The 8 Most Important Benefits of Going for a Walk

Psssst – It’s not burning calories.

I’ll just exercise a little longer today.

Have you ever said that to yourself after a food indulgence?  The loose math makes perfect sense: extra calories in = extra minutes in the gym.  Balance achieved.

Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you but it’s not that easy, unless you have an hour and a half that day.  Yup, it will take approximately 90 minutes of walking at a brisk pace to burn off 450 calories, which is how much I consumed in a breakfast sandwich last week while waiting for an oil change.  I did not happen to have 90 minutes to spend on walking that day or 45 minutes for a run.  I don’t run. 

But I did get my butt out of the car on my way home and walked for about 15 minutes in a lovely county park.  And I felt really good about it because even though that walk barely torched any of the calories mentioned above, I knew that there was a slew of other healthy things going on inside my body that were even more important to my long range health:

1.      Endorphins released

2.      Lowered A1c

3.      Lowered triglycerides

4.      Kept that sticky LDL from sticking inside my arteries

5.      Natural Vit. D

6.      Lubricated joints

7.      Activated muscles

8.      Listened to a great podcast

a.      Alone time, or time with partner or friend or dog

So, I may not have burned the calories but what did happen was so much more positive in the moment and for the long run. 

So the moral of this story is to get outside, on the treadmill, to the beach, around your neighborhood, to a park, dance to some tunes, even for a short time after a meal and reap the benefits that soar above just a calorie burn.