Affiliate Disclaimer
Some links in this article are affiliate links. We may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through these links, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we find useful to our readers
Morning walks are often a very strenuous activity for a number of people. While some tend to like enjoying the breath of fresh air in the morning, some tend to despise getting up at the crack of dawn. If you are someone who fits the second category, let me break it down to you stating that the benefits of morning walk are surplus and they help boost your overall well being.
If you are here wondering how an hour or so of walking in the morning can help keep the health ailments at bay, you are in for a ride. The amazing benefits of morning walk are not just acute but stick on for a longer period of time which is what makes it, even more, an option for you to switch to.
In this article, we are going to be walking ourselves through the effective and lesser known morning walking benefits that can probably help motivate you to start it right from tomorrow, who knows.
Importance of Morning Walk
1. Boost to Mental Health
The fresh air in the morning is amazing for people to delve into. It helps in igniting a touch of positivity in one’s mind which is more than enough to help you feel good and energetic throughout the entirety of the day.
2. Helps Avoid Procrastination
Procrastination and the constant withdrawal of “I’ll do it tomorrow” are often times seen less in people who indulge in a healthy morning’s walk. It is believed that the boost in one’s mood and energy levels is what helps you keep driving forward to complete the tasks that you normally just procrastinate about and put to a side.
3. A Boost to Social Life
As much as you might think that the benefits of morning walk only limits itself to the common boundaries of mental and physical health, it helps impact your social life as well. You are possibly not the only person in the park taking a stroll, so reach out to a fellow morning walker and make some friends; hype up your social life.
4. Recollection of Thoughts
Having half an hour to an hour of walking during the mornings gives you the perfect time to piece out your thoughts about what you want to do with the rest of the day. Planning and chalking out the entire day up in your thoughts can actually be a very productive way of having your entire day planned out for good.
5. Boost of Oxygen
The morning air is considered as one of the freshest out of the entirety of the day. The ample concentration of healthy oxygen in the atmosphere without the hefty interference of the harmful gases can often contribute to an overall healthier well being for you.
Why Should You Walk Every Morning?
1. Benefits of Morning Walk for Weight Loss
There are even studies (R) which indicate that letting go off the sedentary lifestyle and switching it up with some physical activity in the morning along with morning walk can easily help cut down the excess fat (R) in the body. The morning walk benefits the muscle strength and flexibility as well.
2. Benefits of Morning Walk for Glowing Skin
3. Benefits of Morning Walk for Weight Gain
Many people are often times confused on how to actually incorporate the morning walks in their daily schedule to not lose weight but do the complete opposite. It is necessary to understand that walking in the morning is not just meant for people who want to become slim or lose weight. 30-40 minutes of walk in the morning will help you stay fit and healthy.
If you want to do so and gain some weight simultaneously, increase the intake of healthy proteins and fats in your diet, that way, you’ll witness a healthy weight gain that’s equally dispersed throughout the entire body.
4. Benefits of Morning Walk for High Blood Pressure
A quick half an hour walk in the morning positively affects the heart and the overall cardiovascular function of the body which, in turn, help in lowering the heightened blood pressure levels in the body which has the capability of negatively affecting one’s overall health. The morning walk advantages also include lowering the levels of triacylglycerol in the body which further aids in lowering the blood pressure.
5. Benefits of Morning Walk to Reduce Belly Fat
One of the most pronounced morning walk health benefits is the fact that it helps in getting rid of the excess fat from the body by aiding in the beta oxidation of the fat molecules (R) in the body. Since the morning walk is a form of aerobic exercise, it helps in burning off the excess fat and calories in the body, thereby helping you lose the excess layer of fat (R) on your belly.
And this process of excess fat burning is not just cocooned to the boundaries of the belly fat but is effectively seen in the entirety of the body.
6. Benefits of Morning Walk for Boosting the Immune System
Studies (R) suggest that opting for any form of exercise, in this case, morning walk, helps in keeping one away from the possibilities of diseases and other health problems.
7. Benefits of Morning Walk for Diabetes
A simple half an hour walk in the morning is believed to have beneficial impacts on the overall levels of blood glucose levels along with reducing the associated symptoms with type-II diabetes (R). Walking makes the muscles use up more of the glucose in the blood, thereby significantly regulating the levels of blood glucose in the body and hence maintaining the condition of Diabetes.
8. Benefits of Morning Walk for Heart Health
Not just that, a daily walk also helps in keeping the levels of Triacylglycerol (R) at bay which promotes the healthy flow of blood without any kind o obstruction. The fat burning property that one effectively achieves with a brisk morning walk also helps keep the heart healthy and safe.
9. Benefits of Morning Walk for Knee Pain
The stiffness around the knees and other joints in the body along with other forms of muscular pain is often times because of the laidback and sedentary lifestyle that majority of the people lead. The pain and stiffness in the joints often tend to result in arthritis (R) which can be easily gotten rid of by the inclusion of a moderate form of exercise in one’s day to day life.
The morning walks are an amazing way to get rid of the stiffness and pain around the knee joint because it helps strengthen the joints and increases the mobility (R) as well which is what has positive impacts on one’s overall symptoms of knee and other joint pain.
10. Benefits of Morning Walk for Controlling Cholesterol Levels
Blood lipids and cholesterol are a must for overall healthy functioning of the body and for building the cell membrane of the new generated cells. The problem arises when the levels of cholesterol and lipids exceed the normal levels in the body. The increased levels often times pose risks to one’s overall heart health.
The regular morning walk can effectively help burn down the excess levels of fat and cholesterol (R) levels in the body, thereby promoting a healthy lifestyle and an overall boost to one’s well being. It also helps maintain a balance between the levels of HDL and LDL (R) in the body.
11. Benefits of Morning Walk for Improving Brain Function
Not just that, the morning walk benefits the brain (R) by improving one’s concentration as well as helping with the overall memory and retention power. It also helps keep the mind fresh and energised which further contributes to the brain function as well.
12. Benefits of Morning Walk on Improving Lung Capacity
To ensure a good and properly functioning pair of lungs (R), start your day off with a brisk half an hour walk in the mornings.
13. Benefits of Morning Walk for Good Sleep
If you have a somewhat of an inactive lifestyle, walking in the mornings can actually help in getting a good night’s sleep (R) without any kind of hindrance in between.
14. Benefits of Morning Walk for Stress and Depression
It positively impacts one’s mental health and helps cure the signs of anxiety and depression (R) that many people often times struggle with. The casual morning stroll often takes your mind off of things that might be dragging you down and instigating negative thoughts inside your head.
Scientifically speaking, yet one of the morning walk advantages (R) is the fact that it helps in releasing endorphins which are responsible for making us happy, enthusiastic and positive about a situation.
15. Benefits of Morning Walk to Reduce Risks of Cancer
Not just that, specifically common cancers like ovarian (R), cervical, kidney (R) as well as a few other types of cancers can be prevented if one regularly opts for a 30-40 minute long walk. This energizes the body, improves blood circulation and boosts the body with positivity which can effectively keep the signs and symptoms of cancer at bay.
16. Benefits of Morning Walk for Morning Sickness
Often times, one of the most common underlying reasons behind the onslaught of morning sickness is because of the lack of proper digestion due to lack of physical activity. If you are one of those pregnant mothers who is not much on their feet, it is time to change that and engage yourself in some low to moderate physical activity (R), primarily like some quick morning walk benefits in improving your digestion and helping settle that unsettling feeling of nausea and dizziness (R).
Physical activity during pregnancy can actually impact in a number of ways which is why it is best to indulge in some light weight workout and the morning walk is possibly one of the best in the lot.
17. Benefits of Morning Walk for Lowering Risks of Miscarriage
Pregnancy embarks a sporadic change in the hormonal levels in an individual which is something that can be effectively regulated with consistent physical activity, lower and moderated ones (R) being the best for their health. Morning walk health benefits also include the prevention of gestation diabetes, which is definitely very common in several women during pregnancy.
Morning walk benefits in keeping any kind of uterine contractions in check which is definitely yet another factor that might result in spontaneous abortion. Having a regularized physical activity every day helps in keeping these signs in check to prevent any kind of miscarriages.
18. Benefits of Morning Walk to Reduce Fatigue
A brisk 30 minutes casual walk in the morning can actually boost your energy levels and keep your mood uplifted (R) all throughout the day which wouldn’t have been otherwise. It rejuvenates one’s mind and helps lift up their mood which is what keeps them chirpy and happy throughout the day. Morning walk also instigates the release of endorphins in the body which is yet another amazing factor that helps in keeping the signs of fatigue away.
19. Benefits of Morning Walk Slows Down Aging Process
The process of improved blood circulation which is one of the amazing morning walking benefits help in slowing down the process of ageing. The better the circulation is, the more are the chances of the body being filled with healthy cells which is exactly what helps keep the signs of ageing at bay.
The proper levels of the oxygen in the body also help keep the levels of free radicals at bay which relieves the signs and symptoms associated with oxidative stress. It also keeps other skin related problems at bay, thereby contributing further to keeping your skin healthy and fresh.
What to Wear for Morning Walk?
Wearing loose and saggy clothes often times end up contributing to lack of shape in your body once you actually do end up losing weight in the process. Some of the common quintessential requirements for a brisk morning walk include:
For Men:
- A pair of jogger shorts and t-shirt (breathable material)
- Walking shoes
- Fitbands (if you have any) to keep track of the entire progress
- A sipper to keep you hydrated throughout the process
For Women:
- A pair of compression shorts or even leggings works fine
- Activewear t-shirt
- Sports bra
- Walking shoes
- Fitband
- A sipper
While these include the primary components that one needs to be ready with before setting sail with their daily morning walk routine, make sure that you actually do end up using these because it’s a necessity to be appropriately dressed before you start your physical activity. Find that motivation you need and you are good to go with the flow to keep yourself healthy and enjoy the mound of the amazing morning walking benefits that you would be missing out otherwise.
What to Eat For Morning Walk?
Before the Morning Walk
- 30-40 minutes before a workout, gorge on some good portion of healthy carbohydrates. This will gradually burn throughout the entire process of workout and help provide you with the required energy.
- You can also add some source of protein before your morning walk to balance out all the nutritional requirements. It is very important to ensure that you don’t actually end up working out in an empty stomach because that does worse than good.
After the Morning Walk
Following a good and strenuous workout, in this case, morning walk, the body tends to use up the stored glycogen in the body and opts to induce energy by breaking down the protein molecules which often tends to contribute to muscle wasting.
- Start off your post-morning walk diet with a complex mix of carbohydrates and protein at the same time. Whip up some whole wheat breads or even oats and muesli work fine. Have a glass of protein shake to go with that and you are good to go.
- Load up your overall diet with healthy portions of nuts, quinoa, lentils, brown rice, tofu etc. These provide with amazing nutritional benefits to the body alongside the much needed energy boost that everyone needs.
The benefits of morning walk are abundant. If you are someone who is not that keen in vigorous workout regimes, opting for a simple stroll of 30 minutes to an hour often helps in boosting your physical as well as mental health. Not just that, morning walk during pregnancy is also beneficial in keeping the baby and the mother healthy and sound. We definitely hope these above mentioned benefits were self-explanatory why a brisk walk can be a lot helpful for you.
