Photo by Daniel Reche from Pexels

Take a look outside the window. The birds are singing, the sky is beautiful and the trees are swaying in the wind. You’re sitting inside and you need to get up, pull on your comfortable shoes and go for a walk. Summer may be a little different this year, but you need to get up and get outside. Sitting indoors all day long and not moving can have an impact on your health, and you need to get outside and go for a walk. Let’s take a look at why.

Get In Better Shape

Walking does your body good. Not only are you able to up your fitness levels, you can tone your legs and burn off excess energy with every footstep. Aim for 10,000 steps per day and get a fitness tracker if you want to stay motivated, but a walk can help you to get in much better shape and burn off extra calories without you even thinking about it. 

Keep Your Feet Healthy

When you spend more time walking and on your feet, you tend to look after them better. You’ll notice pain and issues and you’ll see a pedorthist if you recognize a problem. You’ll trim the nails and take care of dry skin – and you’ll do it without thinking! Your feet deserve as much attention as any of your body parts: they keep you upright!

You’ll Help Your Blood Pressure

Walking has the wonderful ability to lower your blood sugar levels and with it, your blood pressure. You can reduce your diabetes risk and your risk of other chronic conditions. Just half an hour a day of walking will help your health and give you a most positive future – and what’s not to love about that?

Walking Makes You Happy!

Have you ever plugged into your headphones for a great beat and felt anything but wonderful? A walk on a dry, clear day can help you to clear your head and it instantly improves your mood. You’ll boost your creativity, too, as some of the best ideas you could have come about when you’re powering on down the road. You get your blood pumping, and it’s exciting to be able to do that when you need to reduce your stress.

It’s Free

Other than the investment in a great pair of trainers, you needn’t spend the money on a gym. Walking is free, and if you throw in walking on different terrains, different inclines and in different climates, you offer yourself a challenge. Walking doesn’t have to cost the earth, and all you need is a bottle of water and something comfortable to wear. Podcasts make for an amazing addition to a walk and those? They’re free, too!

Walking can change the way you think, the way you feel and the way you move. The more you walk, the fitter you get and the more fat you shed. When you lose a little weight and improve your fitness, you walk faster and better, too!