It is clear, even though walking involves simple movements, it offers many health benefits. Unfortunately, regardless of being a simple and innate human movement, many are ignoring it. Instead, many are living a sedentary life.
Even though walking activity is as simple as it appears, it is a good natural immune system booster when done frequently and regularly. There were studies that found regular walking activity has an anti-aging effect and a positive impact on longevity.
Frequent Walking Activity Boosts Immunity
One study of over 1000 men and women that frequent walking provides protection against cold and flu. Hence, it is a good thing to do more frequent walking activities during the flu season.
In the study, subjects who took walking activity for at least 20 minutes per day, at least 5 times a week experienced fewer sick days than those who only exercise once a week.
And, if these regular walkers get sick, they only got sick for a shorter duration with milder symptoms.
Spending Time In Nature Is Beneficial For Health and Wellness
When it comes to walking activities, there is no other place to do it other than in nature. Of course, you can do stationary walking at home or just around the house, but having a walk in nature is a lot better experience.
In fact, one study confirms that spending time in nature is good for humans. It is not surprising, actually since we humans are accustomed to spending time in nature naturally. Only in this age of modern society wherein, the majority of people are becoming lazy to walk and spend time in nature.
The lead author of the study says;
We gathered evidence from over 140 studies involving more than 290 million people to see whether nature really does provide a health boost.
We found that spending time in, or living close to, natural green spaces is associated with diverse and significant health benefits. It reduces the risk of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, premature death, and preterm birth, and increases sleep duration.
People living closer to nature also had reduced diastolic blood pressure, heart rate and stress. In fact, one of the really interesting things we found is that exposure to greenspace significantly reduces people's levels of salivary cortisol — a physiological marker of stress.
University of East Anglia. “It's official — spending time outside is good for you.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 July 2018.
One study also confirmed that spending time in nature boosts the immune system plus other health benefits including protection against;
- Depression
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- ADHD
- Heart disease
- Cancer
- Plus many others.
Another important benefit of walking and spending time in nature is sun exposure. Being regularly exposed to sunlight is good as it triggers the body to produce Vitamin D.
But there is more, walking and spending time in nature not only will boost your immune system but also your memory and mood.
Participants exhibited significant increases in memory span after the nature walk relative to the urban walk. Participants also showed increases in mood, but the mood effects did not correlate with the memory effects, suggesting separable mechanisms and replicating previous work.
Berman, Marc G et al. “Interacting with nature improves cognition and affect for individuals with depression.” Journal of affective disorders vol. 140,3 (2012): 300-5. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2012.03.012
Safety Walking Tips
These tips are helpful for those don't walk very often. If you're a regular walker, you may have known these safety tips already. If you have other tips to share, put them in the comments section.
- If you are in urban areas, walk on areas with pedestrian designated sections.
- When walking at night time, choose an area to walk where it is well-lit.
- Wear good walking shoes or any flat shoes.
- Wear comfortable clothing.
- Bring along a bottle of water for hydration purposes.