Alright, so you’ve heard about the health benefits of walking. Experts say that walking regulates blood pressure, reduces cholesterol and slashes the risks of diabetes. With all the proven health benefits, walking may be the best fitness game plan while living in the city.
But what’s new is that walking benefits are more than just physical. Considering the set-up of condo in the Philippines, a daily condo walk can help promote the emotional and social well being. Here are surprising benefits of walking that you may not yet know.
1. Walking relaxes your brain
The sights and sounds of city living – racing with cars, cramming on buses, staring at computer screens, and attending to populated events – all demand the brain to be constantly engaged. But with the view of beautiful landscapes in a condo in the Philippines, walking as a condo exercise helps soothe and enhance the mental state. By communing with nature in your amenity area, your brain is given precious time for reflection and meditation, as your mind wanders along with your body.
2. It relieves stress
Too tired to exercise? Compared to rigorous exercise, walking does not wear down your strength and, in fact, boosts your energy level. Studies reveal that walking relieves muscle tension and reduces hormones that serve as messengers of stress. So try walking around your condo after a day’s work, and enjoy one of the perks of condo dwellers.
3. It improves your concentration
Your excessive fats and carbs are not the only things to detoxify. You need to release your turbulent thoughts too. If you’re distracted, absent-minded, and having limited attention span, then you may be suffering from brain fatigue. Walking through the green space in your condominium calms your mind, and thus improves your concentration.
4. It enhances your memory
By giving your mind its much needed rest, your brain is now ready to function better. Walking can help sharpen the mind and improve memory. A study of people with memory problems found that those who spent more time walking had lower risk of developing dementia.
5. It helps you to be more creative
As your mind wanders through nature, fresh ideas start to find their way in. Dr Sowden of the School of Psychology at the University of Surrey shares: “Walking has been shown to improve our ability to shift between modes of thought, and to improve our attention, memory and recovery from mental fatigue, all of which are important for thinking creatively”.
6. It helps you cope at work
As walking results to higher energy, improved concentration, and enhanced memory and creativity, you can now cope better with the demands of your work. Now that makes walking a good substitute for your daily coffee.
7. It elevates your mood
It’s no wonder that people feel better after a good walk. That’s because walking increases the blood flow to the brain and releases the mood-elevating hormones. This feel-good sensation helps you face the day with a positive spirit.
8. It can treat depression
Enhancing the mood can go further into treating depression. A study shows that physical activity can even be as effective as medication in treating depression.
9. It boosts your immune system
As walking boosts your circulation, your immune cells are enabled to reach and kill viruses and bacteria more quickly. Now that’s a good way of getting rid of the cold and flu!
10. It helps stop smoking
Even a daily short walk can help quitters to manage the withdrawal symptoms. This is because walking releases mood-enhancing hormones, thus decreasing the cravings and taking your mind off smoking. Plus, it decreases the anxiety felt when you just want to have a smoke.
11. It curbs chocolate cravings
Aside from smoking, chocolate overload is another habit that walking can break. Chocolate craving usually strikes while at work, when people need an energy boost, stress reliever, or simply a way of getting rid of the boredom. A study shows that people who took a 15-minute walk before starting work were able to reduce their chocolate intake by half.
12. It helps improve sleep
Research shows that regular physical activity such as walking can help you fall asleep faster and lead you to a deeper sleep. Be careful, though, not to exercise right before bedtime, else your high energy level might cause a problem to fall asleep.
13. It helps prevent aging problems
Now here’s to a youthful YOU! Research reveals that walking regularly significantly reduces the risk of age-related conditions such as arthritis and macular degeneration.
14. It builds friendships
Before taking a condo for sale, check out the surroundings. A good condo unit must be located in a safe and friendly neighborhood. So when you take a walk, you’ll feel safe and have neighbors to walk with you. This may be a chance to talk through your neighborhood concerns, share your personal troubles, or simply have someone to laugh with – strengthening your body as you build personal relationships.
15. It adds years to your life
The best benefit of all? Walking lengthens your life. A study found that a daily 15-minute moderate exercise such as brisk walking can add 3 years to your life. What’s more, each additional 15 minutes of exercise decreases your mortality by 4%. That means a daily 30-minute exercise equals an extra four years of life!
Fast-paced lifestyle, air impurities, and high-cholesterol instant food – these are just a few factors of city living that pose serious health risks. Luckily, Real Estate in the Philippines offers ways, such as recreational centers and condo amenities, to encourage a healthy lifestyle. All it takes is to take a regular habit of good food and daily exercise to enjoy life to the fullest.