Health Risks of Not Walking!

I ran across a guide from the Harvard health group. There were a number of different articles, but one caught my eye....A guide to the wonders of walking.

While this blog typically looks at risks, in this case, we will look at the opposite - the benefits of doing something, in this case, walking.

The risk that faces you is this:  Walking is so easy, why would you risk the following health issues by not walking on a regular basis?

The benefits of regular walking (AKA...avoiding the risk of not walking!)

So let's dive in.  

Walking is easy and most of us have done this since we were young. Why stop now when there are so many health benefits?

Let's list some of the benefits...

• Walking helps reduce cardiovascular disease.  For women, walking 3 or more hours a week reduced the risk of dying from heart disease by 35%.
  • You don't need to walk a lot or fast to enjoy the benefit.  5 1/2 miles per week (3/4 mile per day) even at a leisurely 2 MPH provides some protective effect.  Faster and longer provide an even greater impact.
• Reduction of type II diabetes risk of 30% is seen with a half-hour walk.  And a short walk after a meal is better than a long walk in the morning.  Take away?  Do several short, higher intensity walks.
• Blood pressure is reduced, both systolic and diastolic from walking.  Again, taking three 10 minute walks provides a longer lasting benefit than a single 30-minute walk.
• Falls and fractures are reduced by walking, which increases your strength and flexibility.  In addition, bone strength is increased, resulting in less chance of a bone fracture in a fall.  For women, walking 35 minutes a day reduced the chance of a hip fracture than women who walked less than an hour a week.
• Weight reduction is in some part genetic, but you can counteract some of that effect (maybe up to 50%) by walking.
• Breast cancer is reduced by 14% in women who were walking more than an hour a day, compared to those who walk less than 3 hours per week.  
• Chocolate craving has been shown to be reduced in those people who were physically active.
• Sleep is improved with morning walks.  Even some with insomnia have better sleep after a regular morning walk (this typically takes a longer time - weeks of regular walking - to achieve this effect, and it only in some patients.)
• Better thinking is possible with better brain health from walking.  This cognitive benefit can also help those with mild impairment or Alzheimer's disease.
•  Improved mood is another "side effect" of regular walking.  The activity can boost your mood, but can also play a role in helping with serious depression (as a component of comprehensive therapy).  Moreover, walking can actually improve the response in those patients who are taking an anti-depressant.
• Joint pain (ie. knee pain) can be reduced by regular walking, by helping keep joints well "lubricated", as well as strengthing the muscles of the leg that help stabilize the knees.  Yes, it seems like it's painful to walk when you have arthritis, but its been shown to actually result in decreased pain in the joints, long term.
• Immune function is boosted from walking and can help prevent illness, especially colds and flu, or, help reduce the duration or severity of a cold when you do get one.  
• Live longer by walking.  Walk 30 minutes a day five days a week, might increase your life by more than 3 years!  Walk 15 minutes a day...and get two more years; An hour a day....maybe even 4 more years, all "statistically" speaking.

Ready to start? 

That's great.  One last thing...be sure that you are fit enough to start a walking regimen.  You can go to www.health.harvard.edu/PAR-Q to see if you should talk to your doctor before starting a walking program.  

Provided you are healthy enough, it's time to get started.  That's it for this post...it's time for my morning walk...

WhiteCoat Risk Management provides these articles to help improve general risk awareness in all aspects of your life.  It is not responsible for any actions you take or fail to take regarding any aspect of your financial planning or risk management.  This article is provided for information purposes and is not intended to provide individualized advice. You alone are responsible for your financial decisions.  

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