fitness
Why Walking Works Change Your Life, One Step at a Time Written by Josh and Jessi Armstrong
Walking is the most UNDERRATED form of exercise that you are not doing enough of. You may be thinking “hold on, walking isn’t exercise.” That’s where the majority are mistaken. Walking may be one of the most effective tools for weight loss and maintenance, general health, and longevity. Let’s discuss the numerous ways walking benefits each and every person. Let’s start with the general fitness benefits walking provides: • Strengthening and activating core and leg musculature. • Bone health and strength. • Heart health. • Joint support and movement. • Boosts immune function. Working our muscles, and moving our joints often is key to maintaining mobility, and ability for all ages. Movement through our joints allows them to stay well lubricated, strong, and pain free. This is important for all ages, but 24 july • aug 2022
becomes particularly important as we reach advanced age. Getting your steps in also provides a benefit to the muscles of the core and legs, maintaining muscle mass, strength, and increasing muscular endurance allowing us to perform activity longer. In addition to our muscle and joint health, walking is great for our cardiovascular system and has shown to reduce risk of heart failure, heart attack, and heart disease. For anyone seeking the keys to dropping those last few pounds. Our first response is always, “how many steps are you getting each day?” While it isn’t a flashy, body-burning, sweat-dripping class in the gym, walking can be more helpful and more effective for most people seeking to lose a few pounds. This is for a number of reasons: • Low impact, low stress. • Minimal equipment needed, easy to do. • Easy to get steps throughout the day, at work, at home, grocery store, etc. Weight loss requires us to intake less calories than we burn. Many people see a hard workout as a good way to
