Which muscles are exercised by walking?

More and more people are aware of the importance of physical health, and more and more people are aware of the important role that regular exercise plays in physical health. When exercising, the best way to choose is to run or go to the gym to exercise, but walking is actually a very good way to exercise. Generally speaking, which part of the body's muscles can a normal person exercise while walking?

1. Which muscles are exercised by walking?

The World Health Organization once pointed out that walking is one of the best exercises in the world. It is simple and easy to do, and has good health-enhancing effects. No matter whether you are male or female, young or old, it is never too late to start this exercise. The founder of the American Heart Association also proposed: From an evolutionary perspective, walking is the best exercise for humans.

A study pointed out: "If you walk with the correct posture, when you walk, a total of 13 large muscle groups, including the triceps, quadriceps, waist and abdominal muscles, are moving. So walking can exercise a person's triceps, quadriceps, waist and abdominal muscles.

2. The benefits of walking exercise

Lower blood pressure and prevent stroke

Well-developed lower body muscles can promote the regeneration of capillaries, increase blood flow to the lower body, lower blood pressure, and reduce the burden on cerebral blood vessels.

Preventing Alzheimer's

Walking can exercise the lower limb muscles, hip muscles and back muscles that resist gravity, which can stimulate the brain and activate brain cells.

Improve lung function

Deepening your breathing while walking can prevent respiratory diseases (colds, bronchitis, emphysema, etc.).

3. Benefits of walking exercise

When exercising muscles, muscle fibers (cells) consume a lot of water in the body while contracting and relaxing; moreover, sweating during exercise can also expel excess water from the body. In addition, muscle movement can raise body temperature and improve symptoms of "pain" caused by "cold". This has the same effect as soaking your body in hot water to relieve pain.

Therefore, muscle exercise improves joint, muscle and nerve pain, and is closely related to increasing body temperature and consuming excess water.

Intensity of walking exercise

Walking as a way of keeping fit is definitely a good thing, but walking is divided into strolling and brisk walking. Walking cannot achieve the fitness effect, only brisk walking can play the role of exercise to a certain extent.

A study by the University of Pittsburgh in the United States found that people who walk fast have a lower mortality rate than those who walk slowly. Because brisk walking not only has a good exercise effect on the cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and respiratory systems, but also causes the least damage to the body compared to other sports.

To ensure the exercise effect, brisk walking should be at least 40 minutes to 60 minutes each time. Many countries have put forward the slogan of walking "6,000 steps" or "10,000 steps" every day, which is actually a quantification of exercise time. Calculated at a frequency of about two steps per second, "6,000 steps" is about 40 minutes of brisk walking, while "10,000 steps" will take more than an hour. People who are just starting to exercise can gradually increase the duration, starting with brisk walking for half an hour. When walking briskly, the heart rate should generally be maintained at 120 to 140 beats per minute, and sweating is optimal. Middle-aged and elderly people in good physical condition may not be able to achieve the sweating effect by brisk walking. At this time, they can assist with jogging, combining walking and running to achieve better fitness goals.