Written By: Dr. Strodel and the Shine Team
Walking is one hundred percent necessary for good health. Here’s why:
First, walking helps to lower stress hormones, like cortisol. Walking helps to increase your parasympathetic nervous system response – which is that part of your nervous system responsible for “rest and digest and relax” mode.
We can’t heal or repair our bodies without being in this state. So if you’re trying to get your health back on track or are healing from a serious illness, you NEED some “parasympathetic” in your life, and walking is a great way to induce that.
Second, walking is great for lowering blood sugar after a meal. If you struggle with high blood sugar issues, PCOS, pre-diabetes or diabetes type one or two, walking for at least 10 minutes after a meal is a perfect therapy for you to help your body to lower the natural blood sugar spike that happens after a meal.
Thirdly, walking is exercise. I almost always prescribe walking for my patients because everyone is so stressed! It gets people moving in the right form of exercise (the kind that moves your body but doesn’t stress your body by overly taxing it) which is actually supportive for adrenal function, and helps them de-stress overall.
Most people don’t know that walking is cumulative- so getting in 5 minute or 10 minute spurts throughout the day counts!
So get out there when you only have a second, it adds up, and so do it’s effects!
In health,
Dr. Strodel and the Shine Team