Take A Walk

October is a perfect month to pick up a new habit of walking. The leaves are changing colors. The air is cool and crisp. And best yet, walking has so many health benefits.

Did you know that walking improves your vision? According to American Academy of Ophthalmology, regular walking can improve your eye health. Regular walks can especially help those diagnosed with Glaucoma, a condition with higher pressure placed on the eyes. Walking can decrease this condition by 73%.

As you probably could guess, walking not only helps your eye health, but also your cardiovascular health, mental health, metabolism, and your muscles and joints. By keeping your blood circulation and oxygen flow improving on a regular basis, you can lower blood pressure, improve cholesterol balance, and lower stroke risk and heart disease. Walking also improves bone density, strengthens muscles, and reduces joint stiffness.

Walking can help decrease excessive levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that works with your brain to help control mood, motivation, and fear. Chronic levels of high cortisol due to chronic stress can lead to fatigue, anxiety, depression, headaches, concentration problems, digestion problems, sleeping difficulty, and weight gain. Exercise such as walking can reduce the production of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. This with increased endorphins can relax the brain back into a calm state and improve your mental status.

Lastly, walking helps with weight loss by improving your metabolism, fat percentage, digestion, muscle gain, and blood sugar. Depending on your weight and fitness level, completing an extra 10,000 steps per day can help you lose one pound of fat per week. What’s not to love about that?!