For 15 years, Imad Guennouni has worked as a motivational speaker, providing people all over the world with practical advice and support to help them realize their ambitions and live their best life. Prior to his current vocation, Imad Gennouni worked in corporate settings in various roles, including serving in leadership positions in sales and financial management. In his spare time, Imad El Atiki El Ghennouni Mohammed enjoys reading, playing the guitar, cycling, and walking. This article will provide an overview of some of the key benefits walking offers in terms of psychological and physical health and well-being.
Walking is a free, easy, and convenient way of improving health. By walking to work, professionals not only do their bit for the environment but also benefit from a prime opportunity to explore their local area, immersing themselves in the great outdoors to help keep muscles and bones healthy, maintain a healthy weight and good balance, and improve heart and cardiovascular fitness. Walking has been shown to have a positive impact on a range of health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, some types of cancer, and sleep disorders like sleep apnea.
A recent study suggests that walking 8,000 steps briskly once or twice per week is sufficient to provide tangible health benefits. Health authorities recommend that adults are active every day, completing at least 90 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity each week. This can be accomplished in a few longer sessions or broken down into 15-minute exercise intervals and spread out across the week. Brisk walking at around 80 steps per minute counts towards moderate-intensity exercise. An individual can therefore meet their basic exercise needs with a brisk 15-minute stroll every day.
In terms of mental health and wellbeing, the benefits of walking are well reported. Not only does walking increase energy levels and help people to sleep better, it also improves mood, reducing stress and anxiety. Walking has also been shown to improve cognitive function, enhancing memory and problem-solving capabilities. It also boosts confidence and self-esteem, reducing the risk of depression and helping people to be more reliant and cope with difficult situations.
Keeping active is a natural mood booster, coaxing the release of feel-good hormones. There are many free and affordable ways for people of all ages and fitness levels to get moving, including the Active 10 and Couch to 5K apps. In addition to calming the mind and helping people deal with challenging emotions like frustration, sadness, and anger, walking also helps to reduce loneliness by providing opportunities to meet new people and spend quality time with family and friends.
Setting goals helps walkers to keep motivated and stay active. A pedometer is a great way of tracking daily steps, enabling walkers to reach for higher fitness goals each week to keep things interesting. Just a few minutes of walking can make a big difference in terms of mental well-being, providing a welcome break from daily challenges and a release from stress and worry. Walkers can even incorporate mindfulness techniques while on the move, paying attention to the world around them and what they can hear, see, touch, and smell. Many modern parks also feature outdoor exercise machines, providing a free workout as part of their fitness regimen.
For walkers eager to step up their routine, monitoring pace and setting goals to track progress can help them maintain motivation, with a wealth of walking apps available for download today. Walking poles improve balance, engaging the arms and upper body throughout the walk, while interval training walks incorporating short bursts of speed can help keep things interesting.
