Sanyukta Baijal
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Walking lowers hypertension and offers various other health benefits such as weight loss and helps you stay active. © Shutterstock.
Walking is the best form of exercise. This is something which we have been hearing since our childhood. It offers various health benefits such as weight loss, maintains your body coordination, helps you stay active and, most importantly, keeps your heart rate intact. So, as we get ready to observe World Hypertension Day today, let us revisit the importance of walking and workouts. World Hypertension Day was initiated on 14th May 2005 to increase the awareness of this condition. This day is observed by the World Hypertension League on 17th May every year to raise awareness among hypertensive patients. The theme for the year 2020 is 'Measure Your Blood Pressure , (BP) Control It, Live Longer'.
According to a study presented at The American College of Cardiology, people who took more steps daily, as tracked by their smartwatch, had lower blood pressure on average than those taking fewer steps. Researchers conducted the study on 638 participants who were asked to wear an Apple Watch daily and record their blood pressure at home on a regular basis. A person who took 10,000 steps daily had a systolic blood pressure 2.25 points lower than a person taking just 5,000 steps daily, on average. It means being more physically active and walking can help lower blood pressure.
Walking regularly helps your body tremendously. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended activity guidelines which include 30 minutes of moderate exercising everyday and brisk walking is one of them. Those who meet these guidelines specifically enjoy protection against a number of diseases like cardiovascular and neuromuscular disorders, metabolic diseases like diabetes, cancer, pain conditions and depressive disorders. Apart from that, exercises like walking can also boost your immune system, which is very important to help protect against infections like COVID-19.
As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), it is important for your body to go through moderate-intensity physical activity of 150 minutes or vigorous-intensity physical activity of 75 minutes per week, or a combination of both. These targets are quite easy to achieve even at home, with no gym equipments and in confined spaces. Take a look at some tips on how to maintain your walking schedule and stay active while at home during quarantine.
Even if you don't have enough space to take a walk, you can try getting up and walking at the same place. This is a simple way which can be done while watching TV as well. Try getting up and start watching in every commercial break during a show. This means during a 30-minute TV show, you may get almost 12 minutes of walking time and if a show is of 1 hour then you can manage up to 24 minutes of cardio by walking just where you stand.
Refrain from following a monotonous routine and reduce the time when you are lying down or reclining. Ideally, aim to interrupt sitting or lounging for more than 30 minutesat a stretch. Even if you are working from home, avoid sitting for longer and consider setting up a standing desk by stacking a pile of books or something to work while standing. In case you are not working professionally, try indulging yourself in household chores like mopping, cleaning or vacuuming. Doing these physical activities will not just help in keeping your blood pressure levels under control but also help you burn extra calories.
According to experts, stair climbing tends to burn more calories per minute than jogging and reduces the risk of a heart attack by more than 30 per cent. It also helps in keeping blood sugar levels and cholestrol in place. Therefore, try a 10-minute stair climbing workout.