5 Incredible Benefits of a Daily Walk

Daily activity is so underrated, especially in our society where most jobs are very sedentary.

This is known as NEAT (Non-exercise Activity Thermogenesis) which means your daily activity outside of your structured exercise. NEAT plays a big role in your daily energy expenditure as well as your mental and physical health!

On average, many people with a sedentary job struggle to hit 4000 steps a day, and being inactive can affect your mental and physical health more than you think, even if you are training a few times a week.

The benefits of increasing your daily activity:

👣Burning extra calories- the difference between 4000 steps and 10000 steps can be up to 300 calories a day (depending on the intensity of your movement). This contributes to a calorie deficit if this is your goal, or to maintain you need to eat mores

👣Circulation and lymph drainage - your body’s waste removal system, the lymph, requires movement to pump and clear, and movement improves blood circulation to your extremities, skin and muscles. This aids in recovery from training, the health of your skin and hair, and nourishing your body with nutrients carried through the circulatory system. A still body can cause stagnation in the tissues.

👣Mental clarity - nothing clears the mind quite like a walk, especially one free from technology. This could be due to the parasympathetic (rest and digest) mode of your nervous system being activated by low intensity movement. Being in a parasympathetic state is fantastic for stress relief, digestive and hormonal health and activation of the “creative” part of your brain (the prefrontal cortex)

👣Getting out into nature - being surrounded by nature, oxygen, and fresh air is so powerful for grounding and connecting with the world around you.

Use a fitness tracker or pedometer to see how many steps you take. Aim to increase until your average is 8000-10000 steps a day. The most simple way could be taking a daily walk, but you can also achieve this by adding your movement up over the day - getting up more during your work day, taking the stairs, riding your bike to work or catching up with friends at the beach or park for a coffee instead of sitting down.

What could you do to increase your daily activity?