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5 Benefits of Walking 30 Minutes a Day

You don’t have to be a runner to get fit.

Thirty minutes of walking a day can help get you on the road to good health. Going for a walk is one of the best and easiest forms of exercise. It requires nothing but a pair of shoes, but has many health benefits.

Here are five benefits of walking for 30 minutes a day most days of the week:

1. Reduces your risk of chronic disease.

According to the American Heart Association, 30 minutes of physical activity a day, five days a week lowers your risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Researchers at the University of Tennessee found that daily walking lowered blood pressure by as much as 11 points. A 2002 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that those who walked enough to meet physical activity guidelines had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

2. Helps reduce belly fat.

Regular physical activity helps control body weight by increasing the calories you burn each day. Walking 4 miles per hour burns five times the calories per minute as sitting quietly watching TV or working on the computer. According to a 2014 study published in the Journal of Exercise Nutrition and Biochemistry, walking regularly can help improve your body’s response to insulin, which helps reduce belly fat.

3. Improves your mood.

Ever reached for piece of dark chocolate or a glass of wine to help improve your mood after a rough day? Going for a walk has the same benefits without the added calories. Aerobic exercises, including walking, have been proven to reduce anxiety and depression. You can boost your mood even more by inviting someone to walk with you. Being social helps distract you from your bad mood and reduces tension.

4. Increases creativity.

Need to solve a problem or need clarity on a situation? Try going for walk. A 2014 study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, Learning, Memory, and Cognition shows that going for a walk can spark creativity. Whether you’re outdoors or on a treadmill, walking can help improve the generation of ideas. This could be why many people say they do their best thinking when walking.

5. Helps you reach your goals.

The benefits of walking can extend to other areas in your life. Sticking to a walking routine and seeing positive results may inspire you to start other healthy habits. If one of your goals is to run a 5K, Tanner Health System’s Get Healthy, Live Well has a walk-to-jog program that will help get you 5K ready in just eight weeks.

Move It Mondays includes weekly group sessions featuring a combination of walking and running. Tailored for beginners with flexibility for each person to adjust to his or her individual needs, the program pairs beginners with experienced joggers.

For more information about Move It Mondays, visit GetHealthyLiveWell.org or email westgeorgiatrackclub@gmail.com.

Get Healthy, Live Well




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