10 Things That Happen to Your Body If You Walk Every Day

Have you ever heard the saying by Hippocrates, “Walking is a man’s best medicine?” We’d go further by stating that walking combined with good sleep and a healthy diet can help you avoid the doctor altogether. As little as 15-30 minutes of walking every day can drastically improve not only a person’s overall appearance but health as well.

We at Bright Side were astonished to find out that kind old walking is a single practice which could significantly benefit the whole body and mind. It’s free, easy and requires little effort.

We’ve created a list of benefits you can literally walk yourself into.

1.   Positive brain changes

As a study reveals, low impact aerobic exercises, like walking, prevent early dementia, reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, and improve overall mental health. Not to mention cutting psychological stress and maintaining a higher level of endorphins.

2.   Improved eyesight

Even though eyes might seem like the last thing to be connected with the legs, walking actually benefits their health too. It may also help to fight glaucoma by relieving eye pressure.

3. Prevention of heart diseases

According to the American Heart Association, walking is no less valid than running when it comes to the prevention of heart-related disease or stroke. This activity helps avoid heart problems by lowering high blood pressure and cholesterol levels and improving blood circulation.

4. Increased lung volume

Walking is an aerobic exercise which increases oxygen flow in the bloodstream and helps train your lungs, as well as eliminate toxins and waste. Because of better and more in-depth breathing, some symptoms associated with lung disease may also be relieved.

5. Beneficial effects on the pancreas

It might be hard to believe but walking for exercise turns out to be a much more effective tool in preventing diabetes than running. This research shows that a group of “walkers” demonstrated improvement in glucose tolerance almost 6 times greater (i.e. how well blood sugar is absorbed by cells) than that of a group of “runners,” over a 6 month trial period.

6. Improved digestion

30 minutes of walking every day could not only lower the risk of colon cancer in the future but improve our digestion and constipation by helping to regulate our bowel movements.

7. Toned muscles

Muscle tone and weight loss (in overweight cases) may also be achieved through walking. The practice of walking 10,000 steps a day may be counted as an actual workout in a gym, especially if you add some intervals or walking uphill. Additionally, it’s low impact and there’s no recovery time, which means no sore muscles and regrets for missing tomorrow’s workout due to being too sore the next day.

8. Sturdier bones and joints

Walking can provide more joint mobility, prevent loss of bone mass, and even reduce the risk of fractures. The Arthritis Foundation recommends walking moderately at least 30 minutes a day on a regular basis to reduce pain in your joints, along with stiffness and inflammation.

9. Back pain relief

Walking may become a real life-saver for those who experience back pain during more challenging high-impact exercises. Since it’s a low-impact activity, it won’t cause more pain or discomfort, like running or HIT would. Walking contributes to better blood circulation within the spinal structures and improves posture and flexibility which is vital for a healthy spine.

10. A calmer mind (if it was an organ, to be sure)

If walking improves depression symptoms in patients with primary depressive disorders, just imagine how quickly it could help us cope with feeling down or exhausted. And a joyful walk with a friend or a loved one will only multiply the happy-effect and improve your mood!

We’d love to hear if you have ever tried to substitute a trip to the gym or a run, with walking. Tell us in the comments below if it worked miracles for you or not?

source: https://brightside.me/inspiration-health/10-things-that-happen-to-your-body-if-you-walk-every-day-485010/  

       STOP DOING THIS! THE 7      DANGEROUS ACTS AFTER MEAL

You shouldn’t eat fruits right after your meal

If you eat fruits right after your meal the fruits will not be able to reach your intestines due to the food you’ve already eaten.

If they stay in your stomach, then they will begin to spoil and cause the food you’ve just eaten to be spoilt as well.

That’s why it is best to wait for an hour before you eat any fruits, or eat them before your meal.

But the most suitable way would be to eat fruits on an empty stomach in the morning so your body can properly digest them and use the energy they provide throughout your day.

You shouldn’t loosen your belt after your meal

There’s a lot of dogma regarding this rule. Most people think that loosening your belt will cause your bowels to twist and turn, but, the real reason why you shouldn’t do this is entirely different. The reason is that if you are loosening your belt than you have probably eaten a lot of food, which is inherently wrong for you. If you loosen your belt, you will feel free to continue indulging in your meal, which is definitely not a good thing. That’s why you should never loosen your belt so it can remind you of how much food is enough for you.

You shouldn’t smoke right after your meal

Smoking right after you have eaten is a definite no-no! Studies show that when you smoke after you eat it has the same effect as smoking 10 cigarettes, which is never a good thing.

You shouldn’t drink tea after your meal 

Tea leaves are full of acids that can make the proteins you consume to be hardened and tough to digest. That’s why it is better to drink tea at least an hour before you eat.

You shouldn’t go for a walk after your meal

Going for a walk right after you have eaten will cause an acid reflux in your stomach, and only make your digestion more difficult.  That’s why if you are planning on taking a walk after your meal, you should at least wait for 30 minutes before you do so. Furthermore, if your reason for taking a walk is to burn some calories, you should know that the most efficient way to do it is to walk after you have done some physical exercise.

You shouldn’t take a nap after your meal 

Taking a nap after you have eaten will only cause difficulties to your digestion, which might cause other gastric problems and intestine infections.

You shouldn’t take a bath after your meal 

After you take a bath the blood circulation in your hands, feet and upper torso will increase, while the flow in your stomach area decreases, resulting in weaker digestion. That’s why baths are best taken 1-2 hours after meals, or before them.

source: 7badFoodHabits

How Does Running Improve Mood?

The importance of exercise for the body cannot be stressed enough. To stay fit and keep diseases at bay, it is the kind of care you must give your body. Studies conducted on both healthy people and patients with emotional disorders have shown positive effects of physical exercise, regardless of their gender and age. And the benefits were seen to be more marked in those with elevated levels of anxiety and depression.

How Does Running Help Your Mood?

As an exercise routine, running is one of the most convenient ones as well because all it demands is a pair of good running shoes—you do not need any equipment or a gym membership. And being a high-intensity aerobic exercise, it leads to better weight loss and builds stamina.

The Physiological Factors

Any kind of exercise, including running, increases body temperature and blood circulation in the brain and improves physiological reactivity to stress, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and cortisol levels. It even shows an improvement in self-efficacy, fighting distraction, and reducing contradictions in thought, belief, and action, something that is common in patients with cognitive dissonance.1 All of these naturally lift your mood and boost your morale.

Balances The Stress Hormones With The Happiness Hormones

Tough day at work? Go running to ease the stress. Any aerobic exercise, like running, brings about neurochemical changes in the body. It balances the negative effects of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol with the production of endorphins, which are chemicals in the brain that act as natural mood enhancers and painkillers.

An increase in the level of endorphins in your body is responsible for what is known as the runner’s high, the feeling of relaxation and optimism that you get after running for a long distance and even after a hard workout.

They keep your mind happy and help fight depression as they work like antidepressants sans side effects, relieving you of tension, relaxing both the mind and the body, and boosting mental energy.

Reduces Perception Of Pain

Aerobic exercise is also found to reduce the perception of pain. Its efficacy in alleviating chronic pain, however, needs to be studied further. Regular training can keep depression at bay to a certain extent. It is also used clinically to treat certain psychiatric and chronic pain conditions.

Keeps Your Mind Young And Sharp

Apart from improving your mood considerably, running has also been found to keep your mental faculties in top shape. A regular routine of running can help keep the mental decline caused by degenerative diseases at bay. It keeps your grey cells intact for longer. Studies that recorded the relationship between mood and exercise in the elderly showed significant improvements in the mood after exercise.

Helps You Stay Focused

Running also helps keep attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents in check. It boosts the levels of serotonin and dopamine in the brain. These, in turn, improve concentration, focus, and memory. Physical exercise has also been seen to improve attention and give better resistance to temptations and impulses, consequently improving concentration levels of ADHD patients.

The Emotional Factors

When you run, it is just you, the track, or the treadmill, or the road as the case may be, and the rhythm of your feet. When you push yourself to complete that last round, it is you against yourself. You are testing your own endurance, willpower, and motivation and emerging a winner.

Regular runners and long-distance runners, who are passionate about their chosen sport, participate in marathons or half marathons, and even ultra runs that take on longer distances. To push your limits, both physical and mental, to set goals and attain them—these are the aspects of long-distance running that strengthen you as an individual and boost confidence as well. And these can be of help if you are battling your blues.

Run For 30 Mins Daily

Studies suggest that healthy adults should do a total of 30 minutes of moderate physical exercise every day in order to experience the fitness and health benefits. It’s not necessary to do the 30 minutes in one go. You can stagger it through the day. The benefits remain the same.

It Can Alleviate Depression

It is not simply a feel-good thing; running can even alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety. Whether you are battling depression or anxiety or just want to destress after a hard day’s work, run, whether by yourself or with a group of friends!

source: http://www.curejoy.com/content/running-improve-mood/?utm_source=MC&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Daily-Newsletter-Dec-29&utm_campaign=Daily-Newsletter