Learn why it is so important for women over 50 to take a walk each day for their health, and all the benefits that come with it.

It is so important for middle-aged women to maintain a daily walking routine.

Many women in midlife have spent years and years taking care of the people around us, without putting forth a great effort to care for ourselves. If it has been a while since you have exercised, or you are looking for something easy, but with great benefits, consider taking a walk each day. It’s the perfect low-impact way to exercise.

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Walking is simple to do, doesn’t require any special equipment, and you can start at whatever fitness level you’re at.

If you’re not in the best of shape, start by going for a 10 or 15 minute walk around your neighborhood and work your way up from there. If you’re already in great shape, walking can still provide an effective workout. Walk fast and incorporate some hills and even stairs.

You may be a woman that needs to start small at first, and that is perfectly fine. Maybe your doctor suggested that you move around more, or maybe you just want to be proactive about your health and well-being. In either case, walking is the perfect way to start.

Find a pair of comfortable walking shoes, put them on, and go for a stroll around the block. You could also find a local park with a nice path you can walk on. If the weather doesn’t permit walking outside, head to your local mall to walk or hop on a treadmill.

You can even walk in place at home in front of your TV. Here’s a simple little idea to get you moving more. As you’re sitting on the couch at night watching TV, get up during commercial breaks and march in place until your favorite TV show comes back on. If you’re using a service like Netflix, make yourself walk in place for 10 minutes in between episodes. Or turn on the TV and challenge yourself to march in place during the entire show. The point is to get yourself moving.

Going for a walk outside can be a lot of fun. Mix up your route and walk in different areas of town or visit different parks. Invite a friend to come along with you to walk. It’s always nice to have someone to talk to and having a walking buddy keeps you accountable. Finally, grab your phone and listen to music, podcasts, or audiobooks as you walk to make the time go by faster.

5 Reasons Midlife Women Need To Walk Each Day

There are a lot of good reasons to go for a walk. It’s fun, it’s relaxing and most importantly it’s good for your health. But what exactly are the health benefits of walking?

Walking Gets You Outside In The Fresh Air and Sunshine

No matter how fast or slow you walk, walking gets you outside and in the fresh air. This alone will make you feel better as your body absorbs oxygen and sunshine. Both are important for your health and well-being.

You will find the air quality outside, particularly if you go for a walk in a park, will be much better than the air inside your home. Of course, the sunshine outside will help your body produce all the Vitamin D it needs, and which midlife women tend to be lacking.

Walking Can Help You Get To and Maintain a Healthy Weight

Walking, particularly at a quick pace and doing it regularly, can help you get to and then maintain a healthy weight. Yes, you still need to watch what you eat and aim for a healthy diet, but walking can be another tool to help you drop those extra pounds that so easily accumulate around your mid-section as you are nearing menopause.

The nice thing about walking when you’re overweight is that you burn a lot of calories, even on short and slow walks, simply because you’re carrying so much weight around with you. As you start to lose weight, your overall strength and endurance increases, allowing you to walk longer, further, and faster.

Walking Improves Your Sense of Balance and Coordination

As you walk, especially over rougher terrain, you’re also working on your sense of balance and coordination. Just getting in the habit of going for a daily walk will help. But you can work even more on your sense of balance by moving your head around. Turn your head to the right and left as you walk for a count of 30. Then move your head up and down for a count of 30. If you do these simple exercises once or twice as you walk each day, you’ll get even more benefits.

Walking Strengthens Your Bones and Muscles

Even though walking is a low impact form of exercise it helps to strengthen and tone your body. If you’re just starting out, it is all you need to start to get into better shape. As you get more fit, consider adding weightlifting exercises in addition to your daily walks to continue to get stronger and help develop strong muscles and bones.

As we reach menopause, our bone density begins to drop caused by falling levels of hormones in our body. Taking a walk each day is an excellent way to maintain healthy bone density.

Walking Will Boost Your Mood and Fight Depression

Last but not least, the exercise of walking releases endorphins that will help lift your mood and can even reduce depression. Give it a try. The next time you’re feeling tired or are in a bad mood, lace up your sneakers and go for a brisk walk. It works like a charm.

The main thing is that you get out there, move around, and get some exercise in a way that’s gentle on your joints, your heart, and the rest of your body and that’s what walking will do for you. Just give it a try and see if you don’t start to feel better, happier, and stronger after a few weeks of regular walks.

If you found this article helpful, you may also like:

• Why Midlife Women Need To Listen To Their Bodies

• Important Health Screenings For Women Over 40.

• How To Get Excited About Exercising At Home