Heart Health – The Benefits of Walking
While the combination of diet and exercise is important to maintain a healthy body, it is exercise that offers the most bang for its buck because it is conducive to an individual’s overall well-being.
When a person is stressed, blood pressure rises, headaches can occur, and fatigue sets in. Walking is perhaps the best form of exercise that can not only reduce stress and lower blood pressure, but also release endorphins which exhilarate the mind and help bring you into a balanced state.
Many people who are health-conscious may join gyms or purchase expensive equipment for home use. However, there is one type of exercise which is completely free, and that is walking. You can engage in walking anytime of the day, for as little or as long as you wish.
How many times have you been sitting at your desk at work and felt so stressed that it has caused back pain and other symptoms? If you took a walk at this point, even around the block, the blood pressure would decrease and you, in essence, would have “cleared your mind.” The stress would no longer be felt and you could go back to your desk and continue with your work uninhibited.
Imagine, then, if you walked for thirty minutes a day – the results would reveal that your cholesterol decreased significantly, the blood pressure lowered, and you felt revitalized and clear of mind. More importantly, this form of exercise substantially reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Statistics show that more adults today live a more sedentary lifestyle than ever before. Thus, obesity has become a pandemic in our society and with it comes the increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and other illnesses.
If you have high cholesterol, one of the things your doctor may request is a blood test every three months to monitor the HDL (good cholesterol) and LDL (bad cholesterol), as well as the triglycerides (the fat contained in your body). While your LDL may be low, it is the HDL and triglycerides that are of the biggest concern.
Why? A high triglyceride level of 200 or more would indicate that you lack physical exercise and may be overweight. In addition, the blood test may show that your HDL is below 50, which is considered the normal range. The only way to increase the HDL and lower the triglycerides is through physical exercise.
In fact, if your doctor shows you the blood test report, and the aforementioned results are indicated, the report will also state that you are at high risk for cardiovascular disease.
In order to decrease the risk, walking is not only recommended but necessary. If you are not currently engaged in any physical activity, now is the time. Start slowly and work your way up. No one is saying you have to run a marathon, but if you want to avoid future health problems associated with your heart, walking is the first step.
Tags: heart health, benefits of walking, ldl, cholesterol
