Ever since the existence of the Homo Sapiens the humans were wandering and discovering new places and territories. The whole human-inhabited world was basically reached by foot for thousands of years in history. Walking is the oldest, easiest and most basic form of human mobility. But in our nowadays modern society more and more people suffer from a lack of physical activity due to being forced to sit for example in school or their office at work or sometimes just being too lazy and rather take the bus or the car in order to get somewhere.

In the car-land Germany, you can often hear the ironical phrase “Well…these three steps to the supermarket I can just drive!” and a lot of people even go by car to the gym to do fitness-training on the treadmill! Due to this lack of moving during their all-day lives, many people (especially in the industrialized countries) struggle with immense health problems such as obesity, diabetes but also stress and depression on a wide range. Since the latest trends towards healthier lifestyles, fitness and working out have reached an almost omnipresent high, many people miss the fact, that staying healthy and active doesn’t necessarily require time consuming training sessions or expensive memberships in the local gym! Scientific data clearly shows that one of the best ways to stay healthy (and also happy) is surprisingly easy: Just take a walk! A daily walk of around 30 minutes can already be enough and there are good reasons for it:

Reason One:
It’s Healthy! People who walk a lot have a lower BMI and keep a healthy weight more easily. It doesn’t strain the joints as much as other training methods. Walking is preventing heart diseases, hypertension, complications with blood circulation and also diabetes. Taking a walk helps with depression and mental problems such as stress and anxiety. It can even lower the risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s in old age. The fresh air and movement is good for your brain.

Reason Two:
It’s accessible and easy! Walking is undisputedly the oldest form of human mobility, it’s free and you can do it almost anywhere at any time without any equipment! Furthermore: walking barefoot is healthy for your feet and its blood circulation.

Reason Three:
It’s good for the environment! Walking is for sure the most ecological possibility of moving and causes no pollution or exhaustion of resources at all! Furthermore hiking in the nature can raise your spirit and make you happy!

Sascha Shlüter