2447: Walking: An Underrated Exercise by Marc Bilodeau of FitTrend on Cardiovascular & Mental Well-Being

[00:00:00] This episode is brought to you by Old Spice. Old Spice Sweat Defense Dry Spray is exactly what

[00:00:06] your armpits have been dreaming about. This spray gives your armpits the ultimate defense,

[00:00:11] with ridiculously long lasting sweat and odor protection power. Get the swaggering scent

[00:00:15] of confidence with patented motion activated fragrance technology, which also happens to

[00:00:20] smell like lime and cedar wood. Old Spice Sweat Defense Dry Spray. Tap to banner, or

[00:00:24] visit this episode's page to learn more.

[00:00:31] Crypto is like the financial system, but different. It doesn't care where you come from, what

[00:00:37] you look like, your credit score, or your outrageous food delivery habits. Crypto is

[00:00:42] finance for everyone, everywhere, all the time. Kraken, see what crypto can be. Not

[00:00:48] investment advice, crypto trading involves risk of loss. Kraken's registration details

[00:00:53] at kraken.com/legal/ca-pru-discleamer.

[00:00:59] This is Optimal Health Daily Episode 2447, Walking, An Underrated Exercise, by Mark

[00:01:05] Billidow, of fittrend.com, and I'm your host and narrator, Dr. Neal.

[00:01:11] Welcome back to Optimal Health Daily, or welcome for the first time if you're new here. This

[00:01:15] is the podcast where I act as your very own personal narrator, and read to you from some

[00:01:20] of the most popular health and fitness blogs online. And with that, let's keep this intro

[00:01:25] nice and short and get right to today's article as we optimize your life.

[00:01:33] Walking, An Underrated Exercise, by Mark Billidow, of fittrend.com

[00:01:40] Regular exercise is important to stay healthy and strong. Thankfully, there are countless

[00:01:45] activities you can do to improve your fitness, and you don't have to do high-intensity exercises

[00:01:51] such as running, cycling, or lifting weights to reap the benefits. In fact, you can do

[00:01:58] One reason is that it is seen as a slow and inefficient form of exercise. Unfortunately,

[00:02:26] some believe that exercising has to be done at a high intensity in order to see results,

[00:02:31] although research has shown that even walking at a moderate pace has health benefits. Another

[00:02:37] reason is that walking is often seen as a boring activity. You may not realize it, but walking

[00:02:43] can be a fun way to get your daily dose of exercise. In fact, there are many ways to

[00:02:48] make walking more interesting, such as walking in a new place, listening to music, or walking

[00:02:54] with a friend. The benefits of walking. Setting aside any preconceived notions you have about

[00:03:00] walking, it does have many benefits to your overall health and well-being. Simply going

[00:03:05] for a stroll around the block or on a treadmill or nearby trail has many benefits.

[00:03:11] One, walking improves your cardiovascular health. One of the greatest benefits is that

[00:03:18] walking improves your cardiovascular health. As a result, your heart becomes stronger and

[00:03:23] is able to pump more oxygen-rich blood efficiently to muscles and tissues. Also, a stronger heart

[00:03:30] leads to an increase in endurance, which lets you go farther and move longer before you

[00:03:36] have to rest. Walking can help lower your blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels.

[00:03:42] A brisk 30-minute walk, three times per week, is enough to raise your good cholesterol or

[00:03:48] HDL and lower your bad cholesterol or LDL. Two, weight management.

[00:03:56] Ricking is exercise, and like all exercise, it increases your heart rate and burns calories.

[00:04:02] Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight is critical for your overall health.

[00:04:07] It can help prevent and control many diseases and conditions.

[00:04:11] Those that are overweight are at a higher risk of developing serious health problems

[00:04:16] such as heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.

[00:04:22] By maintaining a healthy weight, it helps lower your risk for developing these health

[00:04:26] problems and gives you more energy.

[00:04:29] 3.

[00:04:30] Walking improves your mental health Walking can positively affect your mental

[00:04:35] well-being.

[00:04:36] The release of endorphins during physical activity not only improves your mood, it lowers anxiety

[00:04:42] and symptoms of depression by reducing stress hormones like cortisol.

[00:04:46] Also, walking serves as a stress outlet.

[00:04:50] As a result, it can provide mental clarity and lower the risk of chronic stress.

[00:04:56] Walking can help regulate your neurotransmitters by balancing chemicals like serotonin, dopamine,

[00:05:01] and norepinephrine.

[00:05:02] As a result, it helps with your emotional stability since imbalances may contribute to

[00:05:07] mental health disorders.

[00:05:09] So engaging in regular physical activities such as walking can contribute to an overall

[00:05:14] sense of well-being, help foster a positive outlook, increase happiness, and improve your

[00:05:19] overall quality of life.

[00:05:22] And 4.

[00:05:23] Walking improves your quality of sleep.

[00:05:26] Sleep helps you maintain pathways in your brain to learn and create new memories.

[00:05:30] It also affects how well neurons communicate with each other, and sleep removes toxins

[00:05:35] in your brain that can build up while you're awake.

[00:05:38] It also helps repair and maintain your brain, heart, lungs, immunity, mood, and metabolism.

[00:05:45] Unfortunately, poor sleep or lack of sleep over time can increase the risk of developing

[00:05:51] a number of health conditions.

[00:05:52] Thankfully, walking can-

[00:05:54] A fitness mindset is a mental attitude that prioritizes physical health, wellness, and being active. It involves cultivating a set of behaviors and attitudes that support a commitment to fitness and overall well-being. For example, a fitness mindset would view exercise as something "f

[00:06:16] fun to do rather than something required to maintain your weight. As a result, you may find it easier to establish a routine which is the first step towards making exercise a habit. Most healthy adults should exercise at least 150 minutes, a moderate intensity each week. That may sound like a lot, but it is quite doable.

[00:06:45] If you do a 30-minute brisk walk every day, then you'll rack up 210 minutes for the week. That means you can include two rest days and still achieve the weekly recommendation of 150 minutes.

[00:06:59] However, if you're just starting or restarting your fitness journey, then any consistent amount of exercise is a step in the right direction.

[00:07:08] Creating a schedule can help you walk consistently. You can add your walks to your calendar, or you can plan to walk at the same time every day, such as after a meal.

[00:07:18] A fitness journal can be a valuable tool to help you achieve your goals. In fact, you can automatically record your time, distance, and steps using an app and fitness tracker.

[00:07:29] A fitness journal can help you stay accountable, provide insight regarding your effort, and keep you motivated. Also, your fitness journal can show you trends on what's working or identify things you could tweak to keep you on track.

[00:07:43] The takeaway. Walking is an effective form of exercise that improves your physical health, mental well-being, and quality of life.

[00:07:52] Despite misconceptions about the effectiveness of walking, research shows that walking has health benefits like other forms of aerobic activities.

[00:08:01] It improves your cardiovascular health, helps manage your weight, improves the quality of your sleep, and positively impacts your mental well-being.

[00:08:10] By prioritizing consistency over intensity, cultivating a fitness mindset and tracking your progress, you can walk your way to a healthier and happier you.

[00:08:21] You just listened to the post titled "Walking, An Underrated Exercise" by Mark Bilidow of fittrend.com and I'll be right back with my commentary.

[00:08:34] We're driven by the search for better. When it comes to hiring, the best way to search for a candidate isn't to search at all.

[00:08:41] Don't search, match with Indeed. Indeed is your matching and hiring platform with over 350 million global monthly visitors and a matching engine that helps you find quality candidates fast.

[00:08:56] Ditch the busy work. Use Indeed for scheduling, screening, and messaging. 93% of employers agree. Indeed delivers the highest quality matches compared to other job sites.

[00:09:07] One of the things I love about Indeed is that it filters out incompatible applicants, so when you're hiring, the process is much faster and you only have to consider applicants that are already likely to be a great fit.

[00:09:19] And listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsor job credit to get your jobs more visibility at Indeed.com/health.

[00:09:29] Just go to Indeed.com/health right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com/health. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire? You need Indeed.

[00:09:45] Skooshabank helps you put money back in your pocket so you can do more of what makes you, you.

[00:09:51] Dr. Neal here for my commentary. I really appreciated today's article and thank Mark

[00:10:20] for writing it. We don't talk about the benefits of walking that often. I'm guilty of this too.

[00:10:26] After all, there are flashier exercises we could be doing, right? But walking is truly

[00:10:31] one of the best forms of activity and exercises. Now I guess I should mention what the difference

[00:10:36] between the words "activity" and "exercise" actually are. Activity or physical activity

[00:10:43] is unplanned and unstructured. This would be like carrying your groceries from the store

[00:10:49] to your car. Or when you show up to a building, you take the stairs instead of the elevator.

[00:10:55] These weren't necessarily planned. Exercise, on the other hand, is planned and structured.

[00:11:02] So with exercise, your goal is to improve your fitness. This would be like walking for

[00:11:08] 20 or 30 minutes straight with the specific goal of trying to walk at a brisk pace to

[00:11:14] keep your heart rate up. So back to the benefits of walking. Whether it's walking as physical

[00:11:21] activity or exercise, Mark shared a number of benefits, and they're all true. And if

[00:11:27] you don't believe us and think that walking isn't a great exercise, try walking 3 miles

[00:11:32] without stopping and see how you feel.

[00:11:35] Alright, that's another edition of Optimal Health Daily. Thank you so much for listening.

[00:11:40] Thank you for sharing this show with someone. I hope you're having a great weekend and I'll

[00:11:44] I'll see you back here tomorrow as usual, where your optimal life awaits.