Go Take A Walk! (or Run)

Walking is the easiest form of exercise you can do. Anyone can lace up their shoes, put one foot in front of the other and head out the door - no fancy equipment required! If, however, you're finding yourself less than inspired, maybe these benefits of walking will get you moving.

• Flattens abs and more. "You can help strengthen your core, tone your glutes and get lean defined legs by running or walking regularly," says Ed Laskowski, M.D. codirector of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center in Rochester, MN.


• Outdoor cardio time relaxes you. According to a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, people who walk, run, or cycle on community trails at least once a week are twice as likely as people who rarely use them to get the recommended amount of daily exercise.


• May make you smarter. A study from Japan found that individuals scored higher on intelligence tests after participating in a 12-week exercise program of running for 30 minutes two or three times a week.


• Is a no-fail way to lose weight. A study from the Center for Physical Activity and Health at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville found that women who take 10,000 steps per day (about five miles) have lower body-fat ratios and waist and hip circumferences than their less active counterparts.


• Provides huge heart-health benefits. Walking increases HDL (good) cholesterol, lowers blood pressure and assists with weight control," says Dr. Laskowski.


• Helps you stay young. Walking is an excellent weight-bearing exercise that helps preserve bone marrow density and prevent osteoporosis or lessen its effects," says Dr. Laskowski.


• You help save the planet. The Worldwatch Institute reports that walking or running four miles instead of driving keeps about 15 pounds of pollutants out of the air that we breathe.


• Boosts your mood. Walking and running improve your sleep quality, mental performance and attitude throughout the day," says Dr. Laskowski. Another study, at the University of Texas at Austin, found that after walking on a treadmill for 30 minutes, people suffereing from depression reported feeling better overall and more vigorous than before they exercised.

I went for my walk today, did you?

Source: Fitness, March 2007.