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Walking and Health
Alternate Names : Exercise - Is Walking Worthwhile, Health and Walking, Mild Exercise
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Information
Question:
How useful is walking for your health?
Answer:
Exercise, including walking, decreases the risk of death, heart attacks, stroke, hypertension, some cancers, osteoporosis, depression, anxiety, and obesity. It improves overall health, helps osteoarthritis and diabetes, boosts HDL (good cholesterol) levels, and lightens mood.
As long as there are no medical conditions that contraindicate walking (such as predisposition to falls or advanced degenerative joint disease), walking is an excellent, inexpensive form of exercise.
Thirty minutes of physical activity (walking or other physical activity) on most days is recommended by the Surgeon General. A brisk 30-minute walk burns about 200 calories. Walking slowly for 30 minutes uses 100 calories. You can easily add 30 minutes of exercise daily by making a few minor changes, such as parking farther from work or from a store, then walking the extra distance. See physical activity.
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Review Date : 1/28/2002
Reviewed By : Victoria Kennedy, RN, A.D.A.M. editorial. (1/28/2002). Previous review: J. Gordon Lambert, MD, Associate Medical Director; RxRemedy. (2/9/2000).
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