Walkabout

26 Feb

Walking is the grey man timeless performer. In the world of fitness fads, it may not be sexy but it’s effective and evidence based.

Morning: Sunshine and Cerebral Kick-Starters

A morning walk does more than warm up your coffee, it helps set your internal clock. Exposure to natural light early in the day helps regulate circadian rhythms, which play into sleep quality, mood and hormonal balance.
Regular walking also improves cardiovascular markers, mood and sleep, the holy trifecta of daily wellbeing. Avoid a false hit of adrenaline via doom scrolling first thing and hit the walking trail instead.

Night: Calm Down & Reset

Strolling after dinner is not just beneficial for ‘burning off the pasta’. It helps manage blood sugar fluctuations and supports better cardiovascular health. Walking after meals can blunt blood sugar spikes and improve metabolic health.
Evening walks give your nervous system a chance to unwind. This is great for managing stress hormones like cortisol, especially after a tough shift for our first responders.

Heart Benefits: Slow but Substantial

This is where the underrated magic of walking shines. Regular aerobic activity like walking strengthens your heart, improves blood flow and reduces cardiovascular disease risk in adults of all ages.

Long-term physical activity also leads to physiological adaptations in cardiac structure and function. Think improved efficiency, chamber compliance and healthier cardiac output.

Zone 1 (Low Intensity): Your Heart’s Comfort Zone

You might hear fitness folks rave about high intensity, but recent research on low-intensity exercise, the type you’re doing when you go for a walk, shows it can improve cardiac systolic function and the overall heart’s workload efficiency.

While high intensity has its place, consistent low-effort activity contributes to structural and functional heart health without the ache, making your ticker more adaptable and resilient. Frequent Zone 1 training is done with minimal stress impacts when compared with HITT type training.

Walk After the Shift: Stress Physiology Wins

After a demanding shift, your sympathetic nervous system is still in fight-or-flight mode. A gentle walk helps nudge it back toward rest-and-digest, reducing stress hormones and encouraging parasympathetic tone — that’s the part of your nervous system that whispers ‘relax, you’re off duty now’. Imagine a world where first responders can leave their work stress at work and then be fully engaged in family time. Walking is your secret weapon.

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