Benefits Of Going To The Gym Everyday: No pain No gain
Want to feel better, have more energy, and even add years to your life? Just exercise.
Physical activity does not have to be complicated. A simple brisk walk done daily will lead you to living a healthier life. Walking looks like an easy exercise, but it has multiple benefits that work like magic on your body. We all know that walking has the ability to boost our overall health. Walking in particular comes with a lot of benefits. Let us look at a list of few which may surprise you.
- It helps curb sweet cravings- A 15-minute walk can reduce the cravings for chocolate and the latest research confirms that walking reduces cravings and feeling the need to intake sugary snacks. Researchers in the UK asked 25 regular chocolate consumers to choose between taking a daily brisk walk and resting for the same amount of time. Then, participants performed activities that would often result in chocolate cravings, and in response, they had the option of going for a walk or staying in bed. The participants who walked reported having fewer cravings compared to when they tried to rest. This helps in the weight loss process. The biggest enemy of weight loss is sugar. It is extremely important to reduce sugar from your diet when trying to lose weight. Hence, walking daily will definitely benefit as cravings will reduce.
- Eases joint pain- Several studies have found that walking reduces arthritis-related pain, and that walking five to six miles a week can even prevent arthritis from forming in the first place. Walking lubricates the joints and strengthens the muscles that support them, protecting them, particularly the knees and hips, which are most prone to osteoarthritis.
- Risk of developing chronic illnesses - it is found that women who walked a minimum of 7 hours or more in a week significantly reduced chances of breast cancer than those who walked 3 hours or fewer per week. For women who had risk factors including being overweight or using additional hormones, it offered protection. According to a review published in Sports Medicine and Health Science, walking every day has been shown to lower risk factors that can lead to a variety of diseases, including lowering the risk of neurological conditions — such as dementia and Parkinson's disease.
- Boosts immunity- It develops and makes your overall immune system stronger. It prevents an individual from getting attacked by cold or flu. A study of over 1000 men and women found that the ones who walked at least 20 minutes a day for 5 days a week had 43 % fewer sick days as compared to those who worked out once a week or less. Even if they did fall sick, it was not severe and lasted for a short duration.
- Promotes better sleep – Researchers from Japan did a 4-week trial and found that adults who did not exercise frequently but were told to walk 10,000 steps per day for 30 days reported falling asleep more quickly, sleeping longer, and having better sleep quality (such as having restful sleep). Daily walks in the great outdoors have been related to increased sleep duration and quality, less sleep disruptions, and less need for sleeping pills.
- Boosts mental health- Walking has powerful effects on the brain. It may help reduce symptoms of depression. A study published in JAMA psychiatry found that an hour of brisk walking can lower the chances of developing major depressive disorders by 26% as well as improve your mood. Whether walking is indoor, outdoors or on a treadmill it can induce feelings of joy. It could also improve brain function such as: attention span, memory, decision-making skills and can help you think more quicker and creatively.
- Boosts your energy- You may think that after a long day of work you have no energy left even for walking. But you’re wrong. In fact, going for a walk when you are tired may be more effective in giving you an energy boost than grabbing a cup of coffee. Walking increases oxygen flow throughout your body. It increases the levels of cortisol which is a hormone that helps elevate energy levels.
To conclude, walking is easy, affordable and it is the simplest form of exercise that anyone can do. It does not require any special skills or a lot of energy to do it like for other exercises such as aerobics, running or weightlifting. It helps one to maintain a healthy lifestyle and prevent so many diseases. It has enormous benefits for both the mind and body. It offers the best of both worlds.
It provides the physical benefits of exercise while also boosting your emotional well being. It improves circulation, strength, body composition and has the lowest “dropout” rate compared to other forms of physical activity.
The mental health benefits of walking range from anxiety management, stress, clearing brain fog which increases the ability to quickly solve problems. It links to better sleep, reduced risk of depression and higher levels of self esteem and happiness.