Walking: The Best Exercise For The Mind And Body

Walking does not cost money, however, it enriches our soul, freeing our mind and taking care of our body. Few exercises are as therapeutic and suitable for almost all ages.

According to the European Society of Cardiology, walking for about 20 minutes every day will allow us to take care of our heart and enjoy great well-being. Furthermore, according to this work, we will be able to gain between 3 to 7 years of life more.

So… why not put it into practice? All you need is good sneakers and a nice setting where you can walk to encourage your oxygenation. It is ideal if you can go to the field or green area enabled to walk.

So we offer some good reasons why you should get started today.

Walking, a good remedy against stress

Something to keep in mind is that the biggest enemies of our health are stress, routine and negative thoughts.

Sometimes the simple fact of doing the same thing every day ends up “automating” our brain. And there is nothing more dangerous than an unstimulated and restless brain.

• Going out for a walk, no pressure, no more obligations, just a bottle of water and well equipped for it, provides a mental release that our neurons are grateful for.
• Thoughts become relativized. We oxygenate our cells and suddenly life loses “its rigidity” and allows us to be freer.
• In addition, walking also helps us reconnect with our emotional needs. We start a liberating inner dialogue. This relaxes many of our brain structures to regulate the neurochemistry associated with stress.

Walking makes us more creative, we find new solutions to our problems

It may sound silly, but something as simple as changing the “scene” gets our heart going and increases the oxygen levels in our brain. This causes the release of certain neurotransmitters that will promote the following:

• They adjust cortisol levels (at a high level it causes stress, but at an appropriate limit it encourages motivation and energy ).
• Reorganizes the neurochemistry of our frontal cortex, where we establish plans, goals, where new ideas appear, favored by our emotions, now more relaxed.

• Also, another aspect that we should keep in mind is that people are used to moving around in the same scenarios and small spaces almost always.
• Something as simple as going for a walk in the countryside brings new aromas, sensations and new visual stimuli. A more relaxed mind, surrounded by pleasant stimuli has the ability to generate new and better ideas.

So if at any point you’re feeling stuck or pressured by a problem, you already know: go for a walk.

Walking, your heart’s favorite exercise

There is one aspect we must keep in mind. It’s not about “running” or walking too fast. If overnight we demand something from our body that we are not used to, this can cause us problems.

• When walking, just follow a normal pace, but without running. That way, we won’t get overtired and force the heart to exercise. This improves circulation and oxygenation of our body tissues.
• By improving blood pressure, we also regulate the blood sugar level.
• Walking also allows us to maintain our body weight and fight obesity.
• It improves the health of our immune system and also releases many of these toxins that tend to make us sick or bring about classic fluid retention.

Walk to care for your bones

One of the biggest risks to our bone health is sedentary lifestyle. Spending between 8 and 12 hours sitting due to our work has serious consequences that accumulate, such as:

• Joint stiffness.
• Lack of muscle elasticity.
• Accumulation of fat, which means an additional cost to our bones.
• The cartilage loses its strength and elasticity.

Of course, if we have a back or knee injury, we may not take long walks. In many cases, something as simple as walking 10 minutes on a treadmill where the surface is flat and secure can be very therapeutic.

• In case you have a bone problem, we have to pay attention to our peculiarities so that we don’t cause an injury. Therefore, before discarding the healthy exercise of walking, you can consult with an expert to find out what would be the best way to perform this exercise.

• Walking every day for 20 minutes protects us against bone loss and decalcification.
• Whenever we walk outdoors, we receive a healthy dose of vitamin D, much needed to improve muscle coordination and reduce the risk of fractures.

In addition, the therapeutic exercise of walking allows, thanks to the revitalization of the blood circulation, that nutrients effectively reach all parts of our body.

Is that you? Have you already taken a walk today? It is worth it!