Walking? by Pamela A. Popper, Ph.D., N.D.
Believe it or not, there is a magic pill that can lower the risk of heart attack, diabetes, stroke, osteoporosis and colon cancer. It also can take weight off, reduce cholesterol levels, relieve constipation, depression and impotence. Additionally, it will increase muscle mass, flatten your stomach and reshape your thighs while reducing the likelihood of age-related dementia. Best of all – there are no negative side effects.
What is this magic pill? Walking! But, there are a couple of caveats. How long you walk and the intensity of your walk will determine whether or not you’ll get all of these benefits.
The National Academy of Sciences issued a statement recommending 60 minutes of moderately intense activity per day. The Center for Disease Control estimates that only 3% of American do this. The encouraging thing about this recommendation is that it is realistic.
What happens when you walk? Early in your walk, your adrenal glands begin secreting adrenalin, which gets into your bloodstream and signals your heart to beat faster and causes your blood pressure to go up. The heart then begins to pump more blood away from the chest and into the muscles of the limbs you are using. As a result, blood vessels in the arms and legs begin to expand as they are fed more oxygen and nutrients by the blood.
As your heart rate climbs, you’re taking more breaths per minute, sometimes increasing your oxygen intake to up to 10 times the amount you’d be taking in while sitting still. As the muscles receive more blood, they begin to use stored carbohydrates and starches. Metabolism speeds up, and as a result, so does digestion.
All of this causes the brain to release endorphins into the bloodstream. Endorphins are responsible for that feel-good state you experience at the end of exercise, and they are great for blocking pain. And, exercise stimulates the production of serotonin, which elevates the mood.
This is what happens when you take one walk. If you do this regularly, you can expect more benefits. Your heart muscle will grow stronger and better able to deliver more oxygen to the body while you are resting. The lungs, capillaries and vessels along the oxygen transport pathway will expand to handle more capacity, bringing more oxygen to more parts of the body more often, which can reduce your risk of cardiovascular and other disease.
Blood pressure drops within 24-48 hours of exercising, and will stay down with continued exercise. The risk of blood clots drops, circulation improves and the body becomes better at getting glucose into the muscles where it’s needed. The body becomes more efficient at converting fat into energy, so you’ll lose weight more easily. And, you’ll create lean muscle mass.
Now, here’s the important part. In order to get this type of benefit, you need to be walking for 45-60 minutes several times per week. Rather than daily, I suggest that you do so 4 days a week, with some strength training a couple of days per week. And, you need to elevate your heart rate to 60-80% of its maximum. This can be accomplished by walking quickly, as if you’re late for an appointment. If you are interested in losing weight, increasing the amount of time you are walking in your target heart rate is the most important thing.
Audrey’s note: The beach and boardwalk are great places to be walking this summer. The beach will give you an added bonus, a calf workout, and the boardwalk is terrific if you are toting a small child in a stroller. I’m always looking for company, so if you are walking my way, give a shout, I’d love to join you.