If Your Dog is Fat...Maybe You Both Could Use a Walk...Walking is a Super Drug!
One of the first Healthy Habits I challenge clients to build is a daily walking habit. You can start at any level that makes sense for your current health reality, and then, over time, we gradually add more and more steps to your routine until you reach 10,000 steps a day or even more, and if you run, the possibilities are endless!
Walking is a foundational Habit and Creates Healthy Motion because it has many rewards. It’s safe and accessible, doable for almost everyone, even if they have not exercised in many years, and it burns calories while unlocking several benefits that are powerful but easy to underestimate.
Here are 6 reasons why walking is a wonder drug:
Lowers your risk for depression, a reward consistent across all forms of exercise, and when did anyone ever regret a walk or any other type of exercise? No matter how much you procrastinate, you never regret taking that walk.
It reduces your need for specific medications, also a reward for all that healthy walking, but one you should talk to your healthcare provider about before making any changes in prescribed medications.
Reduces breast cancer risk by 30% and increases survival rates by 70% motion creating a plethora of good endorphins in the body.
It lowers blood pressure and prevents injury to your cardiovascular system by keeping blood vessels open and flexible, reduces stress, and it just plain feels good!
It increases survival rates from heart attacks by up to 80%, according to the American Heart Association, and not to mention it keeps our bones healthy and our legs strong.
Walking Could potentially lower your risk of dementia by as much as 25-50% In addition to keeping the rest of the body strong and working for longevity in motion.
Remember, walking is a part of the Healthy System and Creates Magical Moments, which means your steps should come from your daily routine and your scheduled exercise. Your choice of finding excuses to walk more often–such as parking farther from the door or taking the stairs instead of the elevator–you can rack up hundreds of steps without it ever feeling like a workout.
Just 15 to 30 minutes of scheduled exercise at a time, you can use a walking program to elevate your heart rate and build your fitness. Because you’re walking, you can safely control your excursion speed and avoid the injuries that often plague well-meaning individuals who jump from the couch into an intensely tricky workout program.
The opportunities for creating health don’t stop there, though. The accessibility of walking means that you can do it with a friend, your pets, or even the elderly neighbor's pets, building bonds and relationships. You can also do it outside in nature, unlocking the wealth of physical and mental rewards that come from being out in the sun, beautiful landscaping, a simple country road surrounded by trees.
Echo Laymon Pelster-Motivational Keynote Speaker 🐝Lifestyle, Mindset & Empowerment Coach For Lasting Weight Loss 🐝Best Selling Author 🐝Practice Management Specialist For Weight Loss Professionals🐝Certified Health & Nutrition Coach🐝Author of The Twisted Love of Food Addiction.