The Amazing Health Benefits of Walking for Exercise

Walking for exercise is a purposeful, brisk walk specifically designed for the purpose of improving health. It is one of the best and cheapest forms of exercise. If you want to improve your general health and keep fit, or if you want to reduce your weight, walking is a good place to start.

Walking keeps you fit and helps you take off extra weight and keep it off. It's cheap, it's simple and almost anybody can do it. Walking has a multitude of health benefits for everyone. Here are some of its many benefits:

• Helps reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke

• Lowers high blood pressure

• Helps reduce weight and body fat

• Helps reduce risk of some cancers

• Reduces anxiety and depression and improves your mood and mental well-being

• Helps control joint swelling and pain from arthritis

• Gives you more energy

• Helps you sleep better

• Helps you look better

• Improves bone density and helps reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis

• Helps those people who are recovering from a period of ill-health

Walking for exercise does not need to be strenuous to produce results. Even walking for 30 minutes a day has been reported to produce measurable benefits, even among those who are least active.

If you want to feel great, have more energy and improve your overall health, take a walk. Walking is one of the best forms of exercise and you can do it almost anywhere, anytime, and for free.

Along with its benefits to the heart, walking improves circulation, helps breathing, combats depression, bolsters the immune system, helps prevent osteoporosis, helps control weight and helps prevent and control diabetes. It's a gentle exercise and it's suitable if you are recovering from heart trouble, a stroke or other illness. It helps the total circulation of blood throughout the body, and thus has a direct effect on your overall feeling of health.

Remember, if you have a medical condition, are overweight, over 40 years of age or haven't exercised regularly for a long time, check with your doctor before you start any type of exercise program.

Copyright © 2005. Chileshe Mwape writes for the JustFootball Website at: http://www.justfootball.org.uk/ which features football related articles, news and other resources.

---

Professional Triathlon Training Taking You To Your Best

There are hundreds of different programs for professional triathlon training that will work for you. There are even more that won't. For anyone who is looking for... Read More

Fitness Focus: Overcoming Obstacles

If you're like me, the quest to be in shape, manage weight and overall well-being, at times, feels overwhelming. And, as if the quest to be fit... Read More

An Ab Exercise For Everyone!

I don't have much of a problem with belly pouch or bulge, since I've been doing one ab exercise or another for most of my life to... Read More

3 Great Weight Loss Exercises

It's a given that effective weight loss is much more then simply going on a "diet". To really lose weight and (hopefully) keep that weight off, you... Read More

Pilates Exercises ? Can They Give You The Body Youve Always Wanted?

Pilates exercises are a favorite fitness choice for many people including movie stars like Danny Glover and Gweneth Paltrow, professional dancers, and even some professional baseball players.... Read More

STRETCHING; Why Should I?

This short article looks at some of the tips, tricks and helpful hints you can use to help prevent sports injury and do-away with stiff, aching muscles... Read More

When to Exercise

Do you hit the gym in the morning, before your crazy working day, or you check it out late at night. It is hard to figure out... Read More

Integrating Core Stabilization into Your Workouts

Stabilization is a hot topic in the fitness industry over the past few years. But what is stabilization? Stabilization can be defined as the body's muscular systems... Read More

The Right Exercise Intensity

We've all heard the exercise guidelines that recommend we participate in 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity 3-5 times per week. That seems easy enough to... Read More

The New Lover Approach to Starting an Exercise Program

Approach a New Exercise Program Like a New LoverHow many times have you decided to get back to some type of exercise program? You've bought gear, new... Read More

Exercises You Probably Dont Do But Should!

This is going to be kinda short and sweet. . . . Maybe not too sweet.Here's 3 exercises to throw into your routine that will shake it... Read More

When Exercising Right Looks Wrong III (Back)

Hopefully, if you read my last article I got you thinking. Thinking about different ways to train, not necessarily using machines, but using your entire body with... Read More

Defeating Back Pain Forever

Back pain, one of the most common physical, and debilitating ailments today, affects 70% - 80% of us at one time or another in our lives. However,... Read More

15 Quick Tips for People Who Dont Like to Exercise

We've all had days when we don't have the energy to tie our athletic shoes, let alone bounce around in them. But exercise can give a daily... Read More

Exercise: Why YOU Should Do It

Hundreds of Thousands of Americans spend millions of dollars each year on diet pills, "magical" exercise devices, and misrepresented health and fitness products, when in all actuality... Read More

Health Tips For Busy People: Healthy Diet & Exercise In the Office

Many women's lifestyle magazines frustrate us by providing exercise regimens for work and then adding: "You can do this exercise in your office!" What about those of... Read More

Pilates: A Challenging and Motivating Exercise Regimen

Pilates is named after its creator Joseph Pilates. It is an exercise regimen that uses machines and special stretches. This exercise puts emphasis on flexibility and overall... Read More

Salsa Dancing for Fitness is Hot

Salsa dancing is emerging as a refreshing replacement for conventional aerobic exercises. Classes based on the fiery music and movements of Salsa, Mambo, Cumbia, Merengue and more... Read More

Top 10 Reasons To Exercise In The Morning

If I had to pick a single factor that I thought was most important in a successful exercise or weight loss program, it would be... Read More

Top 10 Exercise Mistakes and How To Fix Them

This is a list of ten common mistakes made during exercise. Quite often the exerciser and even the personal trainer or coach is unaware of these mistakes,... Read More

Sweating Vacation

It seems like everyone is concerned about putting on the pounds over the annual holiday season, but what about summer vacations? We spend the greater part of... Read More

How to Start a Walking Program

Did you know that walking is the number one participation sport in the world? Walking is one of the best things you can do for overall health... Read More

Stretching Exercises

Stretching exercises are important before you begin your workout. Always remember to stretch before and after your workout. Stretching exercises also give you health and fitness by... Read More

The Truth About Exercise and Why Its Not Always Good for You!

Exercise is often regarded as a panacea for many things..."if you want to lose weight, you must exercise"; "if you want to get those feel good endoprhins... Read More

Weight Loss and Exercise in Tough Environmental Conditions

Working out is working out, right?Wrong.Depending on the environmental conditions where youlive, there may be extra precautions that you'll want to consider when trying to lose weight... Read More

Optimize Your Exercise: Maximizing the Time Spent Working Out

Diet and Exercise are the inseparable twins that are seen and heard everywhere weight loss and fat loss are mentioned. This article will focus on techniques and... Read More