National Walking Day

All you need is 30 minutes a day.

Walking is one of the best things you can do for your overall health. In honor of National Walking Day on April 3rd, let’s go over five benefits walking has for your overall health. The health benefits of walking can greatly improve your physical and mental health.

Improve your mood

Physical exercise alters brain chemicals, which affects your mood. Exercise improves blood flow and oxygen to the brain, releasing endorphins and serotonin, particularly if you walk briskly to raise your heart rate. Walking is an excellent approach to achieving these mood benefits, regardless of your fitness level.

Reduce your stress

Walking might help you relax if you're stressed out or overloaded. Walking lowers the stress hormone cortisol, making you feel less anxious and more relaxed. Just 10 minutes of walking reduces anxiety and despair while increasing focus and creativity. A 60-minute stroll in nature reduces activity in brain areas associated with stress processing. So, go touch the grass!

Improve your sleep

Regular exercise improves your sleep quality. This is because physical activity naturally increases the effects of melatonin, the sleep hormone. Walking every day has a considerable favorable impact on sleep quality and duration. Walking also helps to alleviate pain and tension, which can induce sleep problems.

Improves your overall health

Walking offers numerous health benefits.⁠ It strengthens the bones, muscles, and joints. It also helps to prevent or treat type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke, as well as improves immunity. Walking burns calories, which helps you lose weight. Walking or doing other forms of exercise regularly helps you take care of yourself, which is a wonderful feeling!

Make other goals more attainable

When you become a frequent walker, you will make it a habit. Having a routine increases your likelihood of continuing the activity and adopting new healthy behaviors. Our bodies are not designed to be sitting all day. Any sort of movement is preferable to no movement, and knowing which type of movement is best suited to your age and fitness level is critical so you feel empowered and encouraged to persist with it.

National Walking Day is a powerful reminder of the numerous benefits of this simple yet efficient low-impact exercise. People who embrace the joy of walking can take significant strides toward improving their overall well-being and building greater relationships with themselves and those around them. National Walking Day inspires millions of people to take steps toward improved health, and its impact extends far beyond a single day. So get up, get out, and walk on!

Walk it off and….

Be Well, Auburn