One of the best mood-boosters ever is exercise! Getting even just 30 minutes of exercise a day can have major long-term benefits to your overall health and wellness. And those 30 minutes don’t even have to come out of the same chunk of time! It’s 30 minutes per day, not 30 minutes all at once (if that’s not possible for your schedule). But let’s be real, I’m sure you can find 30 measly minutes in your day. I mean, you’re sitting here reading this blog post, so you’ve obviously got some time right now, and since you’ve got the time right now, why don’t you get up and go for a walk. Go ahead! I’ll wait for you to get back 🙂
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You back now? Okay good. How was your walk? Felt pretty great huh?
Long or short, my favorite form of exercise is walking. I love walking in the mornings especially. It’s a great time for me to think and run through all the things I need to do for the day, or if I’ve got a problem I need to figure out. It can also provide an opportunity to detach myself from the world by listening to a podcast, audio book, or music. Though, most of the time I just walk and enjoy the sights and sounds around my neighborhood, so it’s also a good time to unplug.
As an ACE Certified Personal Trainer, I can also tout the physical benefits of walking. Like how walking lowers your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and stress. At the same time walking raises your good cholesterol levels (yes, you have good cholesterol), improves muscle function and tone, and increases your cardiovascular health which leads to a lower risk of heart diseases, aka: the number 1 cause of death in the world. Walking is also as physically beneficial as running, which is the exercise that most people associate with when they think of physical fitness. Both walking and running are full-body exercises, which means all of your major muscle groups play a part in the movement of walking/running. So don’t start thinking you have to be a marathon runner to get the same benefits. You can totally get fitter and healthier by walking.
Have problems or conditions with your ankles, knees, hips, or back that prevent you from walking on hard surfaces? Try using an elliptical for less strain on your joints. You can also (just about) eliminate the strain by doing water exercises like swimming laps in a pool, or if your local Recreation Center has a lazy river in their pool area, walking backwards (against the current) in that lazy river will give you mega gains without the discomfort of walking on concrete or a treadmill.
That all said, any kind of exercise you choose to do will improve your overall health. And, because of the endorphins that come from physical activity, regular exercise will also improve your overall mental health. So take a walk, long or short, and look for that silver lining today.
P.S.- Tag me on instagram with a picture from your walk, and let’s get a community of walkers out there! Find me @whereisyoursilverlining