How Walking For Exercise Can Improve Your Quality Of Life

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How walking for exercise can improve your quality of life depends on your willingness to give it a chance and how often you do it. Hands down, it’s the most uncomplicated, non-impact way to fit movement into your day. If you’re trying to fit exercise into your weight loss plan and you hate to exercise, walking will tip the scales in your favor.

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Walking Is The Most Overlooked And Underappreciated Exercise

The best thing about walking for exercise is that anyone and any age, weight or fitness level can do it. You don’t need any equipment. All you need are your legs! Walking for exercise has to be one of the most cost-effective ways to get some movement into your day and doesn’t get the credit it deserves IMO.

There’s no downside to walking for exercise. Whether you choose to walk alone or with a partner, either way, you’ll benefit in unlimited ways. Did you know that walking for exercise can add years to your life? Yup. Walking every day increases longevity.  

We tend to focus on the surface benefits of walking for exercise, such as appetite control, weight loss, increased cardiovascular endurance. Obviously walking is not a cure for a serious disease, but if your goal is to increase your overall wellness, I can’t think of one health issue that walking doesn’t improve. Walking for exercise even helps to regulate your hormones. 

Hormonal balance is what women over 40 are constantly seeking (at least I am), that are going through perimenopause and menopause. Burning a few calories is just the tip of the iceberg. We’re talking about a serious mood-boosting activity. 

When you decide to walk for exercise, you get so much bang for your buck. The management of depression and anxiety, as well as a decrease in stress levels, are life-changing. You can improve your quality of life in every area, simply by walking. 

For all the fantastic benefits that walking for exercise provides, sometimes I wonder why everyone isn’t doing it more. Why am I not doing it more for that matter? Traditional exercise is okay, and even though I physically feel great whenever I do it, after a few weeks, I just get bored, lose interest and quit. 🤷‍♀️

If I slack off with working out, walking is my go-to activity to get back into the exercise groove.  I’ll never be one of those people that says “I can’t wait to get to the gym”. #sorrynotsorry. 

What I love about walking for exercise is that it can be done the moment it enters your mind. It’s the very first thing that you do every day without thinking. How convenient is that! You literally open your eyes every day, stand on your feet and walk.  

Getting the most out of walking only requires a decision. You can walk a little or a lot. A little walking is never a waste of time.

When your intention is to change your current state and you decide to walk for an extended length of time, magic happens. For example, if you are feeling conflicted about something, going for a walk will clear your head, and give you clarity around the issue.

Walking For Exercise Is Convenient

Try to lose the all or nothing mentality when it comes to walking (or exercise in general). If covering ground is important to you, but you think you don’t have time, think again. You can still fit walking into your day any time that suits you, and not just outdoors, but indoors too. 

If outdoors is your preference, dress for the weather. Wear comfortable clothes and dress in layers. Good walking shoes are a must and whatever you do, don’t forget to hydrate. However, if I’m not up for going outside but I still want to fit in a good walk, I walk indoors- and no, I don’t own a treadmill. 

The indoor walking I’m referring to is a workout series of walking videos by Leslie Sansone. Leslie Sansone’s collection of indoor walking videos range from 1 mile to 5 miles. For added muscle toning, some videos give you the option of using 1 to 2lb wrist weights or toning bands. 

Here’s one of my favorite walking videos by Leslie Sansone:

Leslie Sansone: Walk Off Fat Fast

Walking videos make it easy for me to get a full-body workout right from the comfort of my living room. My collection of walking videos gives me some variety. Each workout has different music and different walkers who demonstrate a variety of ways to do the step movements, which is good for me since I get bored easily.   

Let’s say all you have time for at the beginning of the day is a 15-minute walk. I’m not sure if you know this, but you can walk 1 mile in 15 minutes. Just up your sneakers, head to your living room put a walking video on, and go. 

Go for another 15-minute walk at the end of your day (whether indoors or outdoors) and boom! You’ll have purposefully walked 2 miles. You can actually walk one mile in less time it takes you to prepare and serve a meal. 

Walking around your home doing chores counts too. If you have stairs in your house all the better! Thinking of walking for exercise this way makes getting 10,000 steps in every day doable. 

If you’re thinking that an indoor walking video couldn’t possibly do anything for you, think again. Along with portion control, using walking videos helped me release 50lbs during the first 6 months of 2017.  Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. #justsaying.

Walking Builds Endurance, Making Other Activities Easier

Let’s be clear, you won’t win any iron man competitions simply walking for exercise but it beats doing nothing. I walk all day long at work. According to the step counter on my phone, I can walk anywhere from 7000 to 11000 steps per shift. 

I’m exhausted after work, and on my days off I would like nothing more than to be a couch potato. Sometimes I need to fit in a day off every so often to recharge because of the physical demands at work. However, I notice that walking when I don’t have to make my job as a nurse more tolerable. 

I believe if I wasn’t accustomed to walking and moving on days off from work, I wouldn’t have the endurance to do my job. Funny enough, my body tells me when it’s time to move which makes it impossible for me to lay around all day. I’m not exactly thrilled about this, I just accept it. 

For example, staying in bed too long on my days off is a recipe for lower back pain. If I’m at the point where I’m no longer comfortable lying in bed, I have to get up even if I’m not ready. It makes zero sense to continue lying down if I’m uncomfortable because I’m no longer resting. 

When I do get up, I don’t just sit on the side of the bed, I immediately stand and walk. Only then does my lower back pain disappear. 

I honestly believe in that saying, “move it or lose it”. We have more than 650 muscles in our body, so we were meant to move. The next time you are sedentary for an extended period of time, tune into how you feel. If you’re feeling any discomfort or stiffness in your body, trust me it’s your body telling you to get up and walk around! 

I think we overestimate how much we move, just like we underestimate how much we eat. Just for fun, start tracking your steps to see approximately how much you walk every day. You can get an inexpensive pedometer or use your cell phone which may already have a fitness app. 

Let’s face it, everyone has 15 minutes to spare every single day. If you find yourself with 15 minutes and you have nothing to do, or you are in between tasks, try to take a walk. Grab your water bottle (always), get some fresh air if you can and if not, use a walking video and walk indoors.  

You’ll never regret taking a walk. “I really wish I didn’t take that 15-minute walk”. Said no one EVER!

How often do you walk? Let me hear from you in the comments!

Sources:

https://www.everydayhealth.com/menopause-pictures/the-best-exercises-for-menopause-symptoms.aspx

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/walking/art-20046261

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