How many minutes to walk a day (and how to do it according to experts) to gain health

Walking is one of the more complete activities and beneficial for the body’s health, and it is also easy to perform because it does not require special clothing or facilities. No physical activity provides so many benefits in exchange for so little effort, as long as it is practiced continuous way. However, the question always arises as to how many minutes should be walked to protect health.

A study from the University of Cambridge published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, suggests that walking 11 minutes a day (75 minutes a week) at a moderate intensity (brisk walking) would be enough to begin to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and various types of cancer. However, Did you know that the destination you choose when walking also matters?

Sometimes scientists carry out curious studies with surprising and very useful results to enhance our health and well-being. The authors of a study from Ohio University, published in the Journal of Transport & Health, analyzed 125,000 people between the ages of 18 and 64 about their walking habits. The curious thing is that they were asked about the time they spent walking to get from home to work, to go shopping or during recreational activities.

They found that walking any distance, anywhere, for any reason is good for your health, but surprisingly, they found that people who walk to specific destinations, for example, to work or to the supermarket, see a greater benefit for their health than people who walk mainly for pleasure.

If you don’t have the chance to take walks, in this video we suggest some exercises to do Pilates at home:

The way of walking that most protects health

“We found that walking for utilitarian purposes is better for health and that these types of walking are easy to incorporate into the daily routine,” said study lead professor Gulsah Akar. She explained that add just 10 minutes of walking a day You can increase your self-rating of your own state of health by one point, on a scale of one to five.

One of the reasons why walking to work can be especially beneficial is because you walk faster than walking for pleasure, and that effort is beneficial to your health. Researchers have even calculated that healthy cruising speed: an average of 4.5 km per hour.

A curious and interesting fact of the study is walks that start from home They tend to be longer than those starting from anywhere else. Therefore, think especially about saving yourself the trips you make by car from home to cover a distance that you can actually cover on foot. Akar expressly recommends that we consider what usual routes we can make walking. “Going to the gym or running are not the only ways to exercise; walking is just as beneficial,” he adds.

The Ohio University study only assessed the effect of walking on self-perception of health status, but the objective benefits of exercise on physical and mental health are well known (especially in the state of the musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular and immune). And the benefits for all of not using means of transport are added: less pollution and noise, and less consumption of resources materials and energy.

The benefits of walking

These are the health benefits of going for a walk every day:

Internally, the first results can be seen in the circulatory system. The movement of the legs improves venous return and blood distribution, a relief for people who suffer from leg swelling. Walking helps to Be in shapeimprove muscle tone, maintain joint mobility and gain agility. It is also very useful to combat decalcification and prevent osteoporosis: Helps maintain bone mineral content. It is something that women in the age of menopause should take into account. Taking intense walks helps to fall asleep earlier and sleep more and betterbecause the body is more relaxed.

How many steps to walk to ensure iron health?

Despite the fact that walking 11 minutes a day is enough to maintain health. Other studies have shown that walking for two hours a day at a good pace (15,000 steps a day, about 11 km) multiplies the health benefits of walking. Why is this number of steps used as an example of good healthy practice? These are the steps taken by the postmen with the best health in Glasgow (United Kingdom), whose health was analyzed by scientists from the University of Warwick.

A Warwick University study He has discovered that they are more in their weight, their waist circumference is smaller, and their blood glucose and cholesterol levels are better than those of their more sedentary peers. These conditions protect against heart attacks and other vascular diseases and also before diabetes.

According to Dr. William Tigbe, the distance traveled by postmen is a good target for other citizens.

To carry out the study, the researchers placed pedometers on all the postmen in the city. Not only did they check how far the delivery men walked, but also that some of their office colleagues spent up to 15 hours sitting per day, divided between the workplace and at home.

But walking 15,000 steps is only beneficial if done at a good pace. Tigbe estimates that a speed of 6.5km/h It is adequate, although it is not necessary to walk for two hours straight.

In general, the continued practice of walking makes it possible to maintain long term healthan objective that also has a positive impact on mental well-being and self-esteem.