Here at Dan’s Plan, there’s no secret that we are huge proponents of walking. As a means of transportation, movement, recreation, or social bonding, walking is a wonderfully versatile activity with a variety of associated health benefits. Below are five things that we think you should know about walking.
1. Jared walked a ton. I live about a half a mile away from the Subway restaurant that made Jared Fogle a popular spokesperson for the business. If you’re not familiar with the story (see the link above), Jared lost a ton of weight by eating at Subway, choosing healthier options, smaller portion sizes, and walking to and from the shop each day. Interestingly enough, you might only remember the “Subway Diet” from the Subway commercials. After all, it doesn’t really help Subway’s bottom line to promote smaller portions and walking, right? The takeaway though is that, “the Subway diet, combined with a lot of walking, worked for Jared.” This is not simply a disclaimer - it is likely the key to his successful weight loss.
2. You don’t need special shoes. Shoe companies like Reebok have been selling shoes under names like Easytone that they claim will strengthen and tone leg and butt muscles. Well, this past week the Federal Trade Commission called shenanigans on Reebok after a study out of Wisconsin by the American Council on Exercise showed that there were no differences between wearing normal running shoes and “toning shoes.” Guess what? Physical activity like walking helps tone leg and butt muscles. The good news? Reebok settled the case for $25 million, so if you have a pair of Reebok toning shoes that you’re not crazy about, visit the link above for a refund.
3. The health benefits of walking are many and varied. Here is a controlled study showing that walking significantly improved the quality of life of people with diabetes and peripheral artery disease. Here walking significantly improved the quality of life of people following heart surgery. And here, walking improved sleep efficiency for people with Alzheimer’s.
4. You can record, track, and display your walking effortlessly. Here at Dan’s Plan, we value and rely on data and on behavioral economic principles. It is difficult to know how your movement is changing if you cannot easily track and display it. We also know that keeping track of all that data over the long run is not likely to happen if it’s not simple and easy to do. That’s why we use tools like the Fitbit and the Suunto wireless heart rate and activity monitor to wirelessly track and record our movement. These devices even download and graph the data automatically for you - how much easier could it get?
5. Walking can even help improve our relationships. Here is an interesting TED talk (jump to 10:30 in the video to skip the introduction) about how taking a walk with someone can facilitate conversation and dialog. There is something about moving together side-by-side that allows us to feel that we are traveling in the same direction and not confronting each other. Walks are great opportunities for social bonding, working through problems, and better understanding each other.
So, today when you feel like you need a break from work or the kids, take a walk, either alone or with other people. You just might realize some of the mental and physical benefits of walking before you know it.