Benefits of walking 30 minutes a day
According to Dr. Sudhir Kumar, a consultant neurologist at Apollo Hospital, Hyderabad, walking every day can help reduce the risk of being overweight, obese, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, cancer and premature death.
Walking is not only good for cardiovascular health but also has a positive effect on bones and muscles.
Dr. Kumar says regular walking can reduce the risk of osteoporosis, muscle atrophy and loss of muscle strength. In addition, walking also helps improve mental health, reducing the risk of cognitive decline, dementia, depression and anxiety.
Another benefit of walking is improved sleep quality and duration.
Sharing the same view, Dr. Surender Pal Singh - Head of the Department of Physical Therapy at CK Birla Hospital, Delhi (India) - emphasized that practicing 30-minute walking a day will benefit weight loss and maintain cardiovascular health.
How to do walking exercises to maximize health benefits
However, Dr. Singh also noted that walking speed is an important factor to consider.
"Slow walking will not bring maximum efficiency. To get more benefits, you need to gradually increase your speed, as brisk walking helps burn more fat and boost metabolism. This also helps improve cardiovascular and respiratory health," Dr. Singh analyzed.
Dr. Singh guides that ideally, you should walk continuously for 30 minutes at a time. Because dividing walking time, for example, walking for 5 minutes in one place and 10 minutes in another, will not bring the same benefits as walking continuously.
"For optimal results, walk continuously for 30 minutes and gradually increase the speed as you walk. This method helps improve overall body function, from cardiovascular health, muscle and bone strength, to reducing excess fat. Gradually increasing speed is the way to maximize these benefits," says Dr. Singh.
Walking regularly at the right pace will help improve overall health, reduce the risk of chronic diseases and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
