Physical and Psychological Benefits of Walking

"Walking is the best remedy for man." This sentence, supposedly uttered by Hippocrates two thousand years ago, applies even more today. It’s especially true for our industrialized societies. New technologies have not only transformed the way we work, but even more profoundly influenced our lifestyle by reducing the physical effort required to perform most of our daily activities. Moreover, all this technology keeps our mind increasingly "connected".

Personally, I walk 4 mornings on 7. I started walking a few years ago to lose some extra weight – which by the way was very effective! Today I do it because I like it, but also because it’s good for me not only physically but psychologically to.

According to the Canadian Health and Safety Centre, the benefits of walking are:

• Reduced risk of heart disease and stroke;

• Lowering blood pressure;

• Lowering blood cholesterol levels;

• Increase bone density, preventing osteoporosis;

• Mitigating the negative consequences of osteoarthritis;

• Relieve back pain.

These are just the physical benefits, and even though I think those are pretty good, there's more...

In a society where stress is inevitable, walking is the ideal solution because this sport improves mood (it’s all about the circulation of dopamine and serotonin), you can see things from a different perspective and find solutions. Walking also removes the daily tensions oxygenates the brain, as is so often said.

Try it, it works!

By Jasmine