The Importance of Walking to Public Health

Introduction

One of the most popular exercises around the globe is walking. The main aim of walking in public health is to increase physical activity among people, which can even be considered an enjoyable time pass rather than a physical activity and is the most beneficial. It is regarded as a cardiovascular workout that works by activating every part of your body, being a wholesome physical activity in your health routine. The added benefit here is that, unlike other forms of exercise, walking is free devoid of any cost, and does not require any special training or types of equipment. Walking can sometimes be vigorous and is an excellent form of exercise for people suffering from being overweight or older adults as it can be comforting and helpful.

What Are the Health Benefits of Walking on a Public Health Aspect?

According to the physical activity guideline recommended for Americans in the year 2018 considering their health, every person must do at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate to intense walking, which gives them the benefits of aerobic physical activity. On the aspect of improvising public health conditions walking greatly benefits people and the community as a whole. The tremendous health benefits and changes in the body occurring due to walking are:

• Greatly improvises heart and lung health and function.

• Decreases the risk of thrombus (blood clot forming due to thickening of the blood), which might lead to stroke or heart problems.

• Reduces and manages blood sugar, cholesterol, or pressure levels, improving muscle tonicity and joint flexibility.

• Strengthens the bone and improves balance and body posture.

• Reduces the fat content of the body.

• Boosts body stamina, strengthens the muscles and provides endurance.

• Walking as a healthy exercise is also seen to improvise and elevate people's moods, benefiting people with stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness.

• Continuous practice of walking as an exercise brings discipline and improves the overall performance of a person.

What Are the Right Criteria To Have a Beneficial Walk?

Walking as moderate activity, when done with bare minimal to moderate activity, shows a metabolic rate equalizing (MET) to 3.0 to 6.0 with a pace of 2.5 to 4.2 minutes per hour (MPH). One of the most popular criteria in walking recently is walking ten thousand steps daily. However, it is beneficial because it initially started as a marketing strategy for many marketing companies. However, according to actual studies conducted on people above the age of 40, it was found that people who take a minimum of eight thousand steps per day showed a 51 percent lesser death rate compared to others and women above the age of 72 with 4,400 steps showed a 41 percent lower death rate. There was a consistent decline in the death rates of people walking more than 7500 steps per day. This concludes that the more steps taken, although it is good, the benefits vary from person to person. Hence the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed a guideline stating ‘move more and sit less throughout the day.’ So there is nothing to be accurate about being chained to 10,000 steps per day where in the case of the steps considered for walking, it can be stated that ‘the more the steps, the merrier the health’ and also serves as a feel-good factor when we achieve the goal.

How to Incorporate Walking in a Community?

Mindful walking is a very important factor to have in mind when people start seeing walking to be a health-benefiting factor. The factors that should be considered before, on, and during walking are:

• Incorporating physical activity as a part of daily life routine.

• Moving around more in simple everyday activities.

• Tracking down the number of steps walked using a pedometer.

• Choosing a comfortable place and intensity to walk.

• Making walking more pleasurable by listening to music or walking with pets, friends, or family.

• Joining walking clubs and associations that encourage people to stay motivated.

• Wearing appropriate footwear to walk can reduce pain and provide an effective and efficient exercising pattern.

What Are the Benefits of Walking in Public Health?

The benefits of walking on seen from public health sectors are:

• Reduces risk of chronic health conditions of diabetes.

• Improves the blood flow and tones the muscles of the body.

• Reduces incidence of increased death rates.

• Promotes an entirely healthier community.

• It is the easiest physical exercise and is cost-efficient.

• One of the sources of delaying the incidence of diseases.

• Makes people more flexible and efficient and improves mental health and life quality.

What Are the Precautions To Be Taken During Walking?

Although walking is a universally accepted means of physical activity, some precautions should be taken into consideration.

• Getting a medical checkup and a fitness clearance for patients above the age of 40 years, having an obese and sedentary lifestyle, new to start some form of exercise, and health conditions like heart disorders, diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), and asthma.

• Walking with appropriate shoes or footwear when intended to walk for a prolonged period in order to prevent direct stress, injury, or blisters to the foot.

• Staying hydrated is ideal for preventing syncope.

• Wearing comfortable and appropriate clothing.

• Choosing a comfortable path for walking, free from vehicles or shrubs.

• Choosing walking paths appropriate for one's personal fitness level and age.

Conclusion

Walking is the easiest way to be more active, lose weight and become healthy. The impact walking in a community plays in public health a tremendously important role as they elevate the entire health factor of people all around the world, reducing the mortality rates and incidence of chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, etc. the public health sectors need to motivate walking by community education, conducting walking marathons, etc. and continuously encouraging them. Looking from the public health aspect, walking is the simplest health-benefiting route that anyone can take to achieve a healthy route and is a less cost-effective form of health promotion. And easily achievable. Hence, walking must be included in every person's health routine to improve one's and the entire community's health.