Spring is here. It’s time to embrace the light and the longer days.

The aim of what you’re about to read is simply for you to realise how incredibly beneficial walking or moving is for your health. Do not underestimate its value.

It is embedded in our genes and ingrained deep within our biology. We’ve been on this planet 10’s of thousands of years but within the last 50 to 100 years we have decided to completely neglect everything our bodies are designed to do. Let’s all get motivated and empowered to get out and move more. Remove your phone from under your face, get away from the desk top, immerse yourself in some music or a podcast, even ask a friend or colleague to join you.

Harvard Medical School published some powerful findings. Here are just a few:

It counteracts the effects of weight promoting genes. Harvard researchers investigated 32 obesity promoting genes in over 12,000 people to establish how much these genes actually contribute to overall body weight. They discovered that, among the study participants who walked briskly for about an hour a day, the effects of those genes were cut in half.

It can ease joint pain. Several studies have found that walking reduces arthritis-related pain, and that walking five to six miles a week can even prevent arthritis from forming in the first place. Walking protects the joints — especially the knees and hips, which are most susceptible to osteoarthritis — by lubricating them and strengthening the muscles that support them.

It boosts immune function. Walking can help protect you during cold and flu season. A study of over 1,000 men and women found that those who walked at least 20 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week, had 43% fewer sick days than those who exercised once a week or less. And if they did get sick, it was for a shorter duration, and their symptoms were milder.

Incredible.

But the benefits don’t stop there. Research has shown that briskly walking after a meal lowerspostprandial blood pressure and triglyceride levels. Your blood pressure is a useful marker for overall health, so if your blood pressure is a little on the high side then moving more each day is an important health hack to get started with.

The additional daylight and sun exposure will increase Vitamin D synthesis which can improve your mood and energy. I have written an entire blog on the benefits of Vitamin D.Try getting out of the habit of eating lunch at your desk. Accomplishing a 20 minute walk over your lunch period isn’t asking a lot regardless of how busy you are. Spend more time on yourself and your health. Imagine how much more you would have moved over the week, month and year. Start with 20 minutes and slowly increase over the weeks until it has formed as more of a habit.

Ultimately it’s about creating a healthier environment for the body and taking every opportunity, no matter how small to be as healthy as we can be.

Thank you for reading.

Luke