When you put on your walking shoes, you give your body an extra health boost. This not only benefits the heart and circulation, but also the muscles, bones and blood values.
Sports scientist Professor Ingo Froböse explains in an interview with t-online what makes walking so healthy and what you should pay attention to when walking briskly.
Professor Froböse, is walking a sport?
Professor Ingo Frobese: Walking is a sport as long as you run vigorously and challenge your cardiovascular system. Relaxed walking or hiking, on the other hand, has hardly any training effect. Brisk walking miraculously bridges the gap between walking and jogging. Walking is not only a good sport for older people, but also for younger beginners. You have a good heart and breathing rate and sufficient oxygen supply if you inhale four steps and exhale four steps.
How good is walking for your health?
Brisk walking is an endurance sport and therefore a real all-rounder for your health. If you walk regularly, you strengthen your cardiovascular system: among other things, your heart muscle becomes stronger, your lung volume increases, your oxygen supply improves and your blood pressure decreases. Your skeleton also benefits: walking strengthens muscles, tendons and ligaments and stabilizes your bones. Your metabolism also benefits: exercise helps regulate blood sugar levels and lower blood lipid levels by up to 30 percent.
How does walking strengthen bones?
Stress is necessary for properly functioning bone metabolism. Only in this way can the build-up and breakdown of bone substance remain in a healthy balance. The stimuli that are transmitted to the bones via the sole of the foot when walking, but also when walking and jogging, activate bone metabolism and promote the formation of new bone material.
Can walking prevent osteoporosis?
Walking can certainly help prevent osteoporosis – just like other sports that stimulate bone metabolism. Exercise is essential for healthy bones. It is important that the bones are exposed to a certain degree of stress, so that they are sufficiently stimulated and renewal processes are stimulated.
How does walking affect the cardiovascular system?
Walking is a good way to prevent heart attacks and strokes. It is important that you are regularly active. Endurance training makes the heart stronger and ensures better blood circulation. Heart volume increases and more blood can be transported per heartbeat. During exercise, the heart rate decreases, which relieves the heart muscle. Lung volume and oxygen supply also improve.
At the same time, walking promotes elastic blood vessels. During physical exertion, more blood is pumped through the body. This trains the expansion and contraction of the blood vessels. And that also lowers blood pressure. In addition, fewer deposits form on the vessel walls.
How often and how long should I walk to feel a health effect?
To benefit your body, walk every other day, ideally for between 60 and 90 minutes without a break. Beginners to exercise should approach the tension slowly. Feel free to sweat and breathe a little. If you can still have a good conversation, but still feel effort, the tension is good and your body is not overwhelmed. Increase slowly so your body can get used to the effort.
What are the biggest mistakes while hiking?
The biggest mistake when walking is going on a walking holiday without any training. The body is usually not prepared for such stress unless you are regularly active in daily life. The cardiovascular system of someone who starts exercising for the first time needs about three months to get used to the load. It takes six months for muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints and bones to withstand greater stresses, such as five hours of walking at high altitude on uneven terrain.
A walking holiday requires good physical preparation, otherwise you risk cardiovascular disease, joint injuries and bone fractures. While uphill walking mainly challenges the cardiovascular system, downhill walking mainly taxes the joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments, because the body weight must be supported.
What are the right shoes for walking?
On flat terrain, sturdy sports shoes are usually sufficient. It is important that you have a good fit in the shoes, that the sole is stable and non-slip and that your ankle is stabilized. On difficult terrain it is advisable to wear special walking shoes. They give your feet good support and prevent them from twisting. Hiking boots are important if you are going downhill for an extended period of time. The muscles, tendons and ligaments then tire and the ankle joint becomes unstable. Walking shoes then provide the ankle joint with the necessary stability. Lace your shoes tight every now and then so that the shoes always fit properly.
source: watson
I’m Maxine Reitz, a journalist and news writer at 24 Instant News. I specialize in health-related topics and have written hundreds of articles on the subject. My work has been featured in leading publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, and Healthline. As an experienced professional in the industry, I have consistently demonstrated an ability to develop compelling stories that engage readers.
