Why I love walking

“𝗔 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗹 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲.” 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗶𝘀

Walking in nature these days for me means walking on the rooftop or the balcony due to the Covid19 situation (Oh! How I miss going to the beach or the park for a walk!) I took this photo on one of our walks at the beach. But to be completely honest, you really don’t need any outdoor space to be able to walk. You can walk in the comfort of your home, just search ‘Leslie Walk’ on YouTube and thank me later when you feel great after just one walking session!

Here’s why walking is my favourite form of exercise and why you should consider increasing your steps as well.

𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 💜:
Walking won’t help you get away from “Dil dhukanay walay loug” or people who have a tendency to break your heart unless you literally walk away from toxic people BUT it will improve your heart health! According to healthline, walking at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week can reduce your risk for coronary heart disease by about 19%. And your risk may reduce even more when you increase the duration or distance you walk per day.

𝗟𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗿:
Walking is extremely beneficial for anyone who has diabetes or is trying to prevent it). According to a small study, walking for 15-minutes three times a day (after breakfast, lunch, and dinner) results in improved blood sugar levels more than taking a 45-minute walk at other times during the day.

More research is needed to confirm these findings, though.

So regular post-meal walks can be beneficial. It’s also an easy way to fit exercise in your routine.

𝗥𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻:
When you walk, your joints create fluids which in turn prevent joint pain and also reduces pain if you’re suffering from it already.

𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀:
This is a no brainer but I haven’t kept it on top because it is one of the most obvious reasons and my aim is to let you know that there are more reasons to walk than to just lose weight.

𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆:
If you struggle with frequent colds and flus then you might want to step out and take a walk.

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆:
A lot of us think that walking or exercising makes us tired and reduces energy. It’s actually the complete opposite of what walk or exercise does as it increases oxygen flow through the body.

𝗘𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗼𝗱:
Walking can help improve mental health. There have been studies that show that walking regularly can help decrease negative mood, anxiety and depression. I can vouch for this myself because I feel so much better after a walk during times of stress. I used to walk a lot when Ammi was ill and I still do after she’s returned to Allah swt. It reallys helps to clear my mind.

I also recite duas during my walks and adhkars, simple tasbeehs like Allahu Akbar, Alhamdulillah, Astaghfirullah in hopes that I will get aj’r for it and so will Ammi. It’s like literally killing 3 birds with one stone, you earn sawab while breathing in fresh air and stay fit all at the same time, if you go out in the daytime for a walk then you also get Vitamin D so that’s a bonus right there as well!

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴:

This is tried and tested for me. Everytime I feel a mental block or a lack of creative ideas, I take a walk. It really does clear my mind and helps me to think creatively.

A study that included four experiments compared people trying to think of new ideas while they were walking or sitting. Researchers found participants did better while walking, particularly while walking outdoors.

So there you have it! These are great reasons to take a walk! As a starting point, start walking while being on a call/texting, reading or browsing the internetand then consciously increase your steps by taking a walk outside or indoors with the help of an indoor walk video on YouTube!

Source: https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-walking#creativity