Walking is something we’ve been doing since our creation as humans. It’s instinctive, inherent within us and something we do without having to think about it. It’s unbelievably convenient, allowing us to travel from very small to large distances. Even in our modern era, with cars, trains and planes, it is still our primary mode of transport. The health benefits of walking don’t just stop there, did you know that walking impacts almost every system within our bodies? It is in fact so essential to our health and yet so often overlooked. A large proportion of our bodies are made up of joints, muscles and a nervous system. All of which require movement that we get from walking to maintain a healthy state. So let’s unpack these 5 surprising health benefits of walking.
1. Keeps Your Spine Healthy
We have over 350 joints in our bodies with 100 joints within our spines alone. In the same way that muscles need to be exercised to stay healthy, joints need to be moved to stay healthy. A study done by Yan-Jun Che (2018) showed an increase in joint degeneration, especially in the discs of the spine, with increased immobilization/ fixation of a joint. This is also one of the reasons why Chiropractic can have a big impact on pain and degeneration in the spine by restoring joint fixations.
Also, the centre of your discs don’t have a blood supply. Why does this matter? Well the discs therefore have to pump the nutrients from the outside of the discs to the centre to stay healthy. It can only do this with movement which we get through activities such as walking. Therefore walking is essential to maintain a healthy spine.
A study done in 2020 by Aleksandr Solovev showed how those that did frequent moderate exercise were much less likely to develop back pain.
2. Improves Mental Health
Mental health issues are unfortunately a major issue in our society, especially in younger people. Walking causes a release of a natural feel good hormone called endorphins. This hormone can make you feel good which is why those that part take in regular activity are much more likely to be happy. This also explains the “runner’s high” experienced by runners.
Walking can also increase your levels of growth factor which helps nerve cells to grow and make new connections within the brain. The hippocampus, an area within the brain responsible for memory consolidation and emotional regulation, also increases in size with activity. This area of the brain has also been noted to be smaller among those who suffer with depression and anxiety, and thus indicating it’s importance with mental health. A study by George Mammen in 2013 showed a correlation between low intensity exercise (at least 150 minutes per week) such as walking and low levels of depression.
3. Improves Heart & Lung Function
Walking requires an elevated level of work from your heart to pump more blood around your body, especially to your muscles, to allow you to move. It requires an increase in your breathing rate to get more oxygen to your heart and muscles. In the same way that muscles and joints need to move to stay healthy, your heart and lungs also need to be challenged to stay healthy. A study by Marcus Tschentscher in 2013 showed how “Nordic walking exerts beneficial effects on resting heart rate, blood pressure, exercise capacity, maximal oxygen consumption, and quality of life in patients with various diseases”.
4. Controls Blood Sugar
A study by Loretta DiPietro in 2013 showed how walking after a meal can help control blood sugar levels in older people with blood sugar control issues. This is likely due to the increased need for sugar to fuel your muscles as well as your heart and lungs as you walk. The effects of this has been observed for many hours after the exercise too.
5. Improves Your Immune System
Walking induces a release of immune cells circulating around your body. A study by David Nieman in 2011 showed a 43% reduction in upper respiratory tract infection in those who exercised more than 5 days per week compared with those who were sedentary. This strongly suggests that walking has a large impact on the immune system, increasing it’s function to help you fight off disease better.
Conclussion
So there we have it, who knew how beneficial walking actually is for our health. There will be of course many more benefits beyond what’s been mentioned in this blog too. Hopefully this has inspired you to increase your physical exercise. You will certainly feel better for it and minimise health issues into the future.
Have difficulty walking? Are you in pain? If this is you, please do get in touch and I’ll be happy to help.