my ideas are more free flowing and I am at my most creative. And this is also true if I am walking with a friend. I find my best ideas come from great conversation and bouncing off other peoples energy.
If you need a bit of an encouragement to start walking, why not enlist a friend and make it a bit of an occasion. Tim and I love to do a Sunday morning breakfast walk. Every week we head off for 5-6 miles with some coffee and bacon and egg sandwiches and even a packed breakfast for Chip!! And I know loads of you who love to meet up with friends to walk and chat and arranging to have lunch or tea and cake afterwards, which is a brilliant incentive.
So whether you are hard core and can cover miles and miles in one day, perhaps in a rambling or walking group, love walking your dog or simply enjoy a gentle stroll, there are masses of good reasons why walking is good for you. So pop on a pair of comfortable walking shoes and get out in that fresh air.
As always I love to hear from you and I would love you to share some of your favourite walks with me. So please do get in touch
Thank you for reading
xx
