Let’s Get Walking!

Walking tells your body you are making exercise a priority. A long walk might not leave you sweating or sore the next day but your body recognises that you are looking after your health. This is the first step in changing your long-term mental attitude.

Dr Amir Emadian additionally mentioned that starting slow and steady is a much better barometer for long term success than starting a super intense workout regime when wanting to achieve your health and fitness goals. So often we focus on the physical effects but changing your body and behaviour begins with a mental shift in attitude.

Future you will thank you for this one – walking promotes stronger bones and muscles. By developing a regular habit you can decrease the risks of osteoporosis and arthritis. Studies by the American Osteopathic Association have found that regular walks protect joints, especially around the knees and hips.

Additionally, if you’re someone who enjoys running, by mixing walking into your routine you can reduce the hard impacts on your knees and joints but still get that cardio workout. By limiting the wear and tear on your joints and the surrounding muscles you’ll still be able to run, skip and hop into old age!

We’re all connected with the world nowadays – our phones, our watches and even some shoes keep us connected. However, we should also connect with nature around us. Having a gentle stroll amongst nature boosts our endorphins and lowers stress levels According to Psychology Today, walking through green spaces also brings the brain into a meditative state. Cornell University also found that just 10 minutes in nature may improve well-being while decreasing physical and mental stress levels.

With such a hectic non stop life, walking will allow the brain to bring out its its creative and reflective side, a side often banished to the back burner. If you’re thinking of going full nature and leaving your phone at home, why not take a simple pedometer with you. This way you can still track your steps and calories burnt. We recommend one which you can wear on your wrist as opposed to a clip on as they often fall off and are less reliable. Wrist based pedometers can be expensive and prive at over £100 however there are some such as Teminice tracker which can be bought for relatively cheap.

Don’t be fooled with those advertisements on the side of your webpages. There is no one weird trick to lose weight that doctors don’t want you to know about!

When researching our obesity promoting genes, Harvard researchers found that participants that walked at a brisk pace every day impeded the development of those genes on the body. Another research by the University of Exeter found that walking impeded our cravings for sugary snacks.

Two benefits for the price of one!

We’re frequently told about the benefits of a good night sleep. When the Sleep Foundation conducted trials for comparing people who did high intensity exercise to people who did moderate level exercises e.g. taking a brisk walking, the participants of the moderate exercise group not only fell asleep quicker but improved the quality of their sleep.

Bonus Motivation!

You wanted money? Well with a fitter body, healthier mind and reduced sugar cravings you’re practically saving money in the long run. Ohhh you wanted actual money!!

Below are two apps that have definitely helped my walking motivation:

Indeed (the job recruiting company) have come out with a simple app called Job Spotter. All you need to do is take pictures of job signs found on shop windows and the shop front. By doing this simple task you can stand to make up to £2.50 per picture!

Once you start looking out for job signs you’ll be surprised at how many you walk past everyday. Taking pictures of independent shops will receive more money than large commercial chains e.g. your local coffee shop compared to Starbucks.

Your money is converted into Amazon gift cards and best of all there is no minimum withdrawal.

How much can you make? Well here are the past few months for me:

This app is a simple pedometer that converts every 1,000 steps into 1 Sweatcoin.  With these Sweatcoins you can purchase items from the list of options on the prizes page. The majority of prizes are health related e.g. protein bars, but there are other options also available.

For a head start in your Sweatcoins click on the below referral picture for a boost.

Now armed with these benefits the only thing left to say is ready, set, walk!