TThe following article is an excerpt from my newsletter. Harry Bullmore is enough.. If you want to keep up with my latest thoughts on fitness and health, enter your email address in the box above to receive my newsletter straight to your inbox.
If your exercise routine is your spice rack, walking is your salt. While it’s not the only thing you need for great health and a good diet, it is the foundation of an effective exercise routine.
“We should walk every day,” says Dr. Courtney Conley, a chiropractic physician and co-author of the book. Walk: Your life depends on it. “If we want to live longer and better, that is non-negotiable.
“Anything is better than nothing. You can start with a five-minute walk. But what’s really interesting to me is that when I see patients who take less than 2,500 steps a day, they have almost a 100 percent chance of being diagnosed with depression or sadness. If they only take 2,500 steps a day, they don’t feel well physically or mentally.”
The human body thrives on regular physical activity, but modern life no longer requires it. Few people today are looking for dinner. The solution is to find ways to move more, and for most people walking is the most accessible (and probably the most fun) option. As you might have guessed, this is the theme for this week.
NHS physical activity guidelines advise adults aged 19 to 64 to accumulate a total of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, or an equivalent combination of the two per week. This may sound gibberish to many people.
Intensity is relative to the individual. Moderate intensity means your heart rate will increase and your breathing will become a little heavier, but you can still have a fairly fluent conversation. For most people, this means a brisk walk, and for healthy people, it means jogging or cycling.
Severe intensity is a level of effort that can be maintained for only a few minutes at a time, with increased sweating and breathing, and an inability to speak in complete sentences. This can range from strenuous uphill walks to HIIT workouts and running intervals, depending on your fitness level.
“These guidelines are built on solid evidence showing that this level of activity significantly reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers and premature death,” says Jack McNamara, clinical exercise physiologist, strength coach and course leader at the University of East London. “The problem is that around a third of adults in the UK don’t meet them.”
If you can consistently walk briskly for just over 20 minutes every day, your health will definitely improve. Add to this a short bout of strength training once or twice a week, and you’ve got a healthier lifestyle than most Brits.
“Walking should follow every doctor’s prescription,” says Dr. Conley. “It’s a medical panacea. People who think of walking as a physiological necessity, and who equate 7,000 steps a day to six to eight hours of sleep, are laying the foundations of good health.”
Daily step goals vary from person to person (Learn how to set a good daily step goal here). However, several studies have confirmed that 7,000 steps is a time-efficient and health-promoting goal.
Whatever your goal, Dr. Conley says walking more creates a virtuous cycle. Walking makes me feel better. When you feel better, you have more energy to exercise. People who exercise tend to eat better and sleep better. With adequate energy and rest, you are more likely to lead an active life. And the cycle continues.
Studies also link walking to improved mood and mental health, reduced risk of death from all causes, protection against cancer, heart disease, and dementia, improved blood sugar regulation, injury prevention, and improved physical function.
Simply put, it has amazing feats that help you feel better both inside and out.
Now, let’s go back to the NHS guidelines. Given that they recommend 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise, we can infer that higher-intensity exercise is a more time-efficient way to reap greater health benefits.
Fortunately, there are easy ways to increase the intensity of your regular walks. You can pick up the pace, tackle some hills, or even carry a slightly heavier rucksack. Research also suggests that longer walks (15 minutes or more) and walks immediately after meals may have additional health benefits.
However, strenuous exercise is not suitable for everyone. For some people, that may not feel good. And we’re less likely to continue with activities that don’t make us feel good.
Professor Stamatakis’ research suggests that many of the benefits of high-intensity exercise can also be achieved with lower-intensity exercise. You just need to do more exercise to get similar effects. This goes back to Dr. Conley’s earlier point. “Anything is better than nothing.”
If you can find a way to walk more, you’ll probably feel better. And if what I’ve written here helps you feel better, then I can be satisfied with a job well done.
Get the Well Enough Newsletter
Get Harry Bullmore’s Well Enough newsletter (The Independent)
To receive Well enough with harry bullmoresimply enter your email address in the box at the top of this page.
You can also sign up for emails by visiting our newsletter preference center.
Once you’re there, just press the “+” button and enter your email address to sign up.
#minutes #walking #day #change #health