Is walking as exercise enough?
Are you aware that the more exercise you do, the more robust it is, the more you gain? And, with the increase in lifestyle diseases, many people are opting to exercise to reduce their chances of getting heart diseases or dying from lifestyle diseases. If you’re among them, you can choose aerobics, swimming, dancing, brisk walking and many others.
Again, fitness enthusiasts often advise people to combine different types of exercise to enjoy more benefits. And while this works for some people, others find it limiting depending on what one can do and the enjoyment they derive from a particular exercise.
But what of the people who prefer walking? Is walking as exercise enough? This analysis answers this question that has remained quite controversial since the birth of the fitness era.
Exercise Generally Benefits You
Exercise has myriad health benefits ranging for you. These include:
Weight Control
Exercise helps you burn excess fats and calories, hence preventing weight gain. Yet, the more intense your workout is, the more calories you burn. So, regardless of the exercise type, consistency helps you enjoy more benefits.
Disease Prevention
Exercise can help you prevent high blood pressure. Moreover, exercise boosts your high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and lowers unhealthy triglycerides, which medics associate with high blood pressure, obesity, and arteriosclerosis.
Likewise, exercise promotes a smooth blood flow reducing your chances of getting cardiovascular diseases.
Exercise Is Fun
Exercise can be fun depending on which type and company you choose. It gives allows you to unwind and relax your mind. Yet, if you choose such exercise as swimming and dancing, you can entertain yourself and keep fit.
As you dance and swim with friends and relatives, you bond and have fun. Also, when you’re bored, exercise can cheer you up.
Walking As Exercise Is Beneficial
Walking briskly is enough exercise. However, it must meet certain conditions;
- You can walk fast enough to cover over three and a half miles in an hour
- Your walking makes you feel winded
Alternatively, you can walk up a hill, which would count as a high-intensity exercise. Again, walking as exercise can be more beneficial if you carry a load. This can add challenge and variety to your workout.
Besides, walking on a treadmill is also good enough. For instance, if you walk three times a week, spending an hour daily on a treadmill, you can lose weight. This activity can also improve your heart health, lower your blood pressure, improve bone health, and reduce stress levels.
So, walking must sustain your interest to be enough exercise. Walking as exercise can also be enough if you walk at a speed of between 4 and 5 kilometers every hour daily. This way, you can enjoy the health benefits of exercising.
Besides, walking as exercise can also be sufficient if you’re a dog owner. As you play walk your dog, you improve your cardiovascular fitness, build stronger bones and muscles, lower your stress levels and lower your blood pressure.
Yet, you must walk your dog daily for at least thirty minutes to enjoy the benefits of walking as exercise. Depending on your dog’s activeness, you can also walk it twice daily. Also, consider your dog’s breed, fitness level, and age.
These factors determine the vigorousness and length of your walk. Again, walking as exercise depends on your goals. Do you want to cut weight? Do you want to prevent lifestyle diseases?
These factors, too, determine the fruitfulness of your walk. For instance, walking for 56 minutes daily can lower your death risk by 20%.
So, walking as exercise is enough depending on your time, the distance you cover, and the accompanying activities like luggage carrying, a treadmill, or walking a dog.
