11 benefits of brisk walking
Walk for a healthy body
Walking is one of the easiest ways to stay fit. You may have a busy life, but try and introduce physical activity in your life. A moderate dose of physical exercise for 30 minutes (if you can’t manage that much, even 15 minutes is okay to begin with) a day is enough to keep you healthy. This form of aerobic fitness can lift your mood, make you physically fit, and improve the quality of your life.
Before you start
Wear the right pair of walking shoes and comfortable clothes. Also remember to carry and drink water while you walk, to hydrate yourself. Walk for 15-20 minutes for the first three days, and then gradually increase the time. You can use a pedometer to count the steps you take.
Walk your way to a healthy heart
Walking can lower your cholesterol levels and decrease the risks for cardiovascular diseases. It can also strengthen your heart, muscles and lungs. A strong heart with an increased heart rate is able to carry more blood to the rest of your body. Brisk walking every day lets you burn up to 200 calories and reduces body fat.
Cuts your risk of hypertension and diabetes
According to a study, regular walking improves the BMI (body mass index) and blood pressure levels in people with diabetes. Allowing muscle movement leads to more use of glucose by the muscle cells. This also involves utilization of more insulin, which improves blood sugar levels. Low blood pressure levels can also protect against kidney failure, heart attack and stroke.
Reduces risks and effects of cancer
Research shows that in colon cancer, a speedy walk can give less time to the carcinogens present in the food to come in touch with the intestinal lining and reduce the risks of having cancer from the start itself. With improved blood circulation, walking brings in positive energy within the body and therefore lessens the side effects of chemotherapy.
Protect against miscarriages
Despite the several body changes during pregnancy, regular walking can benefit you in many ways. It can reduce fatigue and related pains, help lose weight easily, and lower risks of gestational diabetes. Walking can also prevent spontaneous abortions by lowering down the hormonal fluctuations which cause uterine contractions.
Walk for better sexual health
A regular habit of brisk walking can improve your performance in bed. Walking two miles a day boosts blood circulation which cuts down on the risk of impotency. You can be healthy and fit, and need not rely on medicines to keep your love life active.
Rejuvenate your mind and spirit
Walking benefits not just your body but also your mind. Brisk walking helps ease stress and anxiety, reduces depression and imparts a positive kick-start to your day. It improves your self-esteem, charges up the mood and helps to keep you energetic, positive and happy throughout the day.
Manage extra kilos
Proper exercise coupled with a nutritious diet can help to burn calories which would otherwise end up as fat. You can burn up to 100 kcal of energy by walking a mile and for every two miles you walk, three times per week, you are guaranteed to lose 0.5 kg every month. With a habit of brisk walking 45 minutes a day, a slimmer waistline will not remain a distant dream.
Improves brainpower
Walking stimulates the blood flow, and provides oxygen to the brain. This leads to improved functioning of the brain and better ability to recall. Besides, a moderate dose of physical activity is also known to lower the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in seniors.
Add years to your life
Exercising can add to longevity. Thirty minutes of daily physical activity is said to extend your life by 1.3 years. More importantly, it can keep you fit by preventing, or delaying, the onset of age-related conditions such as osteoarthritis. Walking with peers can also cheer you up and motivate you.
Last word: Consult your doctor
If you happen to suffer from any condition, and intend to start walking, it is always better to consult your doctor first. Discuss whether you need to take any precautions and follow his suggestions about whether you should go for brisk walk, and also how you should go about it.
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Tags: Blood sugar, Body mass index, fitness, Health, Muscle, Physical exercise
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[...] I usually walk for about an hour and a half at a very brisk pace. Based on the data at CalorieCount, by doing this I burn 400-450 calories. That is roughly enough to burn the extra calories I take in during lunch and coffee breaks. Other than calories being burned, SifyHealth lists 11 benefits one can obtain from walking in this article. [...]
Nursing Degree Online
Very efficiently written post. It will be useful to anybody who usess it, including myself. Keep doing what you are doing – i will definitely read more posts.
What is brisk walking,What difference between morning/evening walk & brisk walking
Dear Brisk walk is nothing It means to walk so fast so that your heart beat goes 120/min in morning or evening any time.
but i will suggest you to brisk walk in morning time, additional when go for brisk walk swing your hand freely that will help your blood to circulate so fast and produce sweat and your body will loose hat sweat. so brisk walk is nothing just to walk on a high speed.
Thanks Neel
Reply to Rajesh,
Usually a brisk walk is considered enough effort walking to raise your heart rate to about 120 beats per minute. A good measure of this is you should be walking fast enough that you can’t sing, but slow enough you can still talk. Sounds strange, but it works. Try it next time you go for a hike.
In simple –> if you walk 1 km distance in 10 minutes then this is brisk walk.
There is no difference betwwen morning/evening walk.
1) The quality of the air will be fresher in the morning and evening time
2) Weather/Temperature. It will be cooler in both time
3) The pace of the environment. It will be more relaxing and calmer in the evening.
Because everyone is rushing for work in the morning.
Otherwise both are good for your health.
Jatinder Singh
A daily walk is essential for your body. You need to give it a start. As suggested in the website, begin with 15 mins and then increase it to 30 mins per day. It is important that you don’t talk while you walk. Take a break of 1-2 mins if required. It is very essential that you sweat out.
Once you get used to it it will be difficult for you to do away with it and it will become a part of your life. You don’t need to pay heavy fees for gym.
As you suggested that walk essential for body ,for a diebetics patient how much to walk in a day.
good thing that i’m a brisk walker ..
Hello,
i wanna loose my weight,so for me which will be better Jogging/Brisk Walking?
Dear Zishan,
If you wanna lose wait brisk walking in morning will be more beneficial for you.
Hi,
What is said above is all true. I am walking for the past 6 years and i am fine and feel good and enthu every day and i can’t give up this practice for ever. Please try walking and feel the difference.
i love to walk and i try to walk three or four times aweek but at times after awalkwhich ido for twenty to thirty minutes i feel fatigue and my neck amd shoulder hurt i dont know why please help me
After completing schedule of walk, it is necessary to relax and have sleep of just 15 minutes which will not make you fatigue.
Walking in the morning and walking in the evening has different aspects. In the morning glucose level is low where as fats are accumulated on higher side. If you walk in the morning fats are likely to burne which results in your weight loss. In the evening walk glucose level is high and burns glucose which will lower your sugar level and not reduce weight. Choice is yours what suits you.
Regards
HI,
I do alot of brisk walking everyday, i walk up to 1:30 minutes every day… I have lost 10pounds of weight in 3weeks
Useful information reg. walking. I derived many tips of walking.
I endorse the fact weight redcton, lowering B.P. and glucose
normalization.
Thanks alot indeed.
Narasimhan
Every person should walk daily approximately 60mins at least with smooth track on road is best , avoid to walk on small brick floors on parks which give your feet’s damage may cause arthritis because uneven in 99% parks in Karachi . Mr.Jamal H. Shah
1- Always choose thicker sole of jogger because its neglected feeling uneven surface.
Walk walk be healthy.just 30 min
I am a regular walker. However I strongly feel that only walking is not enough. A diet control is also a must, otherwise after doing exercise you tend to eat more only to nullify the walking effect.
Now a days I have started walking barefooted on the jogging track (Obviously not on the road) and I find it much more comfortable. I will advocate walking barefooted as it is most natural way.
good for health
i used to walk 5 miles every day, and i reduced 2.5kgs a month.. and feel fresh the whole day, just walk n be free!!
sir,
i walk 20min in the morning then 20 minutes yoga.is this correct for wait loss.
I walk around 40 mins a day and Rejuvenate my mind and spirit which is equally important. with all busy day, while walking i get time to think about me and betterment of me,
Brisk walking for about 30 to 40 min everyday helps not only lose those extra pounds but also lowers your bad cholesterol level and enhances the good cholesterol level. The triglycerides also come down in case they are on the higher side, with time. I have seen an improvement in my lipid profile in a span of roughly 7-8 months. I brisk walk/jog for about 30-40 min a day in the morning. Does anybody out there know if blood pressure levels also improve?
Really walking is very good for health for everybody. Now-a-days due to our daily life style our physical movements are reducing badly so for keeping fit to our body walking either morning or evening is compulsory for everybody. Earlier I thoughts that walking is good for only old age persons but when I started then I feel and noted that it is good for everybody.
I am walking briskly 6 kilometers in 40 minutes since 1 month and after that I do 20 minutes ground exercise. I feel very energetic throughout the day and having balance diet and most importantly I reduce 1 kg of my weight. Now I am 89 kgs.
I have had a tremendous result. I could hve taken much earlier.There is no alternative to walking.
Can i do brisk walking with my baby girl?
I used to walk for about 3.5km in just 25 minutes & found
quite useful in terms health benefits.Last about five years
almost seven days week I practiced brisk walking which one can say
very very fast walking & there is no health problems in my body.
I even find regular travelling absolutely ok.Suggest every one
should practice this healthy methods,
Have a nice time,
A.K.Dey
Technical Trainer
ashisdey2001@yahoo.com