Walking

Why should I walk?

"Walking is the best medicine for humans." This phrase, supposedly spoken by 

Hippocrates two thousand years ago, applies even more today. It is especially true for industrialized societies. New technologies have not only transformed the way we work, but have even more profoundly influenced our lifestyle habits by reducing the physical effort required to perform most daily activities (except sports).

We can enjoy walking for fun, but also to improve our health by integrating it into our daily routine. The many benefits of walking cannot be overstated since they are supported by solid scientific evidence. *

* "Physical Activity and Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. US Department of Health and Human Services, 1996

* "National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease. UK Department of Health, 2000

What are the health benefits of walking?

Walking regularly acts directly on the circulatory and locomotor systems:

• reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke;
• lowering blood pressure;
• lowering blood cholesterol levels;
• increasing bone density, which prevents osteoporosis;
• mitigating the negative consequences of osteoarthritis;
• relieving back pain.

Walking regularly also improves overall health and longevity. According to the report of the Director of the United States Department of Health, walkers live longer and have a better quality of life.

Are there other benefits of walking?

Improvement of physical condition

Walking regularly means walking daily, or at least a few times a week, for at least 30 minutes. Walking regularly, like other gentle, moderate physical activities that involve the whole body, can greatly improve your aerobic capacity and cardiorespiratory function. In addition, when you walk regularly, you reduce the risk of:

Break your leg or hand when you fall because your bones are stronger.

Injury, because the joints have a better range of motion and the muscles are more flexible.

Improved weight control

Your weight reflects the balance between the calories you eat while eating and the calories you burn during daily physical activity. Walking for 30 minutes will cover a distance of 2.0 to 2.5 km and you will burn approximately 125 calories (520 kilojoules). It may not seem like much, but if you walk five days a week for a year, you burn more than 32,000 calories, which burns more than 5 kg of fat. In addition, the latest scientific discoveries show that walking provides even more benefits if you burn a minimum of 2,000 calories per week while walking (about 8 hours of walking per week).

Improved mental health

Walking, especially when you are walking in good company and in a pleasant place, reduces depression and anxiety. In addition, walkers are often good sleepers.

Improved healing process

Slow walking is often recommended for people who suffer from various health conditions.

At first, you may only travel short distances, but if you stick with it, you can quickly increase the distance and speed up your recovery.

Should I do warm-up exercises before I walk?

It is unclear whether the stretches that are usually recommended before vigorous activity are beneficial. However, as a precaution, we recommend that you start by walking slowly for 5 minutes, then at a moderate pace and then gradually accelerating before reaching your cruising speed. The first 5 minutes relax your muscles and help reduce the risk of stretching and straining.

At the end of the session, to avoid being dizzy due to a sudden cessation of physical exertion, slow down for 3 to 5 minutes.

Is it good to walk or run barefoot?

Wearing comfortable shoes or boots, but which have a rigid plantar support, can, in the long term, cause a loss of the natural flexibility of the foot. In fact, the muscles that give flexibility to the arch of the foot will sooner or later weaken because of the fixed support of the shoes which immobilizes them.

So, no matter how good your shoes are and how careful you are with your health, it is good to walk barefoot occasionally, as this gives the feet back some of their natural flexibility. It is for this reason that we advise you to walk barefoot at home, at the beach and wherever there is no obvious danger to your feet.

[Adapted]