Including a stroll in your routine is highly beneficial and will help you improve your quality of life.
The University of Illinois (United States) carried out an interesting study in 2013, which was later published in “Neuroscience”.
Below is an overview of the conclusions drawn:
Improved cognitive skills:
- A daily walk of 20-30 minutes improves your cognitive functions. The brain is oxygenated and relaxes, it receives new stimuli, increased blood flow and endorphins (wellbeing hormones) are synthetized.
- If you are consistent, your attention span and memory will be improved and your processing of information will also benefit.
- You must not forget that, at times, we tend to follow a strict routine in which monotony affects performance and motivation. Something as simple as going out for a walk puts you into contact with nature or with the city, and it activates your heart and your brain.
A good treatment for depression:
- People undergoing periods of decline or depression tend to prefer low-stimulation environments: low lighting, low sound and limited social contact… something as simple as going out for a walk can help this state and improve your state of mind.
- Walking, breathing deeply and getting your heart to work at a steady pace is relaxing for your brain. It is exactly in this state of well-being that your thoughts are balanced. We see things differently, in a less negative light and our problems no longer seem so serious as before.
The best way to look after your heart:
- A daily walk is one of your best allies to help you look after your heart by raising its strength and capacity to pump blood. This will lead to cardiovascular improvement.
- Arteries become more elastic and can dilate better in order to help circulate blood so that it makes it easier for it to reach all areas of our bodies.
- Blood pressure is lowered thanks to the daily walking and/or physical exercise.
- It will help you prevent diabetes (level of blood sugar).
Other benefits you were unaware of:
- The skeletal system is strengthened. There is no need to make any great effort or tire yourself out. Something as simple as going for a walk every day can help prevent osteoporosis.
- You will improve intestinal transit and help digestion.
- You will strengthen your legs, stimulate your muscles and stop them from losing movement. In addition, walking helps you lower cholesterol levels, which is so common today. The risk of osteoporosis is also reduced with this type of activity. Women are precisely the ones who most suffer from poor circulation, varicose veins and wear in the knee joints and this is why this skeletal and muscular strengthening is so important.
As you can see, walking is one of the healthiest activities you can do. What’s more, it is easy and does not require superhuman effort. There is no doubt that walking has great benefits for our health and is a highly gratifying activity.