Walking: The Key to A Better Life

Try Googling “Is walking bad for me?” You won’t come up with much.  Instead, all the top articles are about how GOOD walking is for you and it’s not just physical.  There are many mental health benefits that come with it as well.  Some of the listed benefits are helping to lose/maintain a healthy body weight, lowers risks of diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, helps maintain and even strengthen muscles, reduces stress and lowers risks of depression, increases mood, improved sleep, increased longevity and better overall quality of life.  Walking is low impact so it’s easy on the joints so nearly everyone can do it and best of all…it’s free!

The CDC recommends getting 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week (like walking at a brisk pace) which equates to roughly 20-30 minutes per day for adults.  An easy way to determine if you’re at a brisk walk pace is by the talk test.  This consists of being able to carry on a conversation but being too out of breath to sing along to your favorite songs.  If 20-30 minutes a day seems like a stretch for you, just know that it doesn’t have to be completed all at once. 

There are several ways that you can incorporate walking into daily routines to help in achieving 150 minutes per week.  Some ways include walking to work instead of driving or park at the back of the parking lot, walk during lunch, go for a hike on the weekends, walk the dogs or even find and join a local walking group to help keep you motivated.  If you have trouble remembering how much you’ve done, several companies make fitness trackers that help monitor and keep track of your activity levels.  So, there’s really no excuse to not get your miles in.  If you’re a crazy person like me, kick it up and notch and throw on a weighted vest or a child on your back and dumbbells in your hand and get after it.  Walking really is the key to a happier, healthier you so get out and get to walking.