Walking is our workout of choice, right? Well is walking one of the natural ways to increase your energy? Let’s find out.
What kind of energy are we talking about?
According to Harvard studies, and others, regular exercise does wonders for giving you more energy to use. There are two types of vitality you should notice. There are more immediate results, things you notice the same day, sometimes while actually exercising and more long-term findings you’ll notice over the days and weeks you continue to walk.
We’re talking extra energy to get more done, play harder and simply feel like doing better than just work and sleep.
How does exercise increase energy levels?
Basically it happens in short and long term ways.
Short term, during and shortly after your exercise:
- Physical movement, moderate exertion or more, actually makes your body produce more mitochondria in your muscle cells.
- The mitochondria create fuel from glucose which literally gives you more stamina.
- The increase in oxygen also helps create more of the powerhouse mitochondria cells.
- The oxygen gives you clearer thoughts and allows you to use the energy boosts more efficiently.
- Most also find exercise increases certain hormones that normally lead to more vitality.
- Many get an endorphin rush from moderate or higher exercise.
Long term, over weeks and months of regular exercise:
- Exercise, like walking, usually leads to better and deeper sleep.
- Over time, you develop more muscle fiber, more muscle generally boosts your metabolism which, in turn, leads to more sustained energy.
- As your endurance increases, you find more reserve energy after your workouts.
- Regular exercise helps regulate your heart rate and blood pressure, making your body work less hard for basic activity.
- It also usually helps improve mood, which leads to a more upbeat attitude which triggers more energy than negative emotions do.
- Increasing your fitness also often relates to a rise in self-confidence.
- It can lead to weight loss if that is a need, meaning less of you to constantly haul around.
My experience with exercise and energy
I have cycled between couch potato and exerciser most of my life, more often the former. I personally am not one who gets an endorphin rush from exercise. I do, though, notice an increase in my energy level when I exercise 15 minutes or more. Unless I push way too hard and completely exhaust myself, I almost always find I feel like doing more hobbies and chores on days I exercise. Days I just sloth out usually result in very little actually getting done.
I try to exercise 3-4 times a week, more in late spring and summer due to later days allow evening walks. This is one reason I usually get more done in late spring than early spring. I should find ways to exercise more in late winter and early spring to have that energy burst when I need it.
What can this extra energy do for you?
Do you often need coffee just to feel alive? How about energy drinks? Do you often need alcohol to rid yourself of stress or forget your bad mood? What if you could get more energy to do more than exist by just walking every morning? What if a power walk could beat out booze every time?
What is something you wish you had time and energy for? Maybe there’s a hobby you want to take up or get back to? Do you watch videos about it instead of doing it yourself? Energy is life. If you exercise more, you can live more.
Ready to reclaim your missing energy?
Just give it 10 minutes if you can’t spare more or are just not feeling it. You may find you want to keep going after the time has passed. If you can, keep going. Let your body soak up that extra energy to use where and how you truly want.
Can’t wait to see you strolling along,
Kimmie