By Jeffrey J. Davis
Running isn’t for everyone. I do believe, though, everyone should find that one thing that they enjoy and is a positive release from the stress and drama that comes with living. We all need that quiet place where we can be free and the mind can be clear. This is one key to wellness and a key to happiness.
Since running isn’t for everyone, what is the alternative? Walking! As simple as it may seem, walking is very beneficial when done consistently and with sufficient duration. There are several benefits to walking daily (http://www.rodale.com/benefits-walking?page=0%2C7):
- It deflects diabetes. New research links brisk walking to a significant risk reduction for developing Type II Diabetes.
- It soups up your sex life. Sex and exercise go hand-in-hand.
- It saves you on gym costs. In this economy, people are cutting excesses, and that includes trips to the health club. In an American Heart Association survey, a quarter of the 1,000 people questioned had cut their gym memberships sometime in the previous six months. But no matter where you live, there’s a place you can pound the pavement or trek a trail, and 150 minutes of moderate-intensity walking a week can help manage stress and prevent heart disease. Moderate walking equals an average of about 100 steps per minute.
- It can get you off meds. Using data from the National Walkers’ Health Study, including more than 32,000 women and 8,000 men, researchers found that those who took the longest weekly walks, not necessarily accumulated the most mileage per week, were more likely to use less medication.
- It can help fade fibromyalgia pain. This chronic condition affects more than 4 percent of the population, and often involves pain, fatigue, and brain fog. A small study found that in women 32 to 70 years old, those who walked 60 minutes, performed light exercises, and stretched three times a week for 18 weeks reported significant improvements in walking and mental capacity, and were less tired and depressed.
- It helps you beat breast cancer. Women who walk regularly after being diagnosed with breast cancer have a 45 percent greater chance of survival than those who are inactive, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
- Strolling reduces stroke risk. Walking briskly for just 30 minutes, five days a week can significantly lower your risk of suffering a stroke, according to University of South Carolina researchers.
- It can save your mind. Italian researchers enlisted 749 people suffering from memory problems in a study and measured their walking and other moderate activities, such as yard work. At the four-year follow-up, they found that those who expended the most energy walking had a 27 percent lower risk of developing dementia than the people who expended the least. This could be the result of physical activity’s role in increasing blood flow to the brain.
Now you see how much walking can improve your life? Daily activity beats non-activity any day of the week. This is a clear example of less is more and as the old saying goes, “a rolling stone gathers no moss”. Let’s get moving and keep going daily. When you look back years from now, you will be glad you did.