Still Not Walking To Work?
If the distance is not excessive, we should all go to work on foot, as it is a particularly beneficial type of physical exercise. In addition, pollution, noise and energy consumption would be reduced.
Sometimes scientists conduct curious studies with surprising and very useful results to enhance our health and well-being. Researchers at the University of Ohio probably wondered why so many people use the car or public transportation to get to work and then, in their spare time, put on their shorts to run twice the distance. Wouldn’t it be more logical and beneficial for them to walk to work?
The authors of the study published in the Journal of Transport & Health analyzed the responses of more than 125,000 people aged 18 to 64 about their habits in relation to walking, such as how long they spent walking to get from home to work, to go shopping or during recreational activities. They found that walking any distance, anywhere, for any reason, is good for health, but found that people who walk to specific destinations, for example, to work or the supermarket, appreciate a greater health benefit than people who walk mainly for pleasure.
Brisk walking to work is especially beneficial
“We found that utility walking is better for health and that these types of walking are easy to incorporate into the daily routine,” said study lead professor Gulsah Akar. He explained that adding just 10 minutes of walking a day can increase self-rating on one’s health by one point, on a scale of one to five.
One of the reasons that walking to work can be especially beneficial is because you walk faster than walking for pleasure, and that effort is beneficial to your health. Researchers have even calculated that healthy cruising speed: an average of 4.5 km per hour.
A curious and interesting fact of the study is the walks that start from home are usually longer than those that start from anywhere else. Therefore, especially think about saving yourself the trips you make by car from home to travel a distance that you can actually cover on foot. Akar expressly recommends that we consider what usual routes we can take on foot. “Going to the gym or running are not the only ways to exercise; walking is just as beneficial,” he adds.
The Ohio University study has only assessed the effect of walking on self-perception of health status, but the objective benefits of exercise on physical and mental health are well known (especially in the status of the musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular and immune). And the benefits for all of not using means of transport are added: less pollution and noise, and less consumption of material and energy resources.
Scientific references:
Gilsu Pae and Gulsah Akar. Effects of walking on self-assessed health status: Links between walking, trip purposes and health. Journal of Transport & Health.
