Improve the Body’s Abilities to Utilize Oxygen and Breathe A morning walk can be beneficial to your lungs and soul. According to Sheri Tooley, the 2021-2022 president and CEO of the American Association for Respiratory Care, “morning walks are a great benefit for individuals with pulmonary disease, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),” so long as you have the approval of your doctor. She continues, “Walking is a low-impact activity that can help the body use oxygen more effectively.” In fact, a 2016 study in the Journal of COPD Foundation found that “patients who walked at least 60 minutes per day reduced their COPD re-hospitalization rate by 50%,” with 5,000 steps as the goal.
Long-term Benefits to Your Health The benefits of walking every day to your physical health are endless. Tooley concurs, suggesting 30 minutes of walking each day, and Flores suggests walking at least 150 minutes per week. According to Tooley, taking daily walks boosts your mood, reduces stress, improves cardiovascular fitness, helps you prevent or manage a variety of health conditions, and even speeds up your metabolism. All of these benefits can help your respiratory health. Lung health and heart health are inseparable. Therefore, if your doctor gives you the go-ahead, walking has tremendous health benefits.”
Reduce Stress and Improve Your Mood Both Flores and Tooley concur that walking can aid in mental clarity and mood improvement. “Respondents who took regular walks or engaged in other forms of physical exercise had better emotional health than those who did not exercise regularly,” states the findings of a 2020 study that was published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
Reduce Your Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease, According to Flores, “Morning walks also strengthen your muscles, clear your mind, improve your mental health, and reduce risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.” “A prospective study of more than eight years showed that women who walked more had less cognitive decline throughout the entire study period,” according to a 2020 Alzheimer’s review.
Walking is a simple way to reduce your risk of contracting infections like Covid-19, according to our experts. We all want to ensure that we are making healthy choices to combat the ever-present threat of infections like Covid-19. According to Flores, walking every day can improve immune function and lower the likelihood of contracting infectious diseases.
