Why You Should Walk Your Way To Better Health

If you’re on a health kick, then Sunday mornings might just be all about lacing up your running shoes, dusting off your workout gear and going for a brisk jog around the park. While getting up and at ‘em is a great way of getting your heart pumping and your blood flowing, there’s a good reason why you could be taking things a little easier on your run. For years, the exerciser’s activity of choice, running has just been knocked off its healthy pedestal by another form of activity, and it might just have you surprised.

(source: walking.about.com)

The brisk walk is something with which many of us are familiar but relatively few of us actually incorporate into our workout regimes. While rushing to the bus or power walking through town are all well and good, sustaining the activity for a longer, more focused period of time might actually be the best way to maintain your health and wellbeing. As well as being steadier and less stressful on your joints, briskly walking can contribute to better health by reducing your risk of developing heart disease in the future. Sound too good to be true? Here’s everything you need to know.

(source: sayidy.net)

While intense exercise is good from time to time, after a longer period of time, it can start to have adverse effects on your heart’s health. Sustained levels of high intensity training can lead to the stretching of the organ’s chambers, overwhelming its ability to adapt to and maintain higher levels of exertion. Over a period of time, this can increase levels of free radicals and adrenaline, leading to inflammation inside the organ. Walking, on the other hand, can help to keep your pulse elevated within safe boundaries while working your muscles and increasing the flow of oxygen around your body. Better yet, the shock factor on your bones and joints is significantly reduced, leading to better movement and less chance of developing problems in the future.

Better for stress, good for your heart and gentler on muscles and joints, walking might just be the exercise that has it all. The next time you hit the tarmac, you might just want to take things a little slower; your body will thank you for it in the future.