Benefits of National Walking Month
May is National Walking Month – something that plays right into the hands of quarantine/lockdown life as we know it!
This occasion is usually spread through the encouragement of large walking events, but this year, why not focus on yourself? Walking is a brilliant way to keep active and maintain physical and mental health – especially in these trying times.
Health benefits of walking include:
- Increased cardiovascular and pulmonary (lung and heart) fitness
- Reduced risk of heart disease and stroke
- Improved management of conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and joint pain
- Stronger bones
- Improved balance
- Improved fitness and endurance
- Improved muscle strength
- Reduced body fat
To gain maximum health benefits, aim to walk briskly for 30 minutes most days of the week. Incorporate this into your everyday life so that it becomes a habit.
Easy integrations also work in conjunction with the current pandemic we are experiencing. For example, if you are still working, spend less time on public transport by getting off a stop or two early and walking the remainder of the distance, or take the stairs instead of the lift.
Once guidelines are able to be loosened, make walking a more sociable activity by getting together with friends and family for regular trips out; be it simply around town, or a hike across local trails.
Make walking a pleasure, not a chore!
