Walking is the only exercise you need: Here’s why

You might have tried out a plethora of exercises in order to lose weight and have a healthy fitness routine. Long, copiously planned out workouts, HIITs and what not do people try out in order to have a healthy lifestyle that facilitates weight loss. However, these exercises are quite time taking and also require quite a lot of effort. At the end of a long work-day, you might just want to sit in bed and sip a warm cup of coffee instead of sweating it out in the gym. What if you are told that you can easily accommodate your daily workout in your day without setting aside a stipulated number of hours for it? Walking is a versatile exercise that can be practiced every day, without putting in any extra efforts which can help you stay fit and lose weight. In fact, walking could be the only exercise you need to do and here’s why:

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Even though it is the most widely-known factor, physical health can be improved considerably by walking. It is extremely important to remember that brisk walking can do wonders that normal, slow-paced walking cannot match. For young people who do not suffer from any bone-related health issues, it is highly recommended to walk at a fast pace every time they decide to walk long distances or even short ones. Walking has numerous benefits for physical health that include maintaining a healthy weight and losing body fat, prevention or management of various conditions, including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer and type 2 diabetes, strengthened muscles and bones for it helps exercise almost all the large muscle groups of the body, better energy levels, a better immune system and improved cardio-vascular function.

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The benefits of exercise are not just confined to physical aspects but also include mental advantages such as reduced stress levels, improvement in mood, cognition, memory and quality of sleep, and better thinking abilities. Studies have also found that walking improves self-perceptions, self-esteem and also reduces anxiety. Contrary to popular belief, walking isn’t monotonous, either. One can take up new hobbies that involve walking in various forms. Hiking, trekking etc. are great examples of how walking can be turned into an interesting hobby and be taken up for amusement as well as exercise.

Walking is an exercise that can be done while alone or with a partner, a group of friends, your children or neighbors. Even though you might be an extrovert who is gregarious enough to want to walk with a group, you might also have days when you would have nobody to accompany you. On these days, walking with yourself, your thoughts will help you sort yourself out mentally and enhance the relationship that you have with everyone around you. Walking with a partner or a group of friends will have obvious benefits that include spending quality time, having great conversations and enjoying several health benefits.

The current scenario is largely influenced by technical advancement and smart watches, smart phones and other such devices have made it easy for one to track the number of steps that are taken in a day. With the exact figures always available at hand, people have started obsessing over numbers with a target of ten thousand steps being every one’s most coveted goal, which is roughly five miles. However, this figure is an extremely conservative one and has gained popularity because of various reasons that include advertisement and it being a round figure which is easy to remember. However, studies have found that even half the number of steps can help achieve all benefits that walking has. Since one shoe does not fit everybody, it should be kept in mind that your walking capacity and limits are unique to you, therefore relying on how you feel pre and post a walk are the most important factors that determine the amount of time or number of steps you should walk for.