Blog 7: Walking To The Road of Healthy Exercise

Hello everyone! Last week, I shared with you my passion for the art of tennis and how it is a sport filled with enjoyment, competitive spirits, and family fun that can significantly benefit an individual’s health when using it as a form of daily exercise. Today, I would like to talk about any misconceptions that people may have about walking not being a great way to exercise because it may be considered low intensity compared to running or other high intensity exercises. According to Ann Green (a heptathlon world athlete, yoga teacher, and fitness studio owner), walking has a variety of beneficial health effects on the body, such as improving cardiac health, diminishing feelings of depression and fatigue, improving mood, preventing weight gain, improving blood circulation, etc. (Steinhilber, 2017). From my own personal experience, especially on a day when I am tired or bogged down by coursework, I will walk intensely for approximately 20 minutes to get by blood pumping and to lessen my stress level. I know in one of my previous blogs, I referred to getting back into nature as it can have remedial qualities such as improving an individual’s mood levels positively, but also acting as an area to exercise. Specifically walking in nature is said to “. . . reduce ruminating over negative experiences, which increases activity in the brain associated with negative emotions and raises risk of depression (Steinhilber, 2017). In addition, according to Rob McGillivray, Founder of RETROFIT in West Hollywood, with regard to walking, the levels of incline, walking styles, speed, weights, and music choice all play a large role into determining the level of workout you will do with walking, and determine your caloric burn and muscles targeted (Steinhilber, 2017). One thought that you might be thinking is, “If I am not sweating enough, I am not exercising hard enough,” however you should not sacrifice your physical health by overexerting your body and straining it. It is best to try other exercises that are conducive to your body type, such as walking, to slowly build muscle and to improve your fitness level before trying something new that your body is not ready for. Make sure that when exercising, you are careful, and you can even try walking at first to warm up before beginning your higher level of exercise. Stay tuned and stay healthy!

#walkthewalk #walkingtotheroadofhealthyexercise

Please reach out or comment below on any personal experiences that you feel comfortable sharing!

References:

Steinhilber, B. (2017, September 2). Why walking is the most underrated form of exercise. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/why-walking-most-underrated-form-exercise-ncna797271