Walking is the easiest and most enjoyable way to reduce stress and strengthen the immune system. If you are someone who does not like to exercise but still seeks the benefits of doing cardio exercises, walking may be the solution for you. Although walking seems to be easier than cardio in terms of the degree of difficulty, it has the same benefits in terms of health. Hundreds of studies have shown that the habit of walking is not only good for our health, but it also reduces stress and positively affects our mood.
Let's look at the contribution of daily walking habit to our lives:
- It Prevents Gaining Weight
Walking helps to strengthen your muscles, melt fat, and increase metabolic rate. As your average speed and walking time increase during walking, you burn more calories. "I am walking, then I can eat what I want" is not a correct approach. As usual, you should pay attention to what you eat and avoid excessive fat and carbohydrates.
- It Reduces Cancer Risk
A 15-minute walk in sunny weather ensures that the body gets the amount of vitamin D it needs. With the elevated level of vitamin D in our body, telomeres last for a longer period of time. (Telomeres are specific DNA-protein structures found at both ends of each chromosome. Telomeres are made up of short repetitive DNA sequences. One of the biggest causes of aging is telomere loss.) The research conducted by the American Cancer Society has demonstrated that the women who take a walk 7 or more times a week are 14% less likely to develop breast cancer.
- It Strengthens the Immune System
Daily walking of 30-45 minutes at an average speed causes an increase in the immune system cells in our body. Studies have revealed that the strengthening effect of the immune system after exercise lasts for hours, and this protects the body from diseases.
- It reduces stress and improves our mood.
Exercising, even walking at an average pace, accelerates the release of endorphins (one of the hormones of happiness) in the body. If you walk outside, the peace of the open air, nature, and bird sounds reduces the stress level. If possible, I recommend taking walks in the morning. Thus, while we continue to burn fat during the day, we can cope with the work more easily with the positive energy it provides.
- It Improves Brain Functions
According to research, aerobic exercises improve brain and intellectual health. In fact, when young adults exercise before taking any exam, their speed of perceiving and answering questions increased, and this has been determined as a factor that increases exam success.
- It Reduces the Risk of Diabetes
Walking at an average pace helps people with type 2 diabetes maintain a stable level of blood sugar. In addition, it prevents the risk of having diabetes for men and women who do not have this disease.
