I really like to walk. In addition to being very beneficial for health, for me walking is the most effective way to relax after a hard day at work. This is a kind of meditation, only in a more active form. By walking, I get rid of all negative emotions, I get energized, and sometimes I even allow myself to dream…
I think this is one of the few emails in which I will not talk about contraindications. Walking is recommended for everyone, regardless of weather, age or physical condition. However, older people receive the most bonuses from walking.
It is no coincidence that walking is considered to be the best medicine for our body and soul. And indeed it is. But you also need to know that in order to enjoy the effects of walking, it must become a part of your lifestyle, a daily exercise. You need to start walking, like any other type of physical activity, gradually, over and over again increasing the pace, the distance, and time of training.
I could write a lot about the benefits of walking, because there are so many of them. However, in this article I decided to tell you about the positive effects of walking on the heart, joints and brain.
Let's start with the heart. Walking is a good way to prevent heart and vascular disease.
After 4-8 weeks of walking, as a daily physical activity, the cardiovascular system is restructured. It "adjusts" to a more economical operating mode:
- the pulse decreases;
- blood pressure drops;
- breathing improves.
It’s as if your heart is training and adapting to the fact that walking will become a part of its "life".
At the next stage, more pronounced changes occur. This can be seen from 2 months to 1 year of walking. It all depends on the individual characteristics of a person, gender, age, physical condition. During this period, with a change in the intensity of training, muscle mass increases, breathing significantly improves. Also, changes occur in the biochemical composition of the blood. In particular, the content of "bad" cholesterol decreases, blood clotting improves. At the same time, such impressive results can only be achieved with the help of daily exercise, and not "on a case-by-case basis."
Let's move on to the joints.
For a joint to work well, nutrients must be supplied to its cartilage in a timely manner. There are no blood vessels in the cartilage itself, so it receives nutrition from the surrounding tissues. And when we move, the blood supply increases. Walking is especially helpful in this regard. Do this for at least one hour a day and the risk of osteoarthritis will decrease.
All of you have probably seen people who walk, pushing off the ground with sticks. This Nordic walking is a healthy and safe sport that is often recommended for people with damaged joints.
With normal walking, a person uses about 60% of the muscles, and with Nordic walking – due to the work of the upper limbs – up to 90%. The load on the arms, neck and shoulders increases, and most importantly, it is evenly distributed, and not only on the lower segment of the body. That is why Nordic walking is safer when cartilage is damaged in the joints of the lower extremities.
After a few workouts, you will feel the following effect:
- the joint will work better, since the tone of the muscle fibers in the periarticular tissues will increase;
- the ability to move the injured joint will increase;
- the feeling of stiffness will become less pronounced.
So we’ve come to the brain.
Walking enhances the mental health of the brain. Here are some reasons why walking changes your brain for the better:
- Walking for 20 minutes a day reduces the risk of depression.
- Walking improves cognitive function in the brain. Taking daily walks systematically, we train the brain to respond faster, think sharper and more easily perceive new information.
- Those who walk a lot are able to feel more happiness and joy. Like other forms of exercise, walking encourages your brain to release endorphins, chemical compounds that enhance mental health, reduce sensitivity to stress and pain, and can even make you feel euphoric.
- Walking reduces mental fatigue.
- Walking improves memory. Systematic walking activates the hippocampus, which plays a critical role in the formation and storage of memories and associated feelings.
Why would you choose to walk? For heart, joint or brain health? Maybe going out for a walk you will find the answer. And if you find it, I will be glad if you share it with me.