4 Health-Proven Reasons Why Walking Is Safer And Better Than Running

Regular physical activity is essential to general health. According to medical experts, it is a secondary and a primary method of disease prevention.

Dong some physical activity at least a few times a week can prevent numerous health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Moreover, being physically active can prevent hypertension, hyperlipidemia and generalized anxiety.

Also, it boosts the energy levels, improves mood and helps in maintaining healthy weight.

In addition, implementing exercise regimen since the early childhood is highly beneficial because most chronic disorders start then and worsen with age, if not properly treated.

1. Excessive Pushing Reduces Gain

There was a study in Denmark conveyed to find out whether jogging reduced mortality rates.

According to the study, “light and moderate joggers have lower mortality than sedentary non-joggers, whereas strenuous joggers have a mortality rate not statistically different from that of the sedentary group.”

Bottom line: For people who live a sedentary lifestyle, walking or light jogging is much better than high intensity running.

2. It’s Not How Hard You Move But For How Long

Numerous studies have found that physical activity reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, this is effective only if the amount of sedentary time is also reduced.

Therefore, regardless of how much or how intensively you run, if you spend the same amount sitting every day, you won`t get the full effect.

Another research found that “equivalent energy expenditures by moderate (walking) and vigorous (running) exercise produced similar risk reductions for hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus, and possibly CHD.”

For example, let`s say that it takes you 10 minutes of intense exercise to burn 100 calories and 30 minutes of moderate walking to burn the same amount. You will experience similar health benefits as long as the energy expenditure is the same.

Bottom line: Although walking will take more time to burn off the same amount you would while running, both will provide you with the same health benefits for the same amount of energy used.

The only difference here is that moderate walking is something you can easily do on daily basis, while intense running requires resting days in between and is mentally more challenging.

3. Better For Your Eyes

A study conducted by The Sciences Division of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, CA found that when people who walk and run spend the same amount of energy both have lower risk of developing cataracts equally.

Bottom line: Walking and running are equally effective in reducing the risk of cataracts.

4. Too Much Is Bad For Your Heart

It has been proved that excessive and intense physical activity can do more harm than good. Therefore, most medical experts recommend walking rather than running.

Excessive exercise can lead to cardiac remodeling and arterial fibrosis, or thickening.

Additionally, it can induce ventricular arrhythmias which significantly increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. A number of studies are now being conducted to determine the correct dosage of physical activity for different people.

Bottom line: If you live a sedentary lifestyle and you are about to begin with exercising, than you should focus on walking rather than running.

Walking Is Safer And Just As Effective As Running

Walking provides you with a number of health benefits, including stress reduction, disease prevention, and improved cardiovascular health without the possible side effects of running.

According to a study published by The Department of General Practice at Queen’s University, individuals at age 50 to 65 who took brisk walks 5 days a week had reduced risk of heart disease and became more fit. This program was home-based and included 30-minute long walking sessions.

Medical experts recommend that you raise the walking levels gradually and your minimum goal should be around 150 minutes in a week.

Source: dailyhealthpost.com