Why walking in a group is particularly good for you

Walking together is the best way to go. Your heart rate improves. Your blood pressure stabilizes. Your cholesterol levels decrease. And as for your mood...

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walking in a group benefits health friendships
The simplest, but also most effective, physical activity is that of walkEven better if we do it in a group. Some advantages are obvious: it's more fun and relaxing, the presence of other people stimulates our participation and our motivations.

Walking in a group: why it's good for you

But then there are other benefits That comes with the choice to walk in a group. For example, in a group we feel more confident, we accept our limitations (and therefore we don't subject our bodies to unnecessary stress), but at the same time we're encouraged not to be lazy, not to fall behind others. To make a little extra effort. Then there are the health benefits, and here studies show something surprising: walking in company exponentially multiplies all the benefits of walking alone.

To walk It is a primordial act, a way to observe the world as our ancestors saw it. But first of all it is a pleasure of life and if we cultivate it together It helps us better understand people and ourselves. But that's not all: a group of researchers from the University of East Anglia in Great Britain analyzed the effects on 2.000 participants in organized walks in 42 different countries around the world.

The results of the study, published by the British Journal of Sports, are surprising. The well-being achieved by individuals is particularly significant in terms of prevention: In fact, they improve blood pressure and heart rate, as well as blood cholesterol levels.All elements that lead to a reduction in risk ictus and heart attack.

But the benefits of group physical activity, to combat the risks of a sedentary lifestyle, don't end there. There are also important psychological benefits, especially valuable for older retirees. Going for a walk together is a fundamental stimulus for physical activity, a pleasure linked to company that regulates this good habit, makes it more attractive and therefore encourages it. Again: Pack walking is a great tool to win, without drugs, the solitude and depressionDuring non-solitary walks, English researchers warn, bonds between people are strengthened, the desire and strength of a small community grows. And solid friendships are also formed.

Some studies go so far as to demonstrate that habitual walkers have a 50 percent lower mortality rate than people who lead a sedentary lifestyleThere is no medical or pharmacological intervention that combines the many benefits of walking. Up to the famous 10.000 steps a day, the maximum dose recommended by doctors, thanks to which walking can:
  • Regularize the blood pressure
  • Increase the production of endorphins that give a feeling of well-being
  • Strengthen the entire bone tissue
  • Raise the level of immune defenses
  • Reduce eye pressure
  • Halve the risk of developing theAlzheimer
  • Preventing depression
  • Reduce the risk of cancers such as breast and colorectal cancer
  • Strengthen and tone muscles, including the abdominals
  • Improve your sense of balance
Research coordinated by John Madina, a professor at Seattle Pacific University and the University of Washington, has discovered that foot activity during walking stimulates contagious creativity. The brain enters neurogenesis mode, forming diverse and new connections, and increasing neural activity. This leads to a greater tendency to create, with new ideas and projects.

Walking Groups

There are many websites and Facebook pages on the Internet where you can find company for a group walk. With guides, companions, or even people who want to share the chosen route together. Furthermore, these pages are often well-maintained by the local health authorities, confirming the high therapeutic value of walking in groups.
  • The free walkers. These are environmental guides who accompany groups of hikers. They are most common in Tuscany.
  • Enricotrek.com. On this site, you'll find various, constantly updated group walking suggestions. For a €15 annual membership, you'll join an online community of walkers and receive all the relevant information about this activity. This includes real-time weather forecasts, region by region.
  • Walking groups in Milan. In every city there are walking groups that can be contacted online. Milan is certainly one of the best equipped cities for this purpose and on this site Find all the active groups in the city and province and how to contact them. For group walks in the Rome area and province, it's very helpful to consult the Facebook page. Walking in Rome and beyond. And in any case, to find your fellow adventurers, just do a Google search for "Walking Groups" and the name of the city or region where you intend to depart.
  • I'm looking for friends to walk with. If you do an Internet search using this keyword, you'll find several sites where people exchange information about dating for walking together.
  • Walking associations. Hiking associations deserve a special mention: there are many of them, scattered throughout Italy. We'll highlight one in particular, also because of its particularly appealing name: Walking heals. 

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