Daily Walk Can Add Years to Your Life
If you want to add seven years to your lifespan, set aside 20 to 25 minutes for a daily walk. This simple habit, which can also be one of the most enjoyable parts of your day, has been found to trigger an anti-aging process and even help repair old DNA.
The research, presented at the European Society of Cardiology, followed 69 people between the ages of 30 and 60. Those who engaged in daily moderate exercise, such as a brisk walk or jog, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and strength training experienced anti-aging benefits that could add an additional three to seven years to your life.
The researchers recommended a 20-minute daily walk to reap these benefits.
What Are the Benefits of Regular Walking?
As mentioned, walking may help to slow down the aging process, and it works no matter what age you get started. Study author Sanjay Sharma, professor of inherited cardiac diseases in sports cardiology at St. George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in London, told The Independent:
“We may never avoid becoming completely old, but we may delay the time we become old. We may look younger when we’re 70 and may live into our nineties. Exercise buys you three to seven additional years of life. It is an antidepressant, it improves cognitive function, and there is now evidence that it may retard the onset of dementia”.
Part of what makes walking so beneficial is that when you’re walking you can’t be sitting. Sitting for more than eight hours a day is associated with a 90 percent increased risk of type 2 diabetes, along with increased risks of heart disease and cancer.
Walking is even known to improve sleep, support your joint health and improve circulation.
Research has also shown that walking 30 minutes a day may –
Reduce risk of heart disease.
Enhance mental well being.
Reduce your risk of osteoporosis.
Improve blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
Maintain body weight & lower risk of obesity.
The very act of walking is beneficial, as it’s a fundamental movement of the human body. If you’re just starting out on a walking program (after being mostly sedentary), walk at a comfortable pace and work gradually on increasing your pace and distance.
