At five feet two inches but weighing over 220 pounds, Lupe Barraza wasn’t in her best shape. Add to that to the regular stressors of life, her two failed marriages and children to raise and it didn’t take long before her health got worse. Before she reached 45 years old, she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and her joints hurt.
Lupe had tried to manage her weight with diets and restriction and she began a yo-yo cycle of losing, gaining and adding back even more. She tried running again at her heaviest, but it caused a lot of pain, particularly in her knees. So, she turned to the next best option: walking.
Running definitely burns calories and exercise can reduce the inflammation , but some times it is better to make a slow entry into a sport. For anyone that dreams of doing a marathon but has never tried running before, or is a beginner in exercise, they may want to walk first before they run — learned this one through experience, lol.
Why Walking Is a Good Foundation for Running
One of the most popular running apps today is the Couch to 5K. It works by helping someone pace their training-that is, they don’t run the entire time on the first few days. Instead, they combine it with some minutes of walking.
What makes walking an excellent complement to running? Runner’s World explains it well:
1. Walking Is a Low-Impact Exercise
People who are overweight or obese carry many pounds that are adding more pressure to the joints, especially on the knees. This not only hurts the body part but also increases the risk of injury. Worse, if they get injured, the recovery period may be longer. Adipose or fatty tissues affect the circulatory system by overloading it. In turn, blood vessels cannot deliver adequate oxygen and nutrients to the wound site for quick healing.
Unlike running, walking is more low-impact. It is gentle on the joints, so the odds of injuries are minimal. Further, with the lowered risks, the person may be more motivated to walk some more.
2. It Trains the Body for Greater Mobility or Flexibility
Consider walking as the grease or oil a bicycle needs, so it moves smoothly onto a paved road every time you pedal. Walking helps train the joints and muscles until they are better prepared to deal with more strenuous activities like running.
3. Walking Is Good for the Brain and Mood
It takes a lot of will and change in mindset to transition from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one. This is especially harder when a person has been a couch potato for years. But walking can help improve one’s mood and brain health.
A person can don their outdoor gear and explore the different hiking trails in national parks and campgrounds. This way, they can train themselves on how to walk and run on different terrains while surrounded by nature. Many types of research have revealed that nature can be healing. For instance, it can decrease stress levels, which is a significant risk factor for chronic inflammation that fuels obesity.
Moreover, research by the New Mexico Highlands University showed that walking actually helps change blood flow and pressure to the brain. In the process, it receives sufficient oxygen necessary to maintain its proper function, such as communication or signaling of its neurons.
Some experts also suggest that regular walking boosts a person’s mood by enhancing their self-perception and esteem. For them, to walk is to improve their health, which can be a source of achievement.
