{"id":61087,"date":"2021-10-16T17:44:16","date_gmt":"2021-10-16T17:44:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/\/\/?p=61087"},"modified":"2021-11-22T01:13:20","modified_gmt":"2021-11-22T06:13:20","slug":"walking-the-simple-path-to-feeling-sexier-and-living-longer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/walking-the-simple-path-to-feeling-sexier-and-living-longer\/","title":{"rendered":"Walking: The Simple Path to Feeling Sexier and Living Longer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Want to feel better, look sexier, and live longer? Walk more. <\/strong>As health advice goes, it\u2019s not exactly earth shattering. But it\u2019s often ignored.<\/p>\n

As a species, walking is what we do best. In fact, it\u2019s probably how your ancestors got from Africa to where they eventually settled.1<\/sup><\/a> The standardized movement guidelines of thirty minutes per day are based on the dramatic benefits that walking can have on your health, yet nobody seems to do it.<\/strong>18<\/sup><\/a> For the average time-poor person, the fundamental movement pattern of walking is frequently shunned in favor of more intense forms of exercise. However, the beneficial effects of walking on health are multiple and far-reaching.<\/p>\n

This is the second of my articles detailing why The Great Upside-Down Movement Pyramid<\/a> can be your one-stop framework for lifelong health. In this piece, I\u2019ll cover why now that you\u2019re sitting less, you should start walking more.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Calming the Fires<\/h2>\n

Modern-day living doesn\u2019t seem to be geared towards providing optimal health. <\/strong>The combination of the daily grind, the food we eat, and our need to stay in one place to work all day have all been linked to increased inflammation, and through that, the rising rates of cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.5<\/a>–8<\/a><\/sup> Sadly, we can\u2019t all change our jobs and live off the land. Instead of resorting to pills and antioxidant concoctions that may undo some of your good work, starting to move more by increasing walking is the best step towards reversing some of those issues.9<\/a>,10<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

“Aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, also increases your ability to handle oxidative damage.This makes movement both an anti-inflammatory, and an antioxidant.”<\/em><\/h3>\n

When we move our muscles, signaling molecules (often referred to as myokines) are released. <\/strong>Though many of these myokines can also be associated with an inflammatory response, when stimulated by exercise, they actually decrease inflammation.11<\/sup><\/a> This is one of the main reasons why regular walking can dramatically reduce the risk of metabolic diseases, as well as certain cancers, and even erectile dysfunction.13<\/a>–17<\/a><\/sup> Aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, also increases your ability to handle oxidative damage.12<\/sup><\/a> This makes movement both an anti-inflammatory, and an antioxidant. And all without a single pill in sight.<\/p>\n

Losers Walk<\/h2>\n

Though many people still rely on counting calories as their guide to fat loss,<\/a> there isn\u2019t as much evidence to support this idea as we\u2019re led to believe.<\/strong> Not all calories are created equal, and simply inducing a calorie deficit by increasing exercise alone does not induce long-term weight loss.2<\/a>,3<\/a><\/sup> Fear not, though. The upside of this complex equation is that some activities that don\u2019t \u201cburn\u201d many calories can still help with weight management (if you\u2019re into that kind of thing). Instead of worrying about starving yourself thin, you can produce significant fat loss by spending less time sitting and more time walking.4<\/sup><\/a> No gym membership or Weight Watchers* required.<\/p>\n

*Other starvation programs with minimal scientific backing are also available.<\/em><\/p>\n

Every Little Helps<\/h2>\n

As I\u2019ve previously mentioned<\/a>, killing yourself on the treadmill isn\u2019t enough to compensate for the negative effects that a sedentary lifestyle can have on your life expectancy. <\/strong>This means that movement needs to be built into your day, and the best way to do this is to walk more. For most of us, this can begin with walking to work.19<\/sup><\/a> Use public transport? Get off a stop or two earlier. Drive to work? Use a park and ride, and walk the last ten to twenty minutes. Worried about being late for work? Perfect \u2013 a brisk pace is associated with even greater benefits.20<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

\"movement,<\/p>\n

To build on this, there are a number of other ways to add walking into your day:<\/strong><\/p>\n