The Most Beneficial Outdoor Activity for Health
Everyone’s chasing the next fitness trend.
Meanwhile, one of the most powerful tools for your health costs nothing and requires zero coordination.
It isn’t sexy. It has a better safety profile than most medications, requires no equipment, and it’s free.
What is it?
Plain old walking.
Yes, that’s right. One foot in front of the other — walking down the street, around a track, around the inside of your house, or even on a treadmill.
Just walking.
What the Research Shows
Here are some of my favorite research-backed reasons to lace up your shoes:
1. A 10-minute walk after a meal can blunt a blood sugar spike with similar efficacy to some glucose-managing medications.
2. Walking (even when you don’t feel like it!) has been shown to improve mood.
Ask yourself:
Can you think of a time when a walk made you feel worse than before you started?
3. Brand-new research on adults over 80 found that the fastest walkers had about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to their slower-moving peers. Speed itself may be doing some of the work.
4. Walking boosts creative thinking. A much-cited Stanford study found people generated more novel ideas while walking than while sitting—with effects lasting for minutes even after sitting down.
5. Regular walking can reduce blood pressure; the higher the starting number, the greater the observed drop.
6. People who walk regularly catch fewer colds. And when they do get sick, symptoms tend to be milder.
Why Walking Works
Walking doesn’t ask much of you.
No gear.No gym.No complicated plan.
Just steps.
And your body does the rest:
– better blood sugar control
– better mood
– more creative thinking
– better cardiovascular health
– stronger immune function
One step at a time.
Your Move
Take one walk today.
Ideally for at least 10 minutes after a meal.
That’s it!
Warmly,
Dr. Krista
Olive Says
Don’t take walking for granted!
I’ve had a sore paw and have been in a cone all week. I haven’t been able to take my after-dinner sniff walks, which is making me pretty bummed—and a little worried about my girlish figure.
The belly rubs and chicken liver treats help.
Mom soaking my foot in a bag of warm Epsom salt water?
I could do without that.