2% is a fairly small part of your day.
It works out to be 30 minutes.
For the more visual learners, here’s what 2% or 30 minutes of your day looks like:
Minuscule right?
What if this 30 minutes of your day, wisely spent, could add years to your life?
Turns out it can. Even better, this 30 minutes of your day is simple, easy and costs no money!
Sound too good to be true? Read on.
“If you’re in a bad mood, go for a walk. If you’re still in a bad mood, go for another walk”
~Hippocrates
Walking is really underrated.
Besides language, and our ability to use tools, our ability to walk is what makes us human.
Walking has had a tremendous importance in the evolution of our species, allowing us to spread to all corners of the globe.
What we forget though, is just how beneficial a simple walk is.
Something so commonplace and simple, something that we do largely automatically.
Walking can be done consciously and deliberately to improve every part of our lives.
It’s holistic. It benefits our minds, our bodies and our communities.
It benefits every aspect of our being.
Walking also makes you healthier, happier and better looking!
It’s well demonstrated that a lack of activity can detrimentally affect your personality.
Decreases in Openness, Extraversion and Agreeableness (3 of the ‘Big 5’ personality traits) are more likely in inactive people
Significant improvements in preventing or managing depression are available for those who get out for a walk more often.
So beyond the physical benefits, this simple activity also enhances every aspect of our social, psychological and behavioural functioning.
Where’s the proof?
Here are the documented benefits of a 30-minute walk, 5 times per week[1]:
- Prevent up to 91% of Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes
- Prevent up to 50% of Heart Disease
- Reduce risk of Stroke by 25-30%
- Prevent up to 50% of all Stroke deaths
- Reduce Heart failure by 63%
- Reduce risk of Breast Cancer by 60%
- Reduce Pancreatic Cancer in overweight people by 50%
- Reduce Lung Cancer by 72% (even in smokers)
- Reduce Skin Cancer by 72%
- Prevent up to 50% of Colon Cancer
- Decrease All-cause Mortality by 67%
- Prevent up to 62% of Alzheimers
- Prevent up to 52% of Dementia
- Decrease depression by 20%
- Decrease Gallbladder removal by 20%
- Reduce risk of developing Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis
- Increased strength, flexibility and balance
- Increased immune system function
- Increased dopamine and serotonin levels
- Increased growth hormone
- Decreased stress hormones
- Decreased body fat percentage
- Decreased rate of ageing
Impressive numbers would you agree?
Could you imagine any drug, medication or surgery competing with the benefits that walking has!?
So how can you put this knowledge to good use?
Simply implement a daily walk of 30 minutes
It’s easy – Simply specify a regular time where you can schedule this walk in.
- It might be an early-morning stroll before anyone else is awake.
- Maybe walk to work or park a 15-minute-walk away from your workplace.
- Take 30 minutes of your lunchbreak to walk outside, soaking up some Vitamin D while you’re at it.
- Or, go for a night walk – sometimes I like to walk when it’s dark out, when it’s super quiet and nobody else is around. Trust me, walking along the beach is just as amazing at night, as it is during the day.
Struggling for Motivation? Try measuring your steps.
I wear a device called an Oura ring. It measures my steps, and also gives me alerts if I’ve been sedentary for too long. Fitbits, Garmin’s and most smartphones have step counters nowadays too.
Having a number to aim for can help you stick to your routine. Hold yourself accountable by buddying up with a friend or even having some friendly competition with your partner!
Still need more motivation?
Grab the book ‘In Praise of Walking’ from our practice lending library and take it home for a read. It’s impossible to view walking the same after completing this read.
In summary
Simple. Easy. Cost-effective. Low injury risk.
A plethora of health benefits in only 30 minutes per day.
What are your thoughts? Let me know
Mick
[1] https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2002.019265
