Stand in front of a full length mirror and look at your body from head to toe… You notice your body is made up of so many joints, right? I may be right to conclude you counted almost 15 joints? Our bodies were meant for movement, hence the many joints our bodies have. Failure to make use of these joints has many consequences.

Now,  apart from not obeying the function of our many joints, we may be doing our internal organs some great injustice among many other health crimes.

Have you heard some wise people saying “Sitting is the new smoking”? These wise people are very right. Sitting for lengthy periods of time is indeed harmful to your health.

While we know that working out is not everyone’s cup of tea, we need to make time for some form of exercise if we want to live a fulfilled life. You know what else those wise people say… “If you don’t make time for exercise, you will have to make time for illness! ” Unfortunately, they are right on this one as well.

Fortunately, there’s some great news! The gym is not the only place you have to go to keep fit. Walking can be your workout!  All you need for this is a good pair of walking shoes, earphones, walking app and a good podcast to listen to. You will also need to make some time… And in special cases, a dog!

In a nutshell, this is what walking can do for your body:

BRAIN:

Walking for just 2 hours in a week has been proven to reduce your risk of stroke by 30%.

MEMORY:

Do you find yourself forgetting what you had gone to pick from the fridge? Well, 40 minute walks, 3 times a week can help solve this problem. This will protect the brain region associated with planning and memory.

MOOD:

Are your moods getting out of control? Well you will be glad to know that walking for 30 minutes every day can reduce the symptoms of depression by 36%.

HEALTH:

Here’s where your pedometer app comes in handy… Logging 3,500 steps a day on your app lowers your risk of diabetes by 29%.

LONGEVITY:

Want to live longer than your peers? Well, then you will be happy to know that brisk walking for a total of 75 minutes a week can add almost 2 years to your life.

WEIGHT:

Are you packing on some weight because of your sedentary lifestyle? Are your clothes getting too tight? Or are you simply trying to lose that post baby weight without doing too much? Then how about including 1 hour daily walks in your life? This is said will cut your risk of obesity in half.

HEART:

Sitting too much, as we established earlier is bad for your health! Especially if you eat junk food and fatty meals. This spells bad news for your heart but if you add 30 to 60 minute walks to your daily routine then you will drastically lower your risk of heart disease.

BONES:

Walking 4 hours a week can reduce the risk of hip fractures by up to 43%.

TIP: Walking is the perfect exercise for expectant mothers.

Don’t be a victim of poor health which robs you of the ability of making the most of your life, yet you have two good legs.