What are the benefits of walking, how long should you walk per day? What are the benefits of walking for health? What does walking give you?

Natalia Govorova

Reading time: 9 minutes

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A sedentary lifestyle - office, home, entertainment - one way or another leads to weight gain, which is then difficult to get rid of. So what method or strategy will allow you to always have a slim figure, a toned back and a good mood?

There are several methods to combat excess weight: fitness room, dancing - and, of course, walking.

The benefits of walking – is walking healthy and why?

Walking is useful because:

• Burning calories
  It is important to have a goal in front of you - to walk simply, imposingly and only on Sundays; this is unlikely to help you lose excess weight and become truly strong - both externally and internally. Walking allows you to get rid of excess weight. This could be walking uphill, up stairs, down the street, on a path at a fitness club, or walking on the sand at the beach. Walking allows you to maintain a certain level of muscle mass, or burn unused calories. What matters is not so much where you walk, but how regularly and for what duration of your walks.
• Stress recedes
  Regular walking is the key to not only excellent physical condition, but also a good method of dealing with stress. The benefits of walking depend on how you walk, how long, how much, and where. You burn off your unused charges for the day, giving yourself directly to a physical exercise that gives you positive emotions.
• Reducing the risk of heart disease
  Walking is a good way to reduce the risk of heart disease and also helps reduce the amount of cholesterol in the blood.
• Walking helps strengthen joints
  Walking is beneficial for everyone, both young and old. Walking makes the joints work - and this is the main prevention of salt deposition and the occurrence of aprtroses. In addition, active regular walking is the prevention of diseases such as osteoporosis - which is important for women.

When, how much and how to walk to lose weight - tips for losing weight

• The figure is 6 kilometers, or 6000 meters , it was derived for a reason - it’s exactly 10 thousand steps. It is at this point that you can and should stay. More is possible, less is not possible. If your goal is clearly set - to lose weight, then the numbers change upward.
• You need to walk often, a lot, and in comfortable shoes.
• At a fast pace. The walking pace should be quite high, but you shouldn’t immediately switch to “sport” mode and run. On average, the first kilometer should be covered in 10 minutes. During this time, you gradually increase your walking speed.
• From heel to toe. The steps are not too long, but not too short either. Back straight, shoulders back, chin raised.
• Move your hands to the beat: right foot forward – left hand forward.
• Minimum time for your walk - 30 minutes.
• In the morning or evening? Morning is the best time for a walk. The fact is that it is at this time of day that fat reserves are burned most intensively.
• Walk more stairs and uphill. There is no such thing as too much walking. Always take the stairs to get to the floor; the elevator is for the weak!
• Walking is a matter of habit. It is produced in two weeks and remains with you for life, as a guarantee of health and vigor.

Useful tips: equipment for walking – what do you need to remember?

An important component of a successful walk is proper equipment.

• Clothes should be loose, this is important.
• Shoes should be comfortable, fit, and have good cushioning. Preferably - sneakers, sneakers. Sneakers paired with a tracksuit will provide you with comfort while walking and give you a sporty look. Read also:
• In winter, walking shoes should be flexible, but with anti-slip soles.
• Do not disdain the standard set of self-respecting athletes - sneakers, shorts, T-shirt.
• Socks - only natural ones: cotton, wool, bamboo.
• If you are walking in a park or forest, you can take sticks in your hands .
• Don't forget a cap with a visor if it's sunny.
• A flask of water on your belt if it’s hot.
• Napkins to wipe away sweat.
• MP3 player if you can't imagine walking without music.
• Good mood and a strong desire to lose weight.

How to choose the right place to walk?

Now, having prepared for the walk, you need to think over a plan, or rather, a route along which you will travel in the next half hour to an hour.

• Perhaps you will choose the most pleasant places in your city - alleys, squares, parks, forests.
• It is important that the place where you will walk is with the least number of vehicles – cars, buses, etc.
• Clean air, pleasant atmosphere - that's a positive choice.
• If you can’t find a park, you can go somewhere by area or choose a city wide staircase .
• Okay too walk to and from work at least a few stops.

How to start walking for weight loss?

How to start? This is an important question that requires a clear answer. All the best work gradually, incrementally, increasing not only the duration of the walk, but also the path.

• First week can be done in an easy version - 14 minutes, three times a week.
• Second week can and should be longer - 30 minutes.
• By the third or fourth week you can afford a 45-minute walk, five times a week.
• So, the first month of intense and regular training has passed. Beginning with fifth week, we are gradually moving towards a result of 10 thousand steps a day. On average, 1 km of travel should take 12 minutes. It is worth noting, that a 6 km walk can be divided into segments , and does not go through everything at once.

If you liked our article and have any thoughts on this matter, please share with us. It is very important for us to know your opinion!

When a trainer in the gym says something clever about “ functional» exercises, you can tell him that there is nothing more functional than walking(and immediately leave it* - joke) is the most natural physical process for our body.

Meanwhile, many homo sapiens strive to free themselves as much as possible from upright walking. They get into cars and circle around the supermarket parking lot to walk 50 meters less, and if they park right in front of the entrance - and walk only 10 meters, instead of 100 - this is a huge success, the brain rewards the “winner” with a fresh portion of hormones and, but ...that's not what we're talking about now.

Humanity has come up with a lot to help people walk less: escalators, elevators, electric scooters, Segways, cars, sofas.

Meanwhile, walking is the simplest, most natural and, as scientific research shows, very useful for prolonging your life. So, without further sentimentality, let’s turn to how and what scientists found out about the most functional exercise in the world. We have translated and adapted the scientific text from the website health.harvard.edu, let's see together what scientists have found out - how good walking is.

1. Walking is slow running

It even sounds a little funny, but if you let the experts at health.harvard.edu think logically: the effect of physical exercise depends on three components - intensity, duration And general frequency of classes.

To put it very roughly: you can quickly push yourself while running, or do the same work calmly and thoughtfully, covering the same distance over a longer period of time - the load will be approximately the same, but the time spent will be different. By the way, there is an opinion that the key thing in the load is the total work done, and not the intensity with which you did it. There is a grain in this, but not everything is so simple, of course.

The reputable American Heart Association and American College of Sports Medicine recommend walking at least 30 minutes a day and at least 5 days a week. The minimum recommendations from the same organizations for running: 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week.

From the point of view of load efficiency, in a minute of time the runner overtakes the walker, but firstly, it is not clear whether there is any point in rushing, and secondly, slowing down clearly has its advantages and if you think about it, there are quite a lot of them, starting from the fact that there is no need to change sweaty T-shirt and ending with a much lower risk of injury, including.

2. Calorie expenditure when walking is not much behind running

For example, a 70 kg person while running, spends about 500-600 kcal per hour, the same person when walking you will spend about 250 kcal per hour. Roughly speaking, in terms of energy expenditure, half an hour of running corresponds to an hour of walking.

To be fair, we need to compare here what is additionally burned (for example, if the same person had been lying on the couch for that hour and not moving anything, he would have spent only about 40-50 kcal per hour).

So walking gives additional 200 kcal/hour relative to rest, and running - accordingly, on average +500 kcal/hour (for this 70-kilogram person).

In any case, if you need to work on a calorie deficit, think about what is more comfortable and to your liking - 2-3 hours of walking or an hour of running. The effect will be the same for the amount of calories burned.

3. The Science of Walking: 18 Reliable Studies

The opinions of experts and scientists on the benefits of walking can begin with Hippocrates, who said about 2,400 years ago, “Walking is the best medicine for man.” Previously, of course, they said all sorts of things and even treated with mercury and bloodletting, but in the case of Hippocrates there is scientific evidence. Hippocrates is great. Do like Hippocrates.

Two scientists from University College London conducted a meta-analysis (and as you already know, this is a very reliable type of scientific data) of all studies on walking from 1970 to 2007. They combed through 4,295 articles from which they identified 18 studies that met their high standard of validity. These 18 studies included a total of 459,833 people who did not have heart disease at least at the start of the studies. This group of people was followed for an average of 11.3 years and monitored for various diseases, mainly of the cardiovascular system (heart attack, strokes, vascular surgery, angioplasty, angina, and deaths).

So, the conclusions in favor of walking are clear:

– Regular walking reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by 31%.
– Those who walked regularly were 32% less likely to die during these 11.3 years of follow-up than those who did not exercise.

Here is more reliable data with similar conclusions and figures - also a meta-analysis of seven large-scale studies from Harvard University:

– Among 10,269 Harvard graduates, walking at least 9 miles per week (just over 2 km per day) was consistent reducing the risk of death by 22%.
– Among 44,452 healthcare industry workers, those who walked at least 30 minutes a day had an 18% lower risk of coronary heart disease.
– Among 72,488 nurses, those who walked at least 3 hours a week had a 35% lower risk of death from a heart attack and a 34% lower risk of death from stroke.

These studies excluded those who already had heart disease, but could walking help those who already have it? There is a review study on this topic. The researchers reviewed 48 scientific papers involving 8,946 patients and the conclusion was similar: moderate exercise (such as walking or moderate exercise on an exercise bike) for 30 minutes 3 times a week - reduced the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 26% (this is among those who already had problems with it) and a 20% reduction in the overall risk of death from all causes.

There is even a randomized clinical trial on walking, which also guarantees high reliability. In a 10-year study of 229 postmenopausal women, some subjects added 1 mile of walking per day to their regular activity, while others did not. The result was that those who walked had an 82% lower risk of heart disease.

4. Another list of the health benefits of walking

And if the clearly proven reduction in the risk of death and cardiovascular disease does not convince you that walking is important and necessary, there is also a whole bunch of positive effects from walking noted in various studies: reducing the risk of dementia, diabetes, depression, colorectal cancer, obesity, vascular disease and even erectile dysfunction.

5. Why walking is better than running: less impact, fewer injuries

It is clear that if you are in a hurry (to catch an antelope with a spear, for example), then running is obviously preferable to walking.

But the difference between these two activities is not only speed. During walking, at least one foot is in contact with the ground at any given time. While running, the runner spends part of the time in flight. And the higher the speed, the more time the runner spends in the air, without contact with the surface. Elite runners spend up to 45% of their time “flying.”

But what takes off must also fall if it is not in Earth's orbit. During landing, runners subject their bodies to a stress equivalent to approximately three times their own body weight. Over the course of a brisk mile of running, a typical runner's legs absorb about 100 tons of impact forces. In this regard, running can both strengthen the body and harm (everything, of course, depends on many conditions and, above all, each individual person – Zozhnik’s note).

Ultimately, the risk of ever suffering an exercise-related injury while walking is very low (1 to 5%), but while running it is high (20 to 70%).

6. Benefits of walking up stairs

Cardiologists tell their patients that they are physically fit enough for sex if climbing 2-3 floors of stairs does not cause any problems.

Researchers from Canada monitored 17 subjects with an average age of 64 years during normal walking, strength training and climbing stairs. It turned out that walking up stairs is the most energy-intensive activity - about 50% more expensive than regular strength training. So walking up the stairs is a powerful load that should not be neglected. Be happy if you live on a high floor (and if there is no elevator there yet, then this is just a gift to your health).

A Harvard study also found that people who averaged at least 8 floors per day were 33% less likely to die than those who climbed almost no stairs.

By the way, on Zozhnik there is a whole gorgeous article about the benefits of walking on steps with interesting scientific calculations.

7. Walking or genetics?

An important question to ask in the wake of these 18 high-quality observational studies on walking: is it walking that causes these health benefits, or do genetically healthier people simply tend to walk more? Do scientists confuse cause and effect?

One European study sheds light on this quantum uncertainty. A huge study was conducted in Finland, in which 16,000 healthy same-sex twins took part. The study started back in 1975 and during 20(!) years of observation, 1253 subjects died.

Moreover, those who exercised for at least 30 minutes at least 6 times a month at walking intensity had a 43% chance of dying than those who did not exercise at all.

The study also gives a clear answer to the question about genetics: If one of the twins was engaged, and the other was not, then he had an average of 56% less chance of dying during these 20 years of observation.

Go!

Friends, the science is clear - walking is good for your health, life expectancy, well-being, blood pressure, has the lowest risk of injury and allows you to burn a noticeable amount of calories.

Is it difficult to park at the entrance? On the contrary, park at the farthest and most free point and enjoy the extra meters. Walk to work, to the metro, to the train, evaluate where you can replace transport with a walk and do it.
Take a walk during your lunch break instead of sitting around the whole time.

Walk in good health. Walk more.

Do you suffer from joint pain, heart problems, stress, depression or obesity? Because according to the Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise, walking helps reduce the risk of all chronic diseases. In fact, most health professionals will choose a brisk walk over a run, as it is a low-stress exercise that is gentle on the heart and joints.

1) 45 minutes of walking can help strengthen and tone your leg and back muscles and prevent muscle loss 2) 30 minutes of daily walking can help you lose weight, improve your metabolism and gain lean muscle mass 3) 30 minutes of interval cardio can help lower your blood pressure and relieve you from shortness of breath

1. Boosts Heart Health

Walking helps improve heart health. Irish scientists report that walking is the best exercise for sedentary individuals, especially adults, to reduce the risk of heart and vascular disease. In another study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, researchers confirmed that men and women 65 years of age and older who walked at least 4 hours a week had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. So don’t forget to walk at least 4 hours a week so that stroke and other heart troubles avoid you.

2. Promotes weight loss

Walking is a great exercise to lose weight and is so effective it's hard to imagine. American scientists conducted an experiment in which obese patients walked with each other (a concept called the “walking bus”) to places they usually took public transport in the city. After 8 weeks, weight measurements were taken and it was found that more than 50% of participants had lost an average of 5 pounds. You might also think it's a good idea to walk there and back instead of getting in the car.

3. Regulates blood pressure

Walking can also lower blood pressure. Researchers from Wakayama Medical University, Japan, conducted an experiment involving individuals with moderate hypertension in which 83 patients took 10,000 steps every day for 12 weeks. By the end of 12 weeks, they experienced a significant reduction in blood pressure, as well as improved endurance. Even if 10,000 steps a day is beyond your ability, walking for at least 60 minutes every day will certainly benefit your blood pressure.

Find out more without using pharmaceutical drugs.

4. Fights cancer

Cancer has taken more than a million lives. One of the causes of cancer is a sedentary lifestyle, and this is where walking can help you. Scientists have found that by going for a walk every day, you can reduce body weight and remove several kg of fat, thereby reducing the risk of cancer. It turns out there is no question about whether walking is beneficial for those undergoing cancer treatment because it reduces the side effects of chemotherapy. It may also reduce the risk of breast cancer.

5. Improves blood circulation

Believe it or not, walking can make you smarter by providing your brain with the necessary amount of oxygen and glucose, which helps it function better. It also lowers levels of LDL cholesterol, which clogs arteries, increasing the risk of stroke. Thus, blood circulation, brain and cell functioning are improved.

6. Reduces the risk of diabetes

A sedentary lifestyle leads to an exponential increase in one of the most common diseases - diabetes. For people with type 2 diabetes, scientists recommend taking 3,000 to 7,500 steps a day, sitting less, and being more active overall. Walking every day can help control your blood sugar levels, which in turn can help prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.

7. Strengthens bones

With age, bones become more fragile. However, there is good news: daily walks can help you strengthen them. This low-stress exercise prevents bone loss, thereby reducing the risk of osteoporosis, fractures and injuries. Since bones are the foundation of the body, stronger and healthier bones mean good posture, endurance and balance. Walking can also prevent arthritis and relieve associated pain.

8. Strengthens muscles

With age, a person loses not only bone mass, but also muscle mass. And here, too, walking can help you, because it strengthens and tones the muscles, and also prevents the loss of muscle mass. Regular walking can strengthen the muscles in your legs and back.

Poor digestion can lead to intestinal discomfort, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and even colon cancer. Thus, it is very important to keep your digestive system in order. To do this, you need not only to develop healthy gastronomic habits, drink more water, but also walk regularly. Walking after eating is wonderful. It will help you lose weight and also help digest food.

10. Strengthens immunity

The body's immune system must always function properly to fight infection, disease and death. Walking is a great way to strengthen your immune system. Walking for at least 30 minutes a day can help activate immune cells such as B cells, T cells and natural killer cells. This stimulates faster production of white blood cells, which allows the body to heal faster.

Dementia or dementia is a neurological condition characterized by the gradual loss of memory and cognitive functions. Over time, it can deprive you of the opportunity to do household chores and make you completely dependent on others. Walking at a moderate pace every day can help prevent dementia, improve memory and make older adults more confident.

12. Increases lung capacity

Walking can also increase lung capacity. When you walk, you inhale more oxygen compared to when you are at rest. This increased exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide can affect lung capacity, which also contributes to endurance and exercise ability. The best thing about all of this is that you don't even have to run to do it. All you need to do is walk at an average pace for 60 minutes (with breaks, of course!).

13. Slows down aging

A study of 17,000 Harvard graduates found that students who walked for at least 30 minutes every day lived longer than those who were sedentary. Walking is sometimes associated with the activation of the enzyme telomerase, which is responsible for maintaining the integrity of DNA and is an important factor in the course of aging, but walking in any case has a beneficial effect on all problems associated with age-related changes in the body.

14. Helps produce vitamin D

Walking in the morning is a great opportunity for the body to produce vitamin D. It is very important for strong bones, prevents cancer, multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes. So the best way to recharge your batteries is to go out and walk for 10-15 minutes in the morning sun without worrying about harming your body.

Learn more about and how to get it in sufficient quantity.

15. Relieves stress

Walking can help reduce stress levels by improving blood circulation, which in turn provides oxygen and nutrients to cells. It also stimulates receptors in the nervous system and reduces the production of stress hormones. Regular breathing while walking will also help you cope with anxiety.

16. Uplifts your mood

Several scientific studies have supported the idea that physical activity can help prevent depression. Walking is highly recommended by doctors and psychiatrists as a way to improve your mood. So, if you're feeling down or sad, take a walk, get some fresh air, realize how beneficial it is - and you'll feel better.

17. Improves memory

Japanese scientists have found that walking has a beneficial effect on the memory of elderly patients. Exercise helps increase the size of the hippocampus, while a sedentary lifestyle shrinks it, leading to memory loss. Try to walk every day, this will significantly improve your memory.

18. Increases productivity

Regular walking can also make you more active and energetic. This, in turn, can increase your productivity. Walking is good for everything, be it school, work, memory, flexibility or response to various stimuli - all of this will change for the better.

19. Gives a creative boost

Walking can help you when you feel stuck creatively. They will calm your nerves and relax your brain. When you walk, you are not pressured by deadlines or the need to satisfy someone else's expectations. This helps you start thinking strategically and sorting everything out. So if you are stuck with any problem, take a walk!

20. Helps you make new acquaintances

Walking can help you find new acquaintances and, perhaps, new friends who will inspire you to walk every day, because you will want to meet them again. You can also go to social events. By the end of the day you will be charged with positive energy and peace.

It's clear from this list that walking is beneficial and can improve your health in many ways, but what preparations do you need to make to start walking daily? Let's find out what might be useful to you.

What do you need to start walking?

To start walking, you need a few basic things. Here is the list:

• Walking shoes
• Comfortable clothes
• A bottle of water and an energy bar for long walks
• If you decide to walk to the office, wear office clothes and a pair of comfortable shoes that you can change into while at work.
• Raincoat
• Motivation is absolutely necessary at least in the first 5 days.

Below you'll learn how to stay motivated to walk every day.

Many elevate walking to the rank of a real panacea, which can heal the body from most diseases, both existing and possible (age-related). True, not everyone thinks so. Can you rely on walking and expect miracles from it? Let's try to understand how great the benefits of walking are and what doctors and scientists say about this. Yes, it is scientists who talk about the great benefits of walking, but many doubt it, and for good reason.

How long should you walk a day to lose weight?

Surprisingly, many conversations about the benefits of walking begin with this question. Most likely, this is why there are not so many people who want to walk. Remember that to lose weight you need to walk not at a normal walking pace, but as if you are in a hurry to catch the last train, and there is no other way to get home.

To start the weight loss mechanism, the average walking speed should be 6 kilometers per hour. You need to walk at this pace not for a few minutes, but for at least half an hour. Healthy walking or walking for weight loss is a full-fledged physical activity that should make you sweat (one of the main conditions). With this approach, there is a real chance to lose several kilograms in a month without a gym, exercise equipment and other equipment used by athletes.

If the walking speed is lower, then at best the person will become slightly more resilient, and at worst, he will get tired and quit exercising without feeling the positive effect.

How much do you need to walk to lose weight? The bigger, the better. The main thing is that your muscles begin to work actively, your heart rate accelerates and sweat flows like a stream. By the way, professional walkers lose up to 5 kilograms of weight for every 50 kilometers of walking, which means you have something to strive for.

How is the average speed of a person measured when walking?

We have already reported that the benefits of walking appear only at a speed of 6-7 km/h (which is close to running). However, there is one nuance in walking that does not fall into these rules - different people have different step widths - this radically changes the measurement of walking speed. Even walking in place can make the whole body work.

It is convenient to measure the average speed when walking in steps per minute. By the way, this is how professional athletes who practice physical therapy recommend measuring walking speed.

To make it more convenient for us in the future, let's classify the average walking speed based on the number of steps per minute:

• Very slow walking – 60-70 steps.
• Slow walking – 70-90 steps
• Average walking – 90-120 steps
• Fast walking – 120-140 steps
• Very fast walking - 140 or more steps.

It becomes clear that constantly counting steps is a thankless task; you can’t attach a speedometer to your feet, and it’s not possible to keep a bicycle near you all the time. This means that you have only two options - buy a pedometer or stop thinking about the number of steps altogether. In the first case, you will have to spend a small amount of money, but this gives a little motivation at the initial stage - constant reconciliation and growth of self-esteem are at your service for 7000, 8000, 10000 steps a day. Please note that the intensity of walking should correspond to how you feel – in this case, you are less likely to overload your body.

If you still have doubts about the benefits of walking, we present to your attention the opinion of the British Department of Health - you need to take 10 thousand steps every day. This rule is also followed by the inhabitants of Japan, perhaps this is why this people have an average life expectancy of about 82 years, while in Russia people live on average only up to 67 years.

By the way, taking 10,000 steps daily is quite easy, since each of us visits stores, walks to the car, to work, around the house - on average this is 2-3 thousand steps. The remaining amount must be completed separately, and it is advisable to speed up your pace. As a result, in an hour you can easily get the necessary steps up to standard.

What are the benefits of walking?

The benefits of walking are very multifaceted; it affects the entire body as a whole, and not just the legs, as some people think. Even an average walking speed calls on the human body to work at a completely different level, and the higher your pace, the better it works out. It must be said that all the benefits of walking cannot be fit into one article, so we will briefly talk about the most important things.

We’ll start with the spine, which has a fairly large nerve network and affects a person’s entire life. In addition, a straight spine allows organs to occupy the correct position. If you walk a lot, the tissues of the vertebrae and joints are massaged and strengthened, due to the fact that when the muscles are tense, blood enters the most inaccessible places, enriching all places with oxygen, and a slight “rocking” of the vertebrae creates the effect of a soft massage.

Also, walking (especially fast) has a positive effect on all organs, saturates them with oxygen and expels poisons and waste from tissues.

If you regularly walk at a good pace, you will reduce the likelihood of problems with blood vessels and heart. Cholesterol will leave the body and blood pressure will improve. Even osteoporosis and oncology are receding. Of course, the same weight loss that was mentioned above is definitely present.

That is, walking is useful; just half an hour of daily walking will help you:

• Strengthen bones and muscles.
• Relieve stress (at least partially).
• Reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and normalize blood pressure.
• Regulate blood sugar levels.
• Finally, get some alone time.

We provide this list specifically for additional motivation for people who want to start walking, but are unable to decide to do so. Of course, the positive aspects of walking don’t end there.

When, how and how much to go

The first and basic rule is that the duration and intensity of walking must correspond to the state of health. You need to start gradually, forgetting about quick results, because you can easily “burn out” and quit classes on the third day. At first it is better to walk longer than faster, then you will have endurance, and then it will be easier to add speed to it. After several months of regular walking, it will be possible to accelerate the average speed to 110 steps per minute (you should try to reach 130-140 steps per minute).

By the way, it’s good to walk often and a lot. Ideally, an hour every day, but here you need to look at your own workload and strive for the standard. If a forced break occurs, you need to start with light loads and gradually raise the “bar”, otherwise you can harm yourself. It is useful to go on an empty stomach - an hour and a half after eating.

The maximum benefits of walking will be manifested when the spine is in an upright position and the shoulders are widely spread to the sides. You can’t slouch, because the position of all your internal organs when walking depends on this. It is important to learn to walk upright and gracefully.

It is equally important to establish proper breathing - inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. Try to get into a rhythm with your walking; your breathing should not be confused or chaotic. For this reason, it is better to walk in silence. You can also breathe through your mouth, but only if you carry water with you and are in a warm climate, far from road dust and city smog. If you are short of breath, you need to slow down.

Walking in place

As we said above, not everything is determined by a person’s walking speed. You can torture yourself by standing still, so let's talk about walking in place.

If you don’t have the desire or opportunity to go outside or on a treadmill (for example, it’s very cold outside or you’re shy about someone), the best choice for you is walking in place. When performing this procedure, it is advisable to observe the following rules:

• Feel free to wave your arms vigorously.
• Raise your knees high.
• Don't hit your heels on the floor, walk on your toes.

The walking time and number of steps per minute in this case will be completely different, so monitor your well-being. And also, use walking in place only in the most extreme cases, because a full-fledged road is much better.

Walking up the stairs

If it’s raining outside, you can change your recreational walking along the street to walking up the stairs. Again, in this case the duration and pace will not be the same.

If physical exercise and walking up stairs are not yet familiar to you, then you need to start by climbing 1-2 floors (2-4 flights) per approach, and then rest until your breathing and heart rate stabilize.

At first, do not step over the step; it is better to methodically count each step, stepping on your toe. And when you are able to reach the last floor in one go without shortness of breath, you will be able to step over the steps. Don't forget the railings. You need to walk up the stairs until you get tired, it is important not to overdo it.

Heart rate while walking

An integral part of healthy walking is monitoring your pulse (heart rate) and breathing. If everything is very simple with breathing - if shortness of breath means you need to rest, then with the heart rate everything is much more complicated.

To monitor your heart rate, you need to arm yourself with a stopwatch and a simple formula: 220 minus your age. This will be the maximum allowable safe heart rate for you. To prevent the benefits of walking from becoming harmful, you need to slightly understretch to the maximum level, otherwise you can damage your heart. Therefore, you can multiply the resulting figure by 70-80% and get the required heart rate value.

Walking shoes

There are not many recommendations here, but they should not be neglected. If your average walking speed exceeds 3-4 kilometers per hour, then there is a real chance of rubbing or damaging something.

To avoid injuring the spine and leg bones, you need to choose your walking shoes wisely. Definitely, it is best to choose sneakers with light, soft and shock-absorbing soles, otherwise you can damage your foot and in particular your heel; we have already written about what to do if. Also, the central part of the sneakers should bend well. Be sure to choose the right size for your shoes; your feet should fit snugly and not slip on the insole.

What is healthier, running or walking?

There is no clear answer to the question of which is healthier, running or walking. So let’s answer briefly – everything has its time.

It's better to start with walking to lose weight, and then either learn race walking or running. Whatever you choose, you can only start running if you are of normal weight and endurance, otherwise you can harm your heart and joints. We have already written about this on the pages of our website..

Over time, when you begin to feel strength in your body and after training harmony and peace come, and not fatigue with a desire to abandon what you started, you will realize that all this was not in vain, because you can live with pleasure and fully only in a healthy body.

Playing sports is usually associated with grueling training and constant physical activity. Many people find it very difficult to go to the gym or aerobics after work. But you really want to maintain good physical shape and take care of your health. This is where walking comes to the rescue.

Of course, many will be surprised, but walking is as effective as running or working out in the gym. A 1-hour walk burns the same amount of calories as a 30-minute run.

Where to begin? First of all, you need to reconsider your lifestyle. You need to start with the little things. For example, walk to and from work, or if it’s very far, then at least get off a few stops earlier and continue on foot. Summer holidays should also be active. You need to choose places where you can visit local attractions and go on excursions. Ideally, walks through the forest or into the mountains. Refusal to use the elevator is also a big plus for health and figure.

Start by going down the steps, and then, when shortness of breath and rapid heartbeat gradually disappear, you can go down and up.

1. Walking has a restorative effect on the entire body. Regular walks strengthen bones, develop joints and keep absolutely all muscles in good shape. When walking, the heart rate increases from 70 to 120-140 beats per minute. Blood begins to move faster through the vessels and intensively supplies all organs with oxygen. Walking perfectly tones the heart - normalizes blood pressure, lowers cholesterol levels, thereby preventing blockage of blood vessels.
2. Walking prevents type 2 diabetes , the development of breast cancer, treat radiculitis and insomnia. According to studies, regular walking reduces the risk of vascular and heart diseases by 31%, provided that you walk 8 km per week at an average pace of 3 km per hour.
3. Walking is a sport. Hiking is one of the few sports that provides moderate and even loads on all muscle groups. And the only sport recommended for people with extreme obesity.
4. Regular walking slows down the aging process in the body. Based on research by American cardiologists, every hour of active walking increases life expectancy by 2 hours.
5. Active walking improves your mood. This is an excellent type of antidepressant. Walking has a positive effect on a person’s psycho-emotional state. With regular walking, the level of endorphins - happiness hormones - increases, as a result of which stress resistance increases and internal harmony occurs.
6. Walking activates your brain. Walking activates blood circulation, thereby increasing the supply of oxygen to the brain. Active walks in the fresh air improve the structure and functioning of the brain. Walking has a particularly beneficial effect on the left hemisphere of the brain, which is responsible for analytical abilities, memory and learning. If you have difficulties making a decision, then after an hour’s walk in the air the optimal solution to the problem will definitely come to mind.
7. Walking is almost free. Walking requires only comfortable clothes and shoes. No expensive subscriptions or home exercise equipment.

The benefits of walking for men and women

The benefits of walking for women are undeniable. The most common walks improve blood circulation in the pelvis. Stagnant processes in this area significantly worsen the quality of intimate life and lead to inflammatory processes in the uterus. With regular walking, you can lose a lot of weight, because women with age, due to hormonal fluctuations, are more prone to obesity than men.

For men, walking is a must. Regular moderate exercise stimulates testosterone production, improves sperm activity and is an excellent prevention of prostatitis.

Everyone knows that there are many active points and nerve endings on the foot that are connected to all human organs. When walking, absolutely all active points are massaged, which has a beneficial effect on the body as a whole.

Walking can be done at any convenient time in any area. Of course, it is better to walk through the forest, park area or by the sea. Fresh air is a good workout for the lungs. And walking is much more effective on uneven surfaces, ideally on sand or forest paths - this is an additional workout for the muscles.

Walking for weight loss is a little different than just walking for health. You can't lose weight just by going shopping. You need to walk at an average pace - 90-120 steps per minute, and regularly - every other day, every two, gradually increasing your walks to daily ones. The pace should be increased gradually, the main thing is that the person feels comfortable while walking.

The duration of continuous walking should be at least an hour. This is due to the fact that burning fat reserves begins only after 40 minutes of continuous walking at an average pace.

And, of course, you need to adjust your diet - limit the consumption of fatty and sweet foods, eliminate harmful foods - chips, sweet carbonated drinks. That is, you need to ensure that your own calories are burned, and not again "eaten".

There are several ways to improve your walking efficiency

• Use weights

But under no circumstances should you put weights on your legs or arms - this can put additional pressure on the joints and distort your posture. It is best to use a lightweight backpack with a uniform filling, such as sand or a weighted vest, as a weighting agent.

This will both increase walking speed and increase the load on the muscles of the upper body. You need to start with swinging your arms, bent at a right angle, with a comfortable amplitude.

This is ordinary walking, only with poles - an imitation of skiing. This is the most effective way of walking, suitable for any age and weight. Nordic walking greatly reduces the load on your joints. Surprisingly, just by adding arm movement with poles, this activity burns 45% more calories than regular walking.

Anyone starting to walk for the purpose of losing weight is primarily interested in the question of how many calories are burned when walking. There is no clear answer to this question; it depends on several factors:

• weight and age of a person;
• walking pace;
• duration of the walk;
• quality of the road (smooth, sand, uphill);
• additional load (presence of sticks or weights, hand movements).

On average, in one hour of walking at a moderate pace, a person weighing 55-65 kg burns 200 calories. If you use weights or switch to an average walking pace, then, accordingly, more calories will be burned.

Despite the fact that walking is a natural daily activity for any person, and the benefits of it are obvious, regular walks at a moderate pace have contraindications :

1. The last stages of varicose veins
2. Chronic hypertension
3. Some cardiovascular diseases
4. Damaged or inflamed joints

Walking in place

In some cases, doctors may recommend walking in place. For example, in extreme stages of obesity or in some cardiovascular diseases, it is recommended to start physical activity by walking in place. Then, when the body gets used to the stress, you should move on to walking. You can also practice walking in place if you can’t go outside. To increase the effectiveness of your exercises, you can make vigorous movements with your arms in time with your walking, raise your knees high and try to walk on your toes.

Walking is the easiest and most effective way to keep yourself in good physical shape. For some diseases, walking remains the only available sport. In addition, regular exercise in the fresh air makes a huge contribution to health and longevity, and is an excellent way to combat stress. The main thing is not to overdo it - walks should be enjoyable