Turns out, walking to reduce inflammation is a pretty legit use of the exercise.
Here’s how much walking to do to for benefit.
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Walking: Its not just for old ladies in malls anymore.
a rheumatologist based in Denver, CO
And thebenefits of walkingare extensive, such as supporting heart health and longevity and reducing stress and anxiety.
Another major plus of walking?
It may help reduceinflammation.
This is called chronic inflammation, also sometimes referred to as low grade inflammation.
Its characterized by overall discomfort in places like your joints, gut, or elsewhere.
You might experience pain or achey-ness.
Chronic inflammation canbe hugely harmful if untreated.
Its linked with lots of serious diseases, includingtype 2 diabetes, cancer, stroke, and autoimmune conditions1.
Experts say that walking on the reg can do a lot to keep inflammation at bay.
a rheumatologist based in Denver, CO
There are a few likely mechanisms at work.
It improves circulation andlymphatic drainage, says Maitland.
(And walkingcertainly counts as exercise.)
By moving or walking, we can help reduce the adipose tissue and thus inflammation, says Dr. Amigues.
If youre suffering from joint inflammation specifically, walking might be especially helpful.
Walking also supports you in other areas of your health, which can subsequently reduce inflammation.
For example, walkinghelps lower stress4, a keyinflammation trigger.
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Walking can be a stress-releasing activity, especially if practiced in a nature setting, explains Dr. Amigues.
Theres no hard-or-fast rule on how long you oughta walk every day to decrease inflammation.
The idea is to walk just fast enough to feel your heart rate go up a little bit.
Can walking everincreaseinflammation?
Dr. Amigues says that regular moderate-intensity physical activity, performed consistently, is generally anti-inflammatory for the body.
Qi-gong and tai chi, which we know also help with fibromyalgia, are great, Dr. Amigues says.
Yoga can also be a good source of exercise but for some patients, this may take some time.
According to Dr. Amigues, the goal is to enjoy the exercise we do and do it consistently.
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Dimitrov, Stoyan et al.
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Park, Young-Min et al.
Adipose tissue inflammation and metabolic dysfunction: role of exercise.Missouri medicinevol.
111,1 (2014): 65-72.
Edwards, Meghan K, and Paul D Loprinzi.
Experimental effects of brief, single bouts of walking and meditation on mood profile in young adults.Health promotion perspectivesvol.
2018, doi:10.15171/hpp.2018.23
Mullington, Janet M et al.
Sleep loss and inflammation.Best practice & research.
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