OSEA Safety Blog

National Walking Day

National Walking Day originated from the American Heart Association in 2007. It was an effort to promote healthy living. National Walking Day is celebrated annually on the first Wednesday of the month of April, this year it will take place on April 6^th. It recognizes the easiest and most natural way to promote good health. Research shows that walking 30 minutes a day contributes to preventing diseases such as but not limited to type 2 diabetes, cancer, and heart conditions. Walking helps burn or break down accumulated fats from the body, with a specific focus on areas around the heart which is one reason walking helps prevent heart conditions.

According to experts on Prevention these are the 12 biggest benefits of walking:

1. Walking will improve your mood
   1. Research shows that just 10 minutes of walking can lift your spirits
2. Help you burn calories and maintain a health weight
   1. Regular walking can help reduce belly fat and, as a result improve your body’s response to insulin
3. Reduce your risk of chronic diseases
   1. Lowers blood sugar levels
   2. Every 1,000 steps lower’s your systolic blood pressure by 0.45%
4. Help you live longer
   1. Doing 10 to 59 minutes of moderate exercise (brisk walking) per week can lower risk of death by 18% during the study
   2. 150 minutes of weekly exercise in at least 10-minute spurts had 31% lower risk of death
5. Boost’s brainpower
   1. Brain scans of people who walked briskly for one hour three times a week showed the decision-making areas of their brains worked more efficiently than people who attended education seminars instead
   2. Walking can improve brain function in older women
6. Help alleviate joint pain
   1. Increases blood flow to tense areas and helps strengthen the surrounding muscles
   2. 10 minutes a day or about an hour a week can stave off disability and arthritis pain in older adults
7. Delay the onset of varicose veins
   1. Proven way to prevent them from developing
   2. If they already developed, walking could help ease related swelling and restlessness in your legs
8. May stimulate your digestive system
   1. Regular walking routine can improve your bowel movements
9. Enhances creativity
   1. Walking can spark creativity more than sitting
10. Improve your sleep
    1. Improves quality and length of sleep
    2. Reduces pain and stress which also improves sleep
11. Kickstart your immune system
    1. Increases the number of immune cells that attack pathogens in our body
    2. If you get sick, people who walk more spend less time in the hospital
12. Other goals will seem more reachable
    1. When you have a regular routine, you are more likely to continue with the activity and take on new healthy behaviors
    2. Help you believe in yourself and your health goals

The initial getting up and working out or going for a walk is the biggest struggle people have and the main reason people don’t do it. So, if that is you this is your motivation, use April 6^th as your start date and start walking as much as your schedule allows to improve your health and overall quality of life.

To show your participation use the hashtags #NationalWalkingDay and/or #WalkingDay on social media!