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Walking for Life
A Guide to Getting Started
By Michele St. Martin
McClure has also experienced weight loss, but she finds the mental benefits of walking outweigh the physical ones. "The best one for me is the time walking gives me to think, mull things over, and [walking] helps me relax," she says. "When I was going through a divorce, being able to go 'walk things out' was priceless."
Stress reduction is also the biggest benefit for Stroud. "Walking really helps with the stress in your life," she says. "After a hard day at work, nothing can make me feel any better." She adds that feeling better and stronger along with slow weight loss are other benefits she's experienced.
Bumgardner cites long-term health benefits of walking. "Walking for a half hour to an hour a day is related to a decrease in risk of heart disease, stroke, breast cancer, colon cancer, gallbladder disease and Type II Diabetes by 20 percent to 50 percent," she says. "It is also associated with living longer and healthier, and [walking has] been shown to increase mental acuity."
The physical and mental benefits of walking cannot be denied. "Be smart, and live longer and healthier – walk each day," says Bumgardner. "If we had an herb or vitamin [that offered the benefits walking does], it would sell for big bucks. People do have that magic pill: they can get out and walk each day. It is within their reach."
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