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A 30-minute walk every day can do much for your long-term health.
Benefits
1. It's good for your heart : Exercise reduces your blood pressure, relieving stress on your heart; it improves your insulin sensitivity; improves heart muscle function and blood flow; and diminishes the chances of developing blood clots.
2. It helps you manage your weight : To avoid gaining weight, you should exercise for at least 30 minutes a day.
3. It helps prevents osteoporosis : Weight-bearing exercises, like running, walking and weight-lifting, help lower your odds of getting osteoporosis as you grow older.
4. It lowers high blood pressure : No matter whether you get exercise from a brisk walk, a fast run or a few laps in the pool; the results are equally good.
5. It's an excellent de-stressor : Exercise acts as a temporary diversion to daily stresses and improves self-esteem. Psychological changes may occur because of changes in norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin, all hormones which can affect mood and anxiety levels.
6. Exercise prevents colds : Health experts believe that exercise spikes the immune system for a few hours each day, helping to ward off colds.
7. It reduces the severity of asthma : The extra effort made to stay fit pays off in fewer or milder asthma attacks overall, and a need for less medication. Experts recommend swimming as one of the best exercise for asthmatics.
8. It reduces diabetic complications : Exercise can help to reduce your insulin requirements, lower your cholesterol levels and high blood pressure, and in the long term can reduce the development of heart disease and stroke.
9. It promotes a healthy pregnancy : Relaxation exercises, Kegel exercise that strengthen the pelvic muscles, and back exercises are all important for pregnant women.
10. It plays a role in preventing cancer : Exercise speeds the passage of food through the colon, thereby reducing the amount of time that toxins are in contact with the body. For women, exercise also reduces the level of oestrogen, a hormone linked to breast cancer.
11. Exercise has anti-ageing effects : It improves reasoning and memory, improves lung function and can reduce body fat and lower the risk of chronic lifestyle diseases in the elderly.
12. It promotes brain health : Exercise is thought to increases the flow of blood to the brain. Activity also stimulates the growth of nerve cells in the part of the brain involved in memory.
13. It's great for your sex life : Psychologically you feel better about yourself and more inclined towards sex; physically, being fit improves libido, blood circulation and sexual functioning.
14. It improves sleeping patterns : Relaxation exercises can ease tension and relieve headaches, backaches and insomnia.
15. It combats impotence : Increased circulation as a result of exercise should result in lower levels of impotence, as getting an erection is dependent on the efficiency of blood circulating to the penis.
16. Exercise helps prevent stroke : Research shows that highly active people have a 27 percent lower risk of having a stroke or dying if they had one, compared with sedentary folks.
17. It is good for mind and soul : Increased core temperature during exercise may also lead to reduced muscle tension or alterations to brain neurotransmitters. Psychological changes may occur due to alterations in norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin, all hormones which can affect mood and anxiety levels.
18. It improves oxygen and nutrient supply the cells : Exercise improves the body's utilisation of oxygen, and lowers systolic blood pressure.
19. It improves muscle strength, joint structure and joint function : Strengthening exercises increase not only muscle mass, but also bone strength and the body's metabolism.
20. Exercise helps to manage arthritis : Regular, intensive exercise for patients with rheumatoid arthritis builds muscle strength and aerobic capacity, improves the ability to do daily tasks and fosters a sense of well-being.
(Health24.com