If you think gymming for long hours and calorie-restriction diets are the only ways to keep yourself fit, then you are mistaken. One of the easiest ways of staying fit and living a long healthy life is to have an active lifestyle that incorporates a morning or evening walk of over half an hour. Studies reveal that regularly indulging in medium intensity exercise, such as brisk walking for 30 minutes every day, can improve your overall health and reduce the risk of premature death by 4%. Here are some of the benefits you gain by adopting this healthy habit:

1. Walking help with weight management
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It is a known fact that people who walk daily for at least 30 minutes have better metabolism which helps them burn extra calories while preventing muscle loss. Walking is considered a gentle form of cardiovascular exercise, which can help you stay in shape.

2. Walking refreshes your mood
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Walking regularly, even for a short period of time, can help refresh your mind and thus helps you think and concentrate better. Various psychologists even believe that walking can improve the symptoms associated with mood disorders such as depression and anxiety.

3. Walking can reduce your chances of getting diabetes
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It is a known fact that aerobic exercise (such as walking) helps the body use insulin more efficiently. If you are at risk for developing diabetes or already have the condition, then a brisk walk after each meal is ideal. By regulating blood sugar levels, it could reduce your risk of developing the condition. Exercising helps muscles absorb blood sugar and prevent it from building in the bloodstream.

4. Walking alleviates joint pain
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Various research pieces have shown that walking for at least 15 minutes a day or about an hour every week can prevent arthritis pain in old adults. A study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine in April 2019, was conducted on 1,564 adults older than 49 years of age and with constant lower-body joint pain. All of the participants were asked to walk for an hour each week. After a few weeks, the ones who stuck by their walking routine reported better mobility and reduced pain in their joints.

5. Walking increases longevity
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In the long term, it is believed that walking increases one�s lifespan. A study published in The Lancet in 2011 revealed that walking and exercising for 15 minutes a day or 90 minutes a week can add three years to your life. Another study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society concluded that the adults in the age group of 70 to 90 who walked throughout their life lived longer than those who didn't.