We always say that any exercise is better than no exercise. Some exercises, however, have more benefits than others. If you love to walk, whether it be by yourself, with your spouse or with friends, you'll be excited to hear (if you already didn't know) that walking has several documented benefits; some you may not have known:
* Prevents up to 91 percent of cases of obesity and type 2 diabetes
* Prevents up to 50 percent of all cases of heart disease
* Reduces risk of stroke by 25-30 percent
* Prevents up to 50 percent of all stroke deaths
* Reduces congestive heart disease deaths by 63 percent
* Reduces hospital readmission for heart failure patients by 70 percent
* Normalize blood pressure and reduce risk of developing high blood pressure
* Restore or maintain heart and blood vessel health
* Restore and maintain normal triglyceride levels
* Reduce risk of breast cancer by up to 60 percent
* Reduce pancreatic cancer in overweight people by up to 50 percent
* Reduce lung cancer, even in smokers by 72 percent
* Reduce melanoma by over 65 percent
* Prevent up to 50 percent of colon cancer
* Prevent osteoporosis and increase new bone formation
* Increase strength and balance
* Improve digestion
* Increase immune function
* Increase anti-tumor activity
* Decrease all causes of mortality by 67 percent in the general population
* Decrease all-cause of mortality by 50 percent in the 61 to 81 year-old age group
* Prevent up to 47 percent of cognitive impairment, prevent up to 62 percent of Alzheimer's and 52 percent of dementia
* Enhance learning by 12 times
* Increase dopamine and seratonin levels
* Decrease depression by 20 percent
* Increased growth hormone
* Decrease stress
* Decrease body fat
Wow... all of those amazing benefits and the best part? Walking is free! If you could bottle-up all of those benefits into a pill (you can't), think about how much you'd be charged for it.
Sadly, 80 percent of Americans don't get recommended exercise. Eighty percent. If you're wondering why we're so sick as a nation, this is one of the reasons.
Choose to briskly walk for at least 30 minutes at least 3 days per week. Grab your spouse, friend, girlfriend, boyfriend, or your pet and go enjoy the wonderful health benefits of walking.