Walking can be an ideal method of disconnection and release of thoughts; as well as a perfect way to start doing physical exercise if we are inexperienced, or our particular conditions do not allow us to do high-intensity sports. For being a Healthy habit and accessible to the vast majority, more and more people in Spain and around the world find walking a friendly way to stay in shape. To achieve real objectives, it is important to set certain goals, such as setting the time we should spend walking 1 km.
Is walking a sport?
Although it can be a hobby for many, walking is an aerobic exercise which requires an expenditure of energy, the impact on the physique and health of the people who practice it can vary depending on different factors, such as the rhythm, the environment and the physical conditionsamong other.
In any case, walking provides great health benefits. Prevents cardiovascular diseasesstrengthens bones and muscles, helps maintain ideal blood sugar levels, improves balance, coordination and mood.
Depending on the type of hike you choose, it can be a low or medium intensity practice which will have less immediate results than other aerobic activities, but which, if practiced daily or regularly, can have a tremendously positive impact on the state of health.
How long should it take us to walk 1 km?
If our goal is to stay in good physical shape and lose some weight, it is important. Set a maximum time to travel certain distances.
According to Michele Stanten, professional trainer and founder of de mywalkingcoach.com, establishing a certain method when going for a walk can increase motivation and improve results of practice. To do this, it is advisable to be aware of the speed and number of steps we use in the exercise. The trainer affirms that a good way to train and keep our body in good condition cardiovascular health is to give at least three short walks daily approximately ten minutes long.
Generally, for Walking 1 km takes an average of between 9 and 14 minutes. If our particular case is closer to 14 minutes than 9, it is not relevant, we can divide the walks into several with shorter routes, and thus wear ourselves out less. What is really important is avoid a sedentary lifestyle and increase physical activity daily, if this is the case, we will notice significant benefits, both physically and mentally.
Sedentary lifestyle is the lack of physical activity for less than 30 minutes a day. The World Health Organization indicates that it is related to a higher mortality.
Once we have acquired the routine of going for a daily walk, it is very likely that we will want to increase walking pace. Michele Stanten provides some simple guidelines to achieve this that you can find, along with other advice, in her book “The solution for walking.” Among these indications are: walk with arms bent, maintain good posture, take shorter steps and Alternate intense and moderate rhythms.
Benefits of walking
As we have pointed out, incorporating the practice of walking into our routine leads to a very positive impact both physically and mentally.
Walking helps keep a healthy weight and helps us lose weight, since walking at a good pace We lose accumulated body fat and activate the metabolism.
Walking improves cardiovascular health and prevents heart disease. A new studypublished in Journal of the American Geriatrics Societyconfirms and places special emphasis on the great benefits that walking has for heart health, assuming this practice is a differential factor in people’s quality of life, especially in elderly women. Furthermore, walking we strengthen the muscles and we combat aging.
On the other hand, walking directly influences our mental health.
Walking improves our moodhelps us reduce accumulated tension and reduce stress and anxiety. By walking we free our mind and focus our thoughts on more positive aspects, especially if we do this practice in nature.
References
Michele Stanten and Lee Scott, “The Walking Solution: Get People Walking for Results” (2019). The association of walking pace and incident heart failure and subtypes among postmenopausal women https://agsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jgs.17657
