Health - Walking to Fight Illness

Walking has benefits as stated in this article excerpt from MSN.com written by Maggie Spilner, Runner's World.


A daily walk keeps certain cells your immune cells tuned up for action, ready to whip viruses and battle bacteria. In fact, some experts believe that walking may be one of your best weapons for fighting off infection and disease and getting on the road to recovery fast.

Strong statement? Maybe. But a number of studies have shown that a moderate walk not only relieves the stress that may trigger or aggravate an illness but also stimulates your immune system, your body's main defense against disease.

In one such study, a 45-minute walk (about 3 miles) increased the activity of certain immune cells by about 57 percent. The cells' activity level returned to normal about 3 hours after the walk.

Now researchers don't know for sure whether walking can make you heal faster, but some studies suggest that people who walk consistently develop fewer illnesses than people who are sedentary. The fact that walking is a moderate activity may be key to its immune-enhancing effects. Indeed, other studies show that long bouts of intense exercise like an hour of pavement-pounding, heavy-breathing running can actually suppress your immune system and make you more susceptible to infection.