17 BENEFITS OF WALKING FOR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH - ARTE - 2025

Walking is one of the most complete sports out there, and the benefits of walking extend to both physical and psychological health. For this reason, and due to the simplicity with which this discipline can be practiced, more and more people decide to incorporate it into their daily lives.

Studies show that a sedentary person can begin to notice very positive effects on their body and mind just by walking 30 minutes a day. In addition, this exercise can be carried out even by individuals with difficulties to practice other more intense sports, making it a good alternative in any situation.

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On the other hand, beyond burning calories, the benefits of walking can have a very significant impact on all areas of our life. In this article we will see some of the most important, all of them backed by the most modern science and easy to get if you incorporate this simple habit into your daily life.

Main benefits of walking

1- Fat loss

Surely the first thing many people think of when considering starting to walk regularly for the first time is losing a few extra pounds. Although at first glance walking does not seem like an especially intense or tiring exercise, the truth is that it is one of the best alternatives to improve the silhouette.

Fat loss is mainly based on a very simple idea: whenever we eat more calories than we expend, we get fat, and vice versa. Of course, there are other factors that influence this equation, but at a first level this rule is the most important.

This is where the first of the benefits of walking comes into play. Walking for 30 minutes or more a day, especially at a regular pace, has been found to activate the metabolism much more intensively than almost any other type of exercise. This implies that for the same effort many more calories are burned than with other similar disciplines.

Of course, to lose fat correctly, walking is usually not enough: physical exercise has to be accompanied by a balanced and healthy diet. However, if you add a good walk to your daily routine, it will be much easier to eliminate those extra kilos in a short time.

2- Improve your mood

Not all the benefits of walking have to do with being more attractive in front of the mirror. In fact, the latest research on this discipline indicates that one of the organs that are most impacted by this sport is the brain.

And it is that walking 30 minutes a day has turned out to be one of the most effective ways to improve our mood consistently over time. Although there is no single explanation for why this occurs, there are several hypotheses that can shed some light on the beneficial effects of walking on our brain.

On the one hand, moderate physical exercise is known to help increase the amount of endorphins released by our brain. These substances are responsible for causing our positive moods, so having a greater number of them is very good for our psychological well-being.

In addition to this, there are also other secondary factors that make walking help improve our mood in an indirect way. Among others, we can mention the increase in vitamin D levels when walking in the open air, or the elimination of toxins of all kinds thanks to the greater oxygenation of the lungs.

3- Strengthens the heart

Currently, one of the most common and serious health problems for the population of Western countries is cardiovascular disease. More and more people die due to a heart attack or stroke; And worst of all is that to a large extent these health accidents are easily avoidable.

All the research carried out on this subject indicates that the combination of a good diet and moderate physical activity can prevent the onset of cardiovascular diseases extremely effectively. In this sense, walking is one of the best alternatives to achieve it.

According to a recent study, walking for at least 30 minutes five days a week can reduce the chance of having a heart attack by 19%; and the percentage increases in proportion to the time spent walking. Of course this is not the only important factor in this regard, but it can have a great weight.

4- It is suitable for everyone

One of the biggest problems that many people find when they want to start exercising is that they are in a too weak physical state, so they cannot easily access most sports disciplines. This, however, is something that just doesn't happen if you want to start walking.

Regardless of the physical state we start from, everyone can enjoy the benefits of walking. For example, this discipline is one of the few that have little impact on the joints or that older people can begin to practice.

Besides this, the intensity of this sport can also be increased. At first it would be enough to simply change the time you are walking, but later you can introduce other elements such as unevenness or higher walking speed to achieve even greater benefits.

5- It can reduce blood sugar levels

Having high blood sugar levels can be a serious threat to our health. In addition to increasing the chances of suffering from type II diabetes, it also makes the appearance of conditions such as obesity or all kinds of cardiovascular diseases easier.

Luckily, it has been found that regular walking can greatly lower blood sugar levels, while also improving insulin resistance.

These two factors combined prevent the occurrence of the complications mentioned above, especially when this physical exercise is combined with good rest and healthy habits.

6- Improves the functions of the digestive system

Not many people would associate the fact of walking with going to the bathroom regularly, but the truth is that among the main benefits of walking is the improvement of digestion and other processes associated with it.

Different studies suggest that simply walking 15 minutes a day after a heavy meal can activate intestinal transit. This will help us go to the bathroom more easily, while allowing our body to absorb more nutrients and eliminate toxins more effectively.

7- Strengthens the immune system

The immune system is the main one in charge of protecting us against all kinds of diseases, from the most harmless like a simple cold to the most serious.

Luckily, to strengthen this function of our body we only need to lead a healthy lifestyle; and walking regularly is one of the best ways to do this.

A study of 1,000 participants during the seasonal flu season found that those who walked at a moderate pace for more than 30 minutes a day were sick for nearly half as many days as those who did not. In addition, they also had a much lower number of respiratory infections.

As if this were not enough, even at times when they became ill, these individuals suffered much less severe symptoms than those suffered by those adults with a more sedentary lifestyle.

8- Increase your energy

More and more people complain that they feel tired all the time, and they have to resort to stimulants such as coffee in order to function normally in their day to day life. However, among the benefits of walking we find a significant increase in energy in a totally natural and healthy way.

Among other things, regular walking increases the amount of oxygen available in the blood, which can greatly reduce some symptoms of fatigue such as "brain fog" or difficulty thinking clearly. Additionally, it also helps blood circulate throughout the body more easily, further improving our energy levels.

On the other hand, walking regularly causes our body to release certain hormones such as adrenaline or norepinephrine that are known to have a great impact on the activation levels of our body.

9- Increase your life expectancy

We have already seen many of the main benefits of walking, but we still have one of the most important. According to the latest studies on this topic, walking regularly can reduce the chances of dying from all kinds of causes by up to 20%, thus increasing life expectancy significantly.

Research on this topic found that walking at a moderate speed (about 6 kilometers per hour) five times a week and for more than 30 minutes per session greatly decreased the likelihood of dying from problems such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, or simply by the effects associated with age.

10- Helps fight against breast cancer

According to a study published by the Journal of Clinical Oncology, women diagnosed with breast cancer who walk regularly for long periods of time are 45% more likely to survive the disease than those who do not.

11- Prevents bone problems

With a good walk you can avoid many bone problems, such as loss of mass. When walking produces vitamin D production, responsible for improving the strength and quality of our bones.

Also, the National Institute of Health of the United States states that 6,000 steps a day help protect you from knee osteoporosis.

12- Helps you sleep better at night

A study by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle found that women who took hour-long morning walks slept better than those who did not do this routine.

13- Delays the appearance of varicose veins

The appearance of varicose veins is a natural process as the body ages, and is also a very unsightly mark. However, different studies have ensured that those people who walk regularly delay the appearance of these venous dilations.

The reason is that the venous system is strengthened by healthy blood flow, so a person suffering from varicose veins may choose to walk to avoid this type of swelling.

14- Improve creativity

More and more marketing or advertising companies are encouraging their employees to engage in some physical activity or to encourage walks even at work.

And, although it may seem counterproductive to many, several studies have shown the potential of a walk when it comes to clearing the mind, clarifying the idea and enhancing the creativity of the individual.

15- Improved balance

Although it seems that balance is something we obtain naturally, the truth is that it also requires training, especially in older adults.

For this, walks are one of the safest, most comfortable and suitable exercises for anyone, even requiring a cane or walker.

16- Helps to socialize

Walking is one of the most practiced physical activities in the world, by people of all ages, and can be practiced individually or collectively. In fact, it is more and more frequent that walking clubs are founded so that one can join and organize walks with other members.

If you are a shy person, you can always walk with your dog, surely he will also appreciate accompanying you.

17- Reunion with nature or cultural environment

Walking in a natural environment such as the beach or the countryside increases the benefits described above even more. Not only by breathing purer air, but because your senses will show interest in an environment they are not used to.

If you are more of a city, the walk can help you discover streets or monuments that you have never visited before, increasing your cultural knowledge about your own region.

In both cases, the experience of discovering new locations will keep your mind busy and free from worry or stress.

References

1. "Walking: trim your waistline, improve your health" in: Mayo Clinic. Retrieved on: April 22, 2020 from Mayo Clinic: mayoclinic.org.
2. "Walking for good health" in: Better Health. Retrieved on: April 22, 2020 from Better Health: betterhealth.vic.gov.au.
3. "What are the benefits of walking?" in: Healthline. Retrieved on: April 22, 2020 from Healthline: healthline.com.
4. "How to get the biggest benefits of walking" in: Consumer Reports. Retrieved on: April 22, 2020 from Consumer Reports: consumerreports.org.
5. "11 Biggest Benefits of Walking to Improve Your Health, According to Doctors" in: Prevention. Retrieved on: April 22, 2020 from Prevention: prevention.com.