Walk Faster vs Walk Longer
Walk Faster:
Walking has proven to be an excellent way to stay fit and healthy, and several studies have shown how walking can improve mental and physical health, making it one of the most popular forms of aerobic exercise a person does. However, the pace at which everyone walks is not always the same. This raises a question. Does speed matter? And the answer is “yes.” The faster the pace, the better the benefits of walking.
What is Brisk Walking?
Walking at a fast pace is known as brisk walking, and people practice it in different forms and combinations such as pure brisk walking, alternating between brisk walking and leisure walking, alternating between brisk walking and jogging, and during brisk walking it is important to have the correct technique. Here are some tips for effective brisk walking:
· Make sure your body is relaxed.
· Your vision should be forward, head, and neck relaxed.
· Your arms should relax and swing while walking.
· Ensure that your body is in an upright position with your back straight.
· Use and exercise your toes and feet completely while walking.
Benefits of Brisk Walking:
· Heart health: Brisk walking can help manage blood sugar and stress, reduce the risk of obesity or weight gain, and improve immunity. These benefits can help maintain a healthy and active heart and thus reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
· Weight management: If you are working on a weight loss plan, making brisk walking a part of your regular schedule can help burn calories and fat faster and thus aid weight management.
· Promotes Mental Health: Several studies have shown the effects of brisk walking on mental health by improving mood by reducing stress and tension. Moreover, it can help improve memory and sleep thus ensuring that the body stays rested.
· Improves Musculoskeletal Health: The body needs healthy bones and muscles to ensure balance, coordination, and strength. Brisk walking can help promote and strengthen muscle and bone health by improving circulation and weight.
· May Help Longevity: A strong, capable body could stay healthy for a longer period. By improving physical and mental health, brisk walking can help with longevity.
Walk Longer:
Walking daily for 30-60 minutes is one of the best exercises we do. Some may underestimate its benefits because it is just a walking exercise but walking long distances regularly gives the body countless benefits and is especially useful in dispelling stress and getting rid of anxiety and depression. Going out to nature and exploring its space, directing attention to the surrounding environment helps to release the mental tension accumulated throughout the day.
The benefits of prolonged walking :
• Giving the body more energy
• Promote blood circulation: Prolonged walking contributes to improving blood flow and walking 15 minutes after dinner enhances blood circulation to different parts of the body.
• Enhance heart efficiency: Walking may help prevent heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes, and can also help promote healthy cholesterol levels.
• Enhancing the brain's oxygen supply: Walking helps supply the brain with more oxygen, and therefore it may improve cognitive function, especially when any symptoms of dementia or a decline in mental abilities appear.
• Helping to lose weight: The practice of walking after eating helps to burn calories that will lose weight, which helps in relieving pressure on the joints and increasing their strength, thus alleviating the pain in the knees.
• Improving sleep quality: Feeling stressed can often prevent you from falling asleep. As long walks reduce stress, it helps improve sleep.
• Promote joint health: People with arthritis are often advised to engage in low-intensity exercises, such as walking, to help improve health without exacerbating pain.
• Strengthening the body's stamina: This helps to increase the body's fitness.
• Controlling the level of blood sugar: Walking helps remove glucose from the bloodstream, especially in diabetic patients who suffer from high blood sugar. It helps burn excess sugar, and this is very useful, because it prevents this excess from turning into fat or cholesterol, thus reducing the risk of obesity.
• Reducing stress: These are the best hiking benefits of all. We experience huge amounts of stress every day, both mentally and physically, and a long walk may be the best way to get rid of mental tension every day. Walking also boosts oxygen, but it doesn't require much effort. It is also useful in reducing cortisol levels and supports the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps deep sleep and improves mood.