1. Walking provides benefits to the brain
According to a 2010 study, adults who walked for 40 minutes three times a week for a year exhibited growth in the hippocampus region of the brain.
This region is associated with spatial memory. This means that the simple act of walking a few times a week helps improve brain function, preventing Alzheimer’s and dementia with advancing age.
2. Gives energy
Fatigued people experience a great improvement in their quality of life when they incorporate light exercise such as walking into their routine.
Unlike fast, intense shots that can sometimes make you more tired and hungry, walking is an exercise that lubricates your joints and energizes your entire body without stressing or exhausting.
3. Combat depression
A 1999 study compared the effects of exercise, the antidepressant drug Zoloft, and a combination of the two in a moderately depressed adult.
The results showed that, while medication reduced depression symptoms more quickly, constant exercise, such as walking , was more efficient in the long run.
It also proved that after 16 weeks there were no significant differences in the rates of depression between groups. After ten months, those who exercised without medication had significantly lower rates of depression than the other two groups.
Even without being depressed, walking can improve your mood as well as stimulate your creativity.
4. Improves sleep quality
Walking increases levels of serotonin , the hormone of happiness , which relaxes your body. The help in the circulation of blood and lymph nodes makes the practitioner feel more alert and awake.
Those who practice physical exercise have less difficulty falling asleep, ending up having a deeper and more restful sleep. The other good news is that during the night there is a peak in the production of GH, a growth hormone, which plays a fundamental role in the cell renewal process and in the building of muscles.
5. Prevents cardiovascular disease
Physical exercise strengthens the heart muscle and relaxes the vessels, decreasing pressure. According to a study by the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory , in the United States, a moderate walk is as efficient as a jog for the cardiovascular system. By controlling pressure, the practice also helps prevent strokes and heart attacks.
6. Work the muscles
As the foot ends up having more contact with the ground whenever it walks, the contraction time of the leg muscles is longer. This means that the body is more defined in some areas, such as the glutes, abdomen and calves.
7. Controls cholesterol and diabetes
For those who walk frequently, the possibility of having high cholesterol decreases by 4.3%, not to mention that the habit stimulates the production of good cholesterol, HDL.
It also helps those with diabetes due to the greater circulation of blood in the organs and the stimulation of activities in the pancreas and liver, increasing the production of insulin, a substance responsible for the absorption of glucose in the body. Exercise also lowers glucose levels, helping insulin action in the body.
8. Fights osteoporosis
Just 30 minutes of walking , three times a week, works wonders for preventing and treating bone thinning.
Recent research points to a link between aerobic exercise and increased bone density. According to George Kelley, from the Boston General Hospital Health Institute, in the United States, the practice of regular exercise showed a 2% increase in bone mass.
9. It is beneficial in pregnancy
The walk is considered an ideal exercise for pregnant women because it is simple and not burdening your knees. It can be done, at different levels of effort, throughout pregnancy and helps to alleviate some of the more annoying symptoms of pregnancy, such as swelling of the feet and high blood pressure.
However, it should be noted that medical follow-up when deciding to start walking is essential.
10. Walking slims yes!
Lastly and not least or most importantly, walking slims down. If the person is not a practitioner, the extra physical activity will demand a greater caloric burn from the body, burning fat.