The Department of Health and Human Services recommends that healthy adults get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of intense exercise weekly. Take a 30-minute walk at 3.2 mph five days a week to achieve your 150-minute goal, and to walk up to eight miles. Walking six to nine miles a week can boost your energy, burn calories and improve cardiovascular health and fitness, among a number of other health benefits.
Walking and Mortality
Walking regularly may reduce the risk of disease and premature death. The National Campaign for Walking states that a physical activity expenditure of 500 to 1,000 calories per week, or the equivalent of about six to 12 miles, reduces the risk of premature death by 20 to 30 percent. This may be due, in part, to the fact that regular exercise improves cardiovascular health, lowers blood pressure, reduces cholesterol, reduces body fat and improves glucose-insulin dynamics.
Brain Function
According to a 2010 study published by "Neurology," the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, walking may help prevent memory problems. In the study, 299 dementia-free people recorded the number of blocks they walked in a week. After nine years, scientists took brain scans of the subjects to measure brain size. After another four years, the subjects were tested to determine whether they had developed dementia or other cognitive impairments. The results of the study showed that those who walked six to nine miles a week had greater gray matter volume and fewer cognitive problems than those who didn't, virtually cutting their risk of developing mental disorders in half.
Prostate Health
One particular benefit of regular walking in men may be to slow the progression rate of prostate cancer among those who have been diagnosed with clinically localized prostate cancer. A study by the American Association for Cancer Research observed 1,445 men diagnosed with clinically localized prostate cancer. The results showed that men who walked for three hours every week had a 57 percent lower rate of cancer progression than those who walked less than three hours every week.
Tips
Whether you walk daily for 30 minutes straight, or cut up your sessions into a morning 15-minute walk with an evening one, adding more steps and activity into your day can bring into your life a host of benefits. Improve your walking experience by wearing supportive and comfortable walking or running shoes. Use proper technique and good posture as you walk to maximize the benefits of walking and to prevent injury. Spend about five minutes warming up at a slower pace at the beginning, cool down for five minutes by walking at a slower pace and stretch the major muscle groups.
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