"You've got to get your heartrate up," they say. By which they mean, "Stop moving so slow and start running. Then you'll get results."
According to recent studies, though, this "no pain, no gain" philosophy is off-base.
"Research shows that regular, brisk walking can reduce the risk of heart attack by the same amount as more vigorous exercise, such as jogging," explains a Mayo Clinic article.
In fact, there are so many benefits to walking--both physical and emotional--that you may want to hit the trails right after reading this article.
A Medicinenet.com article notes that, along with improving cardiorespiratory fitness, walking can: ward off diabetes, lower blood pressure, increase bone density, decrease the risk of breast and colon cancer, stave off depression, sharpen brain function and protect against dimentia and Alzheimer's disease.
In an article on the AARP.org website, former tennis pro Martina Navratilova points out another benefit of walking: spot reduction, namely in the abdominal area. Researchers put a group of men and women, ages 60-70, on a nine to 12-month exercise program of walking or jogging, Navratilova related. The participants exercised several times a week for 45 minutes.
"By the end of the study, both the men and the women had lost weight, and primarily from the abdominal area," she said.
This is good news indeed, because abdominal fat, sometimes called subcutaneous fat, has been associated with all kinds of diseases. Researches believe that belly fat leads to these conditions because it is a source of chronic inflammation.
(For more information, check out my blogs on abdominal fat and on cooling inflammation.
You've heard it here, the same advice you can find all over the place. It's agreed: walking is great for you. So what are you waiting for? Put on your Pumas and pound the pavement. Your body, and your mind, will thank you.
Cyndi Podlaski is not a fitness instructor or a doctor. She is a Xango distributor who is passionate about health.
