Research shows my wife isn’t the only person getting a major mood boost from walking.
“Studies have shown that walking can relieve depression, reduce anxiety, and boost our creative and cognitive function,” reports Epoch Times health writer Conan Milner.
Writers and musicians take walks to make breakthroughs in their work, business executives walk to mull over important decisions, and some super-duper smart husbands walk to reflect on their inexplicable shortcomings.
But walking isn’t simply exercise, it’s a core physiological activity that your body depends on for essential functions.
Your lymphatic system, for example, relies on muscle contractions to get lymph to circulate and clear out cellular debris and other toxins. Your body also relies on movement to get synovial fluid into your joints and maintain mobility. And just moving gently on your feet is enough to help maintain muscle mass and cardiovascular health.
While you don’t need to walk endlessly to get health benefits, it is generally better to walk more than less. That said, 2,000 steps, or around 30 minutes of walking, is enough to lower your risk of heart failure, according to research recently published in JAMA Cardiology. Experts generally recommend somewhere in the range of 7,000 to 10,000 steps a day.
Walking can be an important way to reduce your risk of strokes, dementia, diabetes, back pain, and obesity.
A walk after dinner can get those calories into your muscles instead of your waistline, and a five-minute stroll every 30 minutes can ward off the disease-inviting effects of sitting too much, reports Jessie Zhang.
If you want to upgrade your walk you can try:
If you are not in the habit of walking away from your problems, give it a shot the next time you’re feeling miserable. According to one truly amazing lady, it’s a genius idea.
