Benefits of Walking Benefits of Walking

Benefits of Walking

Walking is a fun and low-cost way of keeping fit, plus it’s a great way to discover more of what’s around you. 

It has heaps of health benefits

The Greek physician Hippocrates famously said, “walking is man’s best medicine”, now decades later, it seems he’s still right. Walking can improve the health of your heart and reduce the risk of various diseases. It also does wonders for your brain, even just walking for 15 minutes will help stimulate the growth of new brain cells. Walking is a great way to connect with others and helps give you a sense of independence and purpose, which all become more important as we get older.

Want to read more reasons about why walking is great for you? Check out the NZ Ministry of Health’s ‘Guide to Walking’.

It gets you outdoors

You’ve probably been told to ‘go for a walk and get some fresh air, then after going, have found that it helped. That’s because being in green spaces, such as going for a walk in nature, can have positive impacts on your physical and mental health. General practitioners (GPs) believe these results are so great that they are now prescribing ‘green prescriptions’ to patients, which encourages them to spend more time being active outdoors as part of a ‘total health plan’. 

If you’re looking to be healthier and enjoy more time outside, then a green prescription could be for you. Find out more information by talking to Sport Auckland.

You can wave goodbye to your car for short trips

According to Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority’s (EECA) latest research, “more than 3.3 million cars are on the road, with nearly a third of their trips [being] less than two kilometres”. That's a lot of short, local journeys! If you need to do something locally, why not get some exercise and be productive at the same time? Walking is a free and environmentally friendly way to get around, plus, if you walk places, you can forget about petrol and paying for parking. 

Walking is also a great way to connect with your local community. If you walk around your local area you have the option to window shop or pop into shops or cafes that interest you. Best of all, you get to create your own route and run off your own time. Whether you need to get some groceries or you’re just thinking about grabbing a coffee, everything you need is usually within walking distance, so grab your shoes and give walking a go.