Walking Benefits: 11 minutes of walking can unlock these 11 benefits | – Times of India

Do not underestimate the power of taking short-duration walks as even 11 minutes of walking can prevent you from premature death and a range of chronic diseases. An antidote to the sedentary lifestyle we are growing accustomed to, walking can boost brain power and creativity apart from bringing many physical health benefits from heart health to managing type 2 diabetes.
A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine shows walking for at least 11 minutes every day can lower your risk of premature death by almost 25 percent. The large-scale study analyzed health data for more than 30 million people, looking for correlations between how much people move and how long and well they live.
The concept of micro workouts is fast catching up in the increasingly busy world we are living in.
Here are 11 benefits of 11 minutes of walking:

Boosts creativity

Walking can unlock creative thinking and help you find solutions to otherwise tricky problems. Encouraging mindfulness and open thinking, short-duration walks can work wonders as far as letting your creative juices flow freely is concerned. Studies have shown benefits of any kind of movement be it dancing or cycling in boosting creativity.

Burns calories

Walking for 11 minutes may not be a reliable weight loss method, but it does help you in burning additional calories. Brisk walking can be useful when you have little time on hand, as by increasing intensity of your walks, you derive more benefits for your weight loss journey.

Improves heart health

If you are not able to establish a proper fitness routine, even walking for 11 minutes daily can bring benefits. According to NHS UK, a brisk 10-minute daily walk has lots of health benefits. Walking can help boost blood circulation, which can supply more oxygen and nutrients to your organs as well as heart, reducing risk of heart illnesses.

Manages stress

Walking can calm down your nervous system and release mood-boosting endorphins which can help you destress and disconnect from your daily stressors.

Improves mood

Walking can boost mood as it regulates breathing, takes your attention away from a stressful situation, and helps you connect with nature, which can promote relaxation.

Joint pain

Walking can be beneficial in managing arthritis as it strengthens muscles and help shift pressure from joints and lessen pain. Daily 11-minute walks compresses and releases the cartilage in your knees, helping circulate synovial fluid that brings oxygen and nourishes your joints.

Burns fat

A combination of brisk walking and slow walking or walking uphill even for shorter duration can help burn stubborn fat.

Reduces type 2 diabetes risk

Walking at a brisk speed can help lower risk of type diabetes. Walking at a speed of 4 or more km an hour is linked to a significantly reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, as per a study published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Another study published in Diabetes care says moderate exercise such as brisk walking reduces risk of type 2 diabetes.

Improvement in sleep

Walking can improve quality of sleep, depressive symptoms, sleep efficiency, while decreasing nighttime wakefulness and next day fatigue. A study published in Sport Sciences for Health, walking is linked to improved sleep quality in elderly population and patients in clinical settings.

Boosts brain health

Walking is known to grow new brain cells as moderately paced walks stimulate the release of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor or BDNF.