By Lilly Witten
It was during college in Southern California that I started walking around the campus I lived next to. At first, it was casual. Over time, it became a “must do” in my day, and I measured the distance of my typical route — it was a loop just about four and a half miles to and from my front door.
This simple habit carried on for the next couple of decades of my life. It became my go-to exercise. I even trained for and completed over a dozen half-marathons and two marathons.
And then, one day, I just stopped. I was bored. I stayed active instead by focusing my efforts on the weight room to try to gain muscle mass on my post-menopausal body.
However, the world started nudging me to reconsider my decision.
The first hint came while listening to an interview between a popular life-coach podcaster and her 80-something mother-in-law about the latter’s secrets to longevity. She attributed her mobility and her vitality to her daily four-mile walks. The second, also while listening to a podcast, was a cardiologist discussing how she walks four miles a day to keep her heart healthy. And for her, it was just her commute to work.
Was there something to those four miles after all? Upon further reflection and a little more research, I knew the answer was yes. Here are six reasons why.
To Maintain My Overall Health and Fitness
Sure, there is a lot of scientific research showing how exercise, especially 150 minutes at a moderate-high intensity exercise per week, and 300 minutes of activity weekly, can help keep you healthy. Here’s where the daily four miles comes in: it’s an insurance plan that you will hit that recommendation. Think about it: If you walk at a 15-minute-mile pace, which is quick, you are getting 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise. Do that five days a week, and you easily hit that 300 minutes of activity. That will improve your cardiovascular fitness, strengthening your heart and lungs.
To Keep My Heart Strong
Over a decade ago, I had my mitral valve repaired. It was faulty and caused blood to regurgitate back into one of the chambers in my heart. Living with this prolapse deformed my heart over time, so when I was given the stress test to measure whether that organ was strong enough to weather the surgery, my doctor was surprised. My heart recovered from the treadmill stress test with flying colors despite its compromised shape. That’s what four miles a day of walking can do: Strengthen your heart’s muscle to get you through whatever your body is taking on.
Related: Nordic Walking Can Improve Your Heart Health
To Make My Cardiovascular System Healthy
There is a reason walking is seen as the first step toward preventing cardiovascular disease — exercise does incredible things for our bodies. It helps us create more blood vessels to meet the demand of our muscles for oxygen, which is carried by our blood while we are moving. The more we move, the more oxygen our muscles need. The new blood vessels that form help enhance our circulation system and keep those veins and arteries supple. This helps us maintain a lower blood pressure. It can also help keep our blood lipid profile — cholesterol and triglycerides — low.
To Ensure My Brain Functions
In general, people who exercise more have better brain health, but making sure that you get at least five minutes of heart-pumping exercise can really help keep your cognitive prowess, says a study published in Age and Aging. A daily four-mile walk clears both bars in spades, and if you’re someone who worries about developing dementia as they get older, like I am (as it runs in my family history), finding ways to walk four miles a day is the price of possible prevention.
Related: Exercise May Boost Brainpower As You Age
To Balance My Emotions
Everyone’s stressed — it’s just our situations that differ. Stress takes its toll on our bodies physically and mentally. Taking a walk, especially in nature, can help us find calm and stave off depression and anxiety, according to a Journal of Clinical Medicine meta-analysis of seven studies that followed 2,372 participants. Most of my daily walks involve commuting to work, and on the days that I bypass the park in my city, I can tell the difference in my mood, my patience, and how I handle the pressures of the day (and night). If possible, seek out the green when you walk.
Related: Movement Belongs At the Center of Mental Health Care
Finally, To Take Time for Myself
My daily walks are the time I claim for myself. It is the moment in my day that I can enjoy the music I like, partake in some mindful meditation, talk to friends and family who are far away on the phone, listen to a podcast (or two), or just be. So no matter how fast or slow I’m walking, I know for four miles I am giving myself whatever I might need on that day.
