Benefits of Walking for Heart Health

Hello Ubaya friends! Do you still remember the monks from Thailand who walked to Borobudur Temple to welcome Vesak Day yesterday? It turns out that walking has many good benefits for our body's health! Walking is one of the easiest and cheapest sports. Besides being easy and inexpensive, walking has various health benefits, one of which is heart health. Various studies have shown that walking can reduce the risk of heart disease and is even known to reduce the risk of death. Walking plays a role in improving the strength and quality of the heart muscle and blood vessels. In addition, walking also helps stabilize systolic and diastolic blood pressure so that it can reduce stress and the burden on the heart muscle in pumping blood throughout the body.

Several studies also state that in patients over 70 years of age, every 500 additional steps per day can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by around 14%. The movement of 10,000 steps in one day which is being viral recently aims to motivate people to keep exercising in the midst of their daily activities. However, this 10,000 step movement still has to adjust and pay attention to the conditions of each individual. In individuals with limitations such as the elderly, walking should not be excessive. Increasing steps are carried out gradually every day by adjusting the health conditions of each individual.

The duration of walking required is a minimum of 30 minutes, 3 to 5 times a week. Walking 2.5 hours a week can reduce the risk of heart disease by about 30%. Individuals who take 4,500 steps per day can reduce their risk of heart disease by 77%. Very impressive right? This is based on research by the American Heart Association Epidemiology & Prevention Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health Scientific Sessions 2023.

Well, it turns out that apart from being easy and cheap, walking is very beneficial for heart health! Let's take your time to walk every day. So what are you waiting for? Hurry up your daily walk!