Medicine Corner with Dr D 

The Surprising Health Benefits of Walking: More Than Just Exercise?

You might not realize this, but a simple brisk 30-minute walk each day can dramatically change how your body functions, enhancing your physical and mental health and even making you feel younger. So today, under the umbrella of "Health Benefits of Walking," let’s delve into the practice of walking, which, in my humble opinion, is the ultimate elixir to a long and healthy life.

Our bodies are evolutionarily hardwired to be active, a trait inherited from our hunter-gatherer ancestors who, based on research, clocked in an amazing average of at least 16,000 steps a day. These consistent, dynamic movements kept them healthy and robust, contributing to the overall wellness of ancient societies. Now, compare that to today's lifestyle: the average American barely scrapes together 5,000 steps. This stark contrast highlights a significant decline in one of the most natural forms of exercise. Now remember, evolution is a slow process, and our bodies haven't quite caught up to our modern, sedentary, tech-driven lifestyle. This disconnect has led to a rise in health issues that our ancestors rarely faced, primarily due to their active way of life. By embracing the health benefits of walking, we can kickstart the journey back to our roots. It's more than just a physical activity; it's a chance to reconnect with the healthy habits hardwired into our biology. From boosting cardiovascular health to improving mental well-being and potentially extending life expectancy, these benefits manifest with each step we take.

So, let's consider walking not just as a mundane activity but as a powerful testament to the simple, effective ways we can enhance our health. After all, if our ancestors thrived on it, why can't we harness its benefits in the modern world? A commitment to walking is a commitment to longevity and vitality, a tribute to the legacy of health left to us by generations long past. My parents who are in their almost 70s walk each day between 7000 - 10,000 steps. They have been doing it ever since they retired.  The best part? I know that its totally anecdotal, but they're enjoying their golden years, free of medication for blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol. So here's where the beauty of walking comes into play. This simple exercise affects more than just your physical health; it impacts every aspect of your life, creating a domino effect. You start walking regularly, and before you know it, you're going to feel more energetic, less stressed, and be even in a better mood. Your sleep quality improves, your memory sharpens, and your concentration increases. And all these benefits do accumulate. Ultimately you will be so encouraged by these results that you will want to explore what else you can do to feel even better. It's really addictive but in the best way possible. So you see with just this simple walking you can start transforming your entire life. You see, any physical activity boosts levels of endorphins - those amazing 'feel-good' hormones we all love. But, it also reduces levels of cortisol, which is a stress hormone with lots of damaging effects on our bodies. Some of these include Weight Gain around the abdomen because cortisol can stimulate an increase in appetite as well as blood sugar levels, but it also suppresses the immune system making us more vulnerable to infections and illnesses. High levels of cortisol also contribute to anxiety, depression, and problems with memory and concentration. It will mess up your digestion and raise your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. In women high levels of cortisol interfere with menstrual cycles, reduced libido, and cause fertility problems.

Simple walking can help you reduce all of these damaging effects. But besides that, regular physical activity such as walking has been shown to be one of the very few interventions that is capable of preventing Alzheimer’s disease and other age-associated neurodegenerative disorders. In my last video, I talked about sugar in our diet causing shrinkage of our brain and damage to the hippocampus which is a structure in our brain that is super important for memory and learning. Well, regular walking has been found to prevent damage to the hippocampus and prevent shrinkage of our brains as we age, since it promotes the growth of new neurons in the hippocampus and improves memory function. Now nobody wants to be sick and it happens that walking can greatly support the immune system because it stimulates the production of white blood cells and natural killer cells, both of which play critical roles in the body's defense mechanism. The white blood cells fight disease, while natural killer cells detect and destroy cells in the body that are infected with pathogens or are becoming cancerous. Walking also enhances insulin sensitivity and promotes weight loss. So, for those trying to manage their blood sugar, walking helps your body utilize insulin more effectively which results in better blood sugar levels after meals.

So now you may ask when is the best time to walk and does it really matter when you go for your walk. Well anytime is a good time, but you may want to pick a more specific time based on your goals. For example, walking in the morning can kickstart your metabolism and help you burn more calories throughout the day. It also results in better productivity and mental performance throughout the day. Exercise in the morning has been shown to stimulate brain activity and enhance cognitive function. Now if you're looking for better sleep, morning walks might be literally your ticket to dreamland. They regulate your sleep cycle by reinforcing your body's response to its natural circadian rhythm and as a result, improve sleep quality. If you are trying to control blood sugar spikes after meals, particularly after lunch, walks are a great way to help lower post-meal blood sugar spikes. Even a 10-minute walk after dinner can be more effective at lowering blood sugar than a 30-minute walk at other times. Now what about walking in the afternoon? Some studies suggest that walking in the afternoon or evening might be more beneficial for achieving certain fitness goals. For example, the body's ability to respond to insulin seems to be better in the afternoon and evening than in the morning.

Now let’s talk about where should we walk to get the most benefits of walking. If you have a chance to walk in nature, please do since there are tremendous benefits to it. Research has shown that the color green has a calming and restorative effect. According to color psychology, green is associated with peace, calmness, and relaxation. So, looking at the green color of leaves, grass, and other plants can help your eyes relax and can trigger amazing feelings of tranquility. We have a forest right behind our house and I can tell you that the morning walks there are something that I can’t even describe. As a matter of fact, walking in any natural environment, like parks is increasingly referred to as "forest bathing" or "eco-therapy" because it reduces stress, improves mood, and increases your focus and attention span. There was a study that showed that children with ADHD had much better concentration after just a 20-minute walk in a park.

Now if you find yourself pumped up after a few days of walking and decide to take an even further step forward to making your body feel healthy and strong, I strongly suggest you watch my video on why you should stop eating sugar. If you can combine these two powerful and simple strategies, you won’t believe how amazing you will start feeling in no time.

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