Wellness Wednesday: ‘Walking is the Best Medicine’

Walking became a big exercise trend during the lockdowns and restricted activity periods of the pandemic. It was easy to get your trainers on and get outside to have a stroll or, even better, a brisk walk. The lovely weather last spring and summer certainly helped with this.

I was one of the people who got into this walking trend. I started as soon as we were sent to work from home and the gyms closed at the same time. I’d been a regular at my local gym for many years. I did mostly resistance work but had started to incorporate some cardio-vascular walking exercise as I felt I was losing this element of my fitness; this was much to the dislike of my personal trainer!

I gradually increased the amount I walked through the spring and summer. Within weeks I was up to 5 miles a day regularly. I went out straight after finishing work. I soon came to love my walks and they were the highlight of my day. I am lucky enough to live on the edge of the countryside so enjoyed walking along country lanes, in nature, with the sound of the birds singing. I know my mood benefitted greatly from this. I did the same route and people along the way got to recognise me. I’ve met many new people in the past year, just by going for a walk.

As autumn turned into winter, I changed my schedule to walking during my lunch hour. The start of 2021 brought a break to my routine. My husband got Covid 19 and, alongside him, I had to endure a period of isolation in the house. This was followed by a spate of snow and ice which disrupted my walking practice. I missed my walks. It is good to be back to a more normal routine now.

All sorts of experts will tell you about the many benefits of walking as an exercise:

One step uses a third of your body’s muscles
The recommended 10000 steps a day represents about 8k
Walking lowers blood pressure
It reduces your chance of developing diabetes
It lowers the bad cholesterol in the blood
Walking increases overall fitness
As it’s weight bearing exercise, it strengthens the bones
It helps improve mood and lowers stress
It helps people lose weight and maintain a healthy weight
Walking is a natural healer – research has shown that some disease can be cured simply by walking
It improves how the immune system works
It helps move toxins in the body into the lymphatic system to be expelled
It is estimated that for every minute a person walks, they prolong their life by 1.5-2 minutes