This article was originally written by Ray Kelly
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People who walk daily have a lesser incidence of cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other killer diseases. Not only does walking make you healthier but it also burns calories, creates psychological well being, increases metabolism, strengthens muscles, increases flexibility, improves respiratory function and helps concentration and memory.
This should give you plenty of reasons to try and walk a little each and every day. Besides that, simple physical inactivity is one of the leading causes of ill health.
Walking not only benefits you but it also benefits the Earth. By learning to walk rather than driving a car you are doing your part to help the environment by not releasing toxins into the air, which hurts the long-term stability of the planet. A short four-mile trip you take walking keeps about fifteen pounds of pollutants out of the air we breathe.
Walking also saves you money on gas and other expenses associated with your vehicle. Every time you start your car it costs you about five cents considering current gas prices. Needless to say driving anywhere adds to this enormously. Yet, most people still use their vehicles to make short trips, which could easily be made by walking. If you can even make the simple choice to walk once a week when you would normally drive you will go a long way toward making a difference both in your pocket book as well as in your life.
Walking is also a stress reducer. Stress has been proven to contribute more than any other factor to the reduction of longetivity. Walking can help reduce that stress and increase your longetivity.
One of the primary reasons people decide to walk is to lose pounds.
There are some simple formulas you can use to determine how many calories are being burned according to your weight and how fast you are walking.
3.0 miles/hour (20-minute mile): Burns .027 calories/pound/minute.
3.5 miles/hour (17 minute mile): Burns .033 calories/pound/minute.
4.0 miles/hour (15 minute mile): Burns .042 calories/pound/minute.
4.5 miles/hour (13 minute mile): Burns .047 calories/pound/minute.
Take the number of calories/pound/minute you burn and multiply it by your weight and then by the number of minutes you walk.
For example, if you weigh 150 pounds and walk a 20-minute mile for 60 minutes, you multiply 150 by .027, then multiple the result (4.5) by 60. You burn 270 calories.
It is important that when you do walk that you walk at a moderate pace. Walking will do you no good if it is so leisurely that you exert no effort. A good walk should leave you moderately perspired. This ensures that you are working at an ideal intensity.
Walking is a habit like anything else. If you can create a habit of walking everyday it will contribute to a new and healthy you in the long term.