As a PT – I’m not just interested in helping people improve their physical bodies, but their overall health and wellness.
At a time when there are so many uncertainties, stress levels can increase, causing our health to suffer.
Both mental and physical health is impacted when our stress levels increase. Stress causes certain chemicals to be released and when they are in high concentration, these chemicals can affect most organ functions and change our mood (and not in a good way).
Creating control within your life can help to counteract this process and affect our physical and mental health in a positive way (and I’m not talking about disinfecting everything – including the family pet)
With so many people at home and the weather (slowly) warming, the perfect solution for any increased stress and anxiety we are experiencing is to take a daily walk. With no need for the 30 minutes (or more) commute each day, it is a perfect time to start this habit. I heard somewhere it takes 30 days to create a habit – and how convenient: we’ll be in the current situation for at least that long!
The vast benefits of walking for 30 minutes each day have been extensively researched and confirmed many times over.
Those benefits are:
- Reduces anxiety and depression
- Improves sleep
- Increases physical endurance
- Provides Stress relief
- Increases mental alertness
- Reduces body fat
- Reduces cholesterol
- Increases immunity
- Increases heart and lung function
- Controls high blood pressure
- Helps manage diabetes
- Increases bone strength
Much needed after trying to WFH and do E-learning and staring at the same four walls all day (am I right??!?!)
Grab your phone, favorite walking app, and favorite podcast or audiobook and get moving!
**As always, stay safe: speak with your MD if you are concerned about physical activity and continue to practice physical distancing – but feel free to smile and wave!
If your neighborhood starts to bore you, here are some neat, local places to walk and enjoy new scenery: