For these cases, if you have a headache or a cold, you can continue but if you have a fever, sore throat, or cough, you should rest for a few days until these symptoms disappear. If that’s not the case, it’s a sign that you don’t have any excuses to save yourself. These are reasons you should consider to start walking more:
- Walking is good for the heart. Walking a few hours, a week is one of the most profitable investments for your cardiovascular system because the heart works more economically, without increasing bodily effort, that is, it reduces the number of heartbeats, thanks to the increase in pumped blood.
- In addition, it optimizes the circulatory system, because it increases the size of the heart, which reduces the pulse rate and increases the volume of pumped blood and dilates blood vessels.
- It also reduces the risk of atherosclerosis, not only by improving the elasticity of the arteries but also by decreasing the levels of low-density lipoproteins (bad cholesterol that damages the arteries) and increasing those of high-density lipoproteins (good cholesterol that protects the arteries).
- Decreases the level of triglycerides in the blood, which are other fats that increase cardiovascular risk.
- As it is an aerobic activity (exercise of moderate-intensity that takes large amounts of air to the lungs), it helps to reduce blood pressure, especially systolic, which reduces the risk of suffering from hypertension and allows you to lower the dose of medication to patients already suffering from this condition.
- It improves the capacity to transport oxygen not only to the muscles but to all the cells of the body, helping the different organs and tissues to have more energy, detoxify and function better.
- By increasing blood circulation and its speed, the risk of fat deposits on the arterial walls that lead to their narrowing is reduced, causing less irritation or blockage of blood flow, which can lead to heart attack or stroke.
- Activates the peripheral circulation, increasing the blood flow needed to make efforts and improve its return, alleviating venous problems such as varicose veins.
