At Lose Baby Weight, we are big fans of walking to help you lose pregnancy weight whilst still being with your baby but also help you get fresh air and get out of the house – which is why we like to suggest you do 10,000 steps a day.
Walking is one of the best all round exercises – it’s easy, free and you don’t need any equipment to do it. But just why is it so good for you? We’ve come up with the top ten health benefits of walking – so if you were still in two minds about whether to take it up, this list will definitely change your mind!
Top 10 reasons to get walking
- Walkers live for longer. The Honolulu Heart Study of 8000 people showed that walking for just two miles per day reduced the risk of death – by any cause – by half. Many other studies have had similar results – those sound like very good odds to us!
- Walking boosts your energy. Research has shown that walking for a brisk ten minutes will help to boost your energy levels more than drinking a cup of coffee will – all the more reason to go for a brisk stroll rather than reach for the kettle.
- Walking can prevent you from gaining weight. The Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado recently completed research that showed that adding an average of 2000 steps into your daily routine could prevent you from ever gaining weight again, provided that your diet and routine stays the same otherwise.
- Walking lowers cholesterol. According to research by a Harvard teaching hospital, walking regularly could help to reduce your levels of bad cholesterol and increase your levels of good cholesterol.
- Walking is cheap. All you need to get started is a decent pair of trainers that are comfortable enough for you to walk far in – you don’t need fancy running shoes or weight-bearing trainers, just a pair of comfy trainers, which you probably already have and is perfect for mums as you can take your pram with you. As you start to walk more frequently, you might want to purchase exercise clothes or ankle/wrist weights, but these things are also cheap – far cheaper than a gym membership.
- Walking can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. Walking for between 30-60 minutes per day at a moderate pace could reduce your risk of both heart disease and stroke by half. Again, those sounds like good odds to us!
- Walking makes you feel better. Getting out and about and out of the house gives you chance to think – and if you establish a steady rhythm, walking could also be meditative, meaning that you’ll feel more peaceful as a result of it. Psychologists have also applauded walking as an exercise as it gives you chance to see the world around you – which, for any new mum, is a sure-fire way to get you to reconnect with the adult wold again.
- Walking can reduce your risk of certain types of cancer. Numerous studies have suggested that walking every day for between 30-60 minutes at a moderate place could help to reduce your risk of both breast cancer and colon cancer – and walking can also improve the prognosis of individuals with cancer and help with recovery.
- Walking helps to improve your mood. As with any moderate exercise, walking regularly will release endorphins within your brain – the happy hormone which is also released when you eat chocolate. A 1999 study showed that those who walked regularly and did other moderate exercises felt less stressed than those who didn’t.
- Walking helps to reduce your risk of osteoporosis. Walking is a weight-bearing exercise, and so if you walk regularly, you’ll be supporting your joints, strengthening your bones and helping to lower your risk of osteoporosis. Because walking is a weight-bearing exercise, it is also suitable for anyone of any age, within reason.
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