Hi, friends!  I have a question for you. How many of you are walkers?  And when I say walker, I mean someone who choses to walk for exercise purposes, even if it’s just once a week.  The reason I ask is because I feel like many people dismiss the power of walking.  I never really hear anyone talk/blog about how they exercise by walking – it’s always running, spinning, etc.  I think we (and yes, I am including myself because my preferred form of cardio is running) tend to forget that walking is actually great for the body and mind.  I know my parents would agree (they go walking for at least 45 minutes 5 times a week).  In fact, I walked for an hour this evening, and it felt great!

I know what a lot of you reading this are thinking.  “Parita, walking is great and all, but I want to burn calories, get my heart rate up, sweat, etc.”  I get that, trust me, I do.  I love super sweaty, heart-pumping workouts too, but hear me out.  All I’m trying to say is that walking is a completely acceptable form of exercise…even if a secondary or backup choice.

Look at what all walking can accomplish for you…

  • Walking can raise your metabolism for up to 12 hours after just two miles.
  • Walking improves circulation of blood and other key body fluids, which in turn improves your immune system.
  • Walking massages your internal organs (think constipation).  Because walking engages so many different muscles your respiratory demands increase, which keeps your internal organs mobile and healthy.
  • Walking lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol and raises HDL (good) cholesterol.
  • Walking can lower blood pressure.
  • Walking can reduce your risk of or help you manage type 2 diabetes.
  • Walking is easier on your joints than running.
  • Walking just a couple of miles a day improves mental clarity and emotional and spiritual well-being.
  • Walking is FREE!!!!  No expensive gym memberships needed!

And these are just a few benefits of walking…the list really could go on forever. Smile

And just like any other exercise, walking requires proper form and technique…

Source

mayo-research-walking-techniques

I’m not giving up running any time soon (especially with half marathon training starting tomorrow…eek!), but I’ll definitely think twice before I dismiss the power of walking!

Are you a walker?  Do you see the benefit in walking? 

Have a great night!

By Parita

17 thoughts on “The Power of Walking”
  1. I definitely think walking is just as beneficial as other forms of exercise. I love to go on walks around the neighborhood after dinner or on the weekends, and if there’s an errand I can walk to I make sure to.

  2. Reason #2340982 that we’re so similar! I did strength training this morning, but instead of following it up with a run – I went on a walk! It was such a nice change of pace. And I also enjoy the fact that I was moving AND able to have a conversation with Cory. I think walking is a great thing 🙂

  3. My parents are avid walkers, when I was in India i would accompany them on their morning walks every day over the summer. Quite honestly it is a good workout, I lost a few pounds so that is a testimony to the fact.

  4. I love walking! Because I do other workouts that are higher intensity, our daily walks along Lake Michigan with your pup are for getting into the sunshine, chatting and loving the movement of our bodies!

    Such a great post, walking is a wonderful form of activity/exercise 🙂 Hope you have a wonderful start to your week! 🙂

  5. I’m such a walker! It’s my preferred way to exercise and I’m a strong believer that it makes muscles long and lean and keeps you fit w/o being harmful on joints.

    Great post 😉

  6. Love this post…I never feel like I get a good workout from walking so I stick to running! This post has inspired me to go for a walk tomorrow instead of the gym :)!

  7. This is such a great post. When I’m not training for a race, I’m usually a walker/stair climber/ellipticaler. It burns less calories, but I feel the burn in different muscles while still getting my heart rate in a decent calorie-burning zone.

  8. Walking is my preferred form of exercise. In fact anytime I’ve had a lot of weight to lose (after my babies, for my wedding etc) I walked it off. It’s just an easy form of exercise and almost impossible to injure yourself!

  9. I think walking is so important for bone health and for your muscles. Sometimes my only source of cardio is walking and I love it. I don’t think you need to go all hardcore to get in a workout, walking is great for the body

  10. I don’t often talk about it in posts, but it’s not uncommon for me to walk for 20 – 30 minutes a few times a week after dinner or something. I think I got the habit from my aunt- she used to always say it was good to “help your food start digesting”. 🙂

  11. I used to believe that walking could never be a respectable fitness choice. Then i hurt my neck a few years ago and had to give up anything high impact. It was basically walking and the recumbent bike. but you know what? I didn’t gain any weight, stayed toned and pretty much looked the exact same after a few months of just walking and the bike. Now that I’m healed, I’m back to harder-core workouts, but when time or illness prevent me from hitting the gym, i can feel OK knowing I got a few miles worth of walking in.

  12. I am not typically a walker (though living in an urban area definitely forces walking!) for exercise purposes because I did not realize the great health benefits! I always feel like I could be doing more. Thanks for sharing these great tips Parita!

  13. Walking is actually an integral (and totally necessary) part of my half-marathon training – so I walk every chance I get! I think walking/hiking are both great ways to get in additional mileage, and I totally count them as my mileage!

    With hiking, I actually count it as one of my higher intensity workouts for the week – after a crazy hike on Sunday (in flip-flops, no less), I’m in more pain that I am after my usually hills running workout!

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