By The Arthritis Foundation
What’s not to like about walking? It’s free, easy to do, and gentle on the joints. There’s no doubt that walking is beneficial. A study from the University of Tennessee demonstrated that women who walked had less body fat than those who did not. Walking also lowers the risk of blood clots, as the calf muscles act as a venous pump, helping to return blood from the feet and legs to the heart, which eases the heart’s workload. In addition to being a simple form of aerobic exercise, walking offers many additional health benefits.
The Benefits of Walking
1. Improve Circulation
Walking helps prevent heart disease, raises the heart rate, lowers blood pressure, and strengthens the heart. Post-menopausal women who walked one to two miles daily experienced nearly an 11-point drop in blood pressure in 24 weeks. According to researchers at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, women who walked for 30 minutes a day could reduce their risk of stroke by 20%, and that risk dropped by 40% when they increased their walking pace.
2. Shore Up Your Bones
Walking can prevent the loss of bone mass in those suffering from osteoporosis, as noted by Michael A. Schwartz, MD, of Plancher Orthopedics & Sports Medicine in New York. In fact, a study found that 30 minutes of walking each day decreased the risk of hip fractures in post-menopausal women by 40%.
3. Enjoy a Longer Life
Research indicates that individuals who engage in regular exercise during their fifties and sixties are 35% less likely to pass away in the following eight years compared to those who do not walk. This statistic rises to a 45% reduction for those with pre-existing health conditions.
4. Lighten Your Mood
Walking triggers the release of natural pain-relieving endorphins in the body, providing emotional benefits. A study from California State University, Long Beach showed that increased daily steps correlated with improved moods.
5. Lose Weight
A brisk 30-minute walk can burn approximately 200 calories. Over time, the calories burned can contribute to weight loss.
6. Strengthen Muscles
Walking tones your leg and abdominal muscles, and can even engage your arm muscles if you pump them while walking. This helps increase your range of motion while shifting weight and pressure from your joints to your muscles.
7. Improve Sleep
Studies indicate that women aged 50 to 75 who took one-hour morning walks were more likely to alleviate insomnia compared to those who did not walk.
8. Support Your Joints
The majority of joint cartilage does not receive direct blood supply; it relies on joint fluid for nutrition that circulates during movement. The action of walking “squeezes” the cartilage, delivering oxygen and nutrients to the area.
9. Improve Your Breath
Walking increases your breathing rate, allowing oxygen to travel more rapidly through the bloodstream, which helps eliminate waste products and enhances energy levels, as well as healing.
10. Slow Down Mental Decline
A study of 6,000 women aged 65 and older by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, showed that those who walked more experienced less age-related memory decline. Women who walked 2.5 miles daily had a 17% decline in memory, while those who walked less than half a mile weekly experienced a 25% decline.
11. Lower Alzheimer’s Risk
Research from the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville found that men aged 71 to 93 who walked more than a quarter of a mile daily had half the occurrence of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease compared to those who walked less.
12. Do More for Longer
Aerobic walking combined with resistance exercise programs may diminish the incidence of disability in daily activities among individuals over 65 with symptomatic osteoarthritis, as published in the Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management.
ABOUT THE ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION:
The Arthritis Foundation’s mission is to enhance lives through leadership in the prevention, control, and cure of arthritis and related diseases. The Foundation is actively pursuing a cure for America’s leading cause of disability. They advocate against arthritis using life-changing resources, science, advocacy, and community connections. Whether in person or online, their Live Yes! Arthritis Network empowers individuals to connect and live their fullest life.
