The benefits of walking are widely known, as this simple and affordable form of exercise can do a lot for both your physical and mental health. The many benefits of regular walking—from improved circulation to pain relief—are great in their own right. Nevertheless, there are ways to improve the effect of walking.
Record your walk
If you're a beginner when it comes to walking, you probably have no idea how far you can walk in 20 minutes, how high your heart rate is while walking, and how long it takes you to walk 5,000 steps. This is where fitness trackers come in, which will help you count your steps, measure your heart rate and encourage you to reach your goals. However, don't worry too much about the numbers, because walking can be a nice thing to incorporate into your lifestyle.
Listen to the music
A study showed that listening to up-tempo music during exercise resulted in a higher heart rate and lower perceived exertion, making the exercise seem less strenuous but more rewarding. And the type of exercise that this type of music was best suited for was endurance training, such as walking.
Adjust the intensity
In principle, faster walking is associated with increased health benefits, including a lower risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, compared to walking at a slower pace. But you have to keep in mind that this is all relative, because what is slow for one person can be quite intense for another. In addition, it is necessary to know that exercises with higher intensity have additional benefits, but only to a certain extent.
Take 7,500 steps a day
Many argue that 10,000 steps a day is more of an advertising tool than scientifically sound advice. Indeed research show that the health benefits of walking are actually around 7,500 steps per day. So don't bother with the five-digit number.
Use widgets
There is evidence that using trekking poles increases the effort required to walk, as it uses both upper and lower body muscles. Research showed that heart rate was up to 33 beats per minute higher when using poles, and the time needed to run 800 meters was more than a minute faster.
Go out with friends
Exercising with other like-minded people can be an additional incentive. This type of exercise has been proven to help us reach our goals more easily and, as a result, increase our self-confidence. Due to the current circumstances brought about by the coronavirus, adhere to the restrictions recommended by experts and exercise with people from the same household or at a safe distance.
Get out
If walking is a mental health sport for you, you will be impressed with the results Japanese studies from 2015. Research conducted on young women showed that walking in a forest rather than in an urban environment was associated with significantly higher parasympathetic nervous activity.
