In this modern era of digital exercise equipment, there’s no shortage of ways to get your body moving. And while everyone has their preferred way of exercising, sometimes more simple methods can get overlooked. Enter: walking. Whether you’re strolling for 10 minutes or a full hour, the simple act of walking is more impactful than we often think. Not only does a stroll get your heart rate up, but there are mental health benefits to this activity, too.
Benefits of walking every day
Lace up your sneakers, because we’re sharing how daily walks are one of the best forms of self-care out there.
1. Walking helps your brain process information
Walking and sleeping are both powerful ways to process your thoughts. Hear us out: While asleep, our brains process the information received during the day through rapid eye movement — also known as REM. While there’s still a lot that’s unknown about how our brains actually process information, we do know that the movement of the eyes during REM sleep is key to this process.
This back-and-forth movement also happens when you walk. Your eyes are scanning the area in front of you, back and forth with each step. Essentially, walking requires both hemispheres of your brain to communicate with each other, which helps you process information. So the next time you’re stuck on a problem or have run out of creativity, take a walk outside to reactivate the mind.
2. Walking can decrease stress levels
Exercise in any form has been proven to boost our mood in a number of ways, and walking is no exception. You don’t necessarily need to sweat it out for an hour to feel that sweet stress relief.
One of the ways daily walks can boost your mood is through the release of endorphins. Endorphins are hormones that, when your body feels stress or pain, get released to relieve pain and stress. Essentially, endorphins help turn off pain, and taking a walk is an easy way to reap the benefits of this chemical reaction.
Walking lets our mind wander along with our legs, to the point where some think of it as a type of active meditation. A daily walk is the perfect opportunity to change your perspective, let your mind rest, and do some deep thinking — or don’t, and just relax and take in the surroundings. You’ll be feeling better with every step.
3. Walking helps you sleep better
Exercise is one of the best ways to fall asleep more quickly and improve the quality of your sleep. When you move your body, you elevate your heart rate and increase blood flow, which in turn burns calories. This higher calorie burn means your body needs more rest to repair muscles. The result? Better, deeper sleep!
Aerobic exercise also boosts the amount of melatonin you produce while asleep, which makes you more tired at night. In short, going on a walk = a more well-rested you.
4. Walking is a form of active recovery
If you’re working out consistently, gentle movement like walking can help get blood flowing, which in turn helps muscles repair themselves more quickly.
And if you think walking can only help after a tough leg day, think again! When taking a walk, you’re also using your core muscles for stability. If you’re power-walking, your arm and back muscles are engaged, too!
5. Daily walks can boost your weight-loss journey
The best part of walking is that you can do it at your own pace for as long as you’d like. It’s just you, your feet, and the world around you. No matter what pace that is, you will be burning calories and boosting your metabolism, which can help you maintain a healthy and happy weight.
Even just a 10-minute walk can give you a metabolism bump and calorie burn, which you’ll be happy to see add up as the days go on. No matter what your relationship with exercise is, walking daily is a great way to get your body moving and take steps toward a healthier life!
6. Walking helps you build healthier habits
Everyone has a different relationship with exercise, but one thing is true for all of us: Making exercise a habit will increase your quality of life. While completing a 30-minute workout every day might sound intimidating, a 10-minute walk around the block doesn’t sound so bad, right? Before you know it, you’ll be taking a 30-minute walk around the neighborhood every day!
That change, however, doesn’t happen without consistency. The more consistent we are with our healthy habits, the easier it becomes to stay on track.
When you wake up tomorrow, try taking a 10-minute walk first thing in the morning. Not only will you get to start your day with a moment for yourself, but your first action is a healthy one, which can help encourage you to make healthier choices for the rest of the day.
7. Daily walks will improve your overall health
Even though it’s not an intense workout, taking daily walks has great health benefits. Walking can help fend off type 2 diabetes and heart disease by lowering blood pressure and strengthening the heart.
Daily exercise like a walk can also help your joints. Walking helps keep joints moving while strengthening the muscles around them to provide more stability. This is especially important as we get older.
And the benefits keep coming: Walking also builds up the immune system and lowers your chances of getting sick from many different diseases. Not only does the immune system get a boost in the cells that fight off sickness, it also becomes more efficient at fighting things off, which allows you to recover faster when you do get sick.
Convinced yet? We encourage you to get outside and enjoy the fresh air — plus a whole host of other health benefits, too!
Want to add even more movement to your day? Try one (or all!) of these 18 ideas for getting your body moving.
