Start Walking To Improve More Than Your Health
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Most things in life is not as simple as they seem. That includes our health. I’m finding that out as I get older and my health gets worse. But I refuse to just let my health fail. I am determined to improve it. The rest of my days are not ones I want to live as a complete invalid.
I’m starting to walk to improve my physical health and more. I can’t walk too far before I start to huff and puff. My back tightens painfully. I just feel so old. And I’m barely over fifty. Not good. So walking has been chosen to change my life.
Importance of Overall Health
Our health is important every day of our lives. I think that when we are younger we tend to think we are invincible. As we get older, we start to see the importance of our overall health. The pizzas and burgers we wolfed down as teens suddenly catch up to us. Weight comes on. Diagnoses abound. Things aren’t so sure anymore when it comes to our health.
Then there is the mental health that typically is ignored yet plays a big part in the rest of our lives. If we are depressed, our body reacts to it. Our relationships are impacted. Our jobs aren’t done as well. Being healthy is more than having the right weight and not take medications. There is so much more to it.
When we really look at it, our health is so much more than blood work and weight. Our mental and emotional health has direct impacts on our physical body. It is all connected and dependent on each other. Thus, we should be looking to keep all aspects healthy.
So, how does walking play into this? It has been noted that “Exercise improves mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and negative mood and by improving self-esteem and cognitive function. Exercise has also been found to alleviate symptoms such as low self-esteem and social withdrawal.” (Exercise for Mental Health) Any exercise is beneficial for overall health. Harvard Health Publishing noted that “running for 15 minutes a day or walking for an hour reduces the risk of major depression…”
The link between exercise and mental health is complicated. Inactivity can be both a cause and a consequence of mental illness, for example. But there are lots of ways that exercise can benefit your mental health, such as:
