A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine indicates that, compared to sedentary lifestyle, walking just a little can significantly reduce the risk of mortality.
Walking is one of the simplest and most natural physical activities that humans have at their fingertips. From the first steps that a person takes in his childhood, from then on he does not stop doing this exercise, which, according to the results of an investigation by the American Cancer Society (ACS), reduces the risk of premature death, cardiovascular disease (CVD) ), cancer, type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis.
In addition, an active lifestyle is believed to do good for mental health, as exercise has been shown to improve cognitive function while decreasing the likelihood of depression. For that and more reasons, the researchers indicate that at least "some physical activity is better than none."
The study showed that even when the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding the time per week that should be devoted to exercise –150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise– are not strictly adhered to, the risk of premature death is reduced considerably.
Why is walking good for us?
Research led by Dr. Alpa V. Patel, Strategic Director of the Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3) for the ACS, revealed that more than 6 hours of walking per week reduces the risk factor of 35 percent mortality in relation to respiratory disease.
On the other hand, there was a 20 percent lower probability of death from cardiovascular disease in people whose primary physical activity was walking. The results also speak of a 9 percent lower risk of dying from cancer.
In the words of Dr. Patel, “walking has been described as the perfect exercise, because it is simple, free, convenient, does not require any special equipment or training, and can be done at any age”.
Simply walking provides multiple benefits that can be achieved in terms of physical and mental health. And best of all, this activity does not require any type of investment, except time.
