Why walking is so good for you

为什么步行对你有益

Walking is astonishingly powerful and scientifically proven by study after study-walking transforms your body and mind. In fact, research shows it can add almost two years to your life. Of course, there’s the major perk that sneaking in those steps helps you shed unwanted weight; one Canadian study found that an hour-long brisk walk every day reduced belly fat in women by 20% over 14 weeks. But going for a trek can benefit your body in other significant ways too. Here’s how:

步行是非常有用的，科学的研究证明了这一点，这一研究是在得出学习和步行模式能改变你的身体和心灵的结论后进行的。事实上，研究表明它可以增加你近两年的生命。当然，在步行中，还有额外收获，那就是能帮助你减掉身上的赘肉。加拿大的一项研究发现，每天长达一小时的快走，可使女性腹部脂肪在14周内减掉20％。不过，徒步行走也可以通过其他方式对你的身体有所裨益。下面是几大好处：

It guards your brain. Two hours of walking per week cuts your risk of stroke by 30%. Hitting the road also protects brain regions associated with planning and memory, and doing it for 30 minutes a day has even been found to reduce symptoms of depression by 36%.

它能保护大脑。每周两小时的步行可将中风风险降低30％。走路还能保护和计划、记忆相关的大脑区域。而且，研究甚至发现每天30分钟的步行能减少36％的抑郁症状。

It strengthens your bones. Four hours of walking per week can slash your chances of a hip fracture by up to 43%. In other words, the more you move now, the more mobile you’ll be later in life.

它能强化骨骼。每周四小时的步行可以使髋部骨折几率降低43％。换句话说，你现在动得越多，你晚年生活中行动就越方便。

It improves your heart health. Take a stroll for your ticker: A new study of more than 89,000 women found that those who walked briskly for 40 minutes two or three times per week had up to a 38% lower chance of heart failure after menopause than those who did it less often or more slowly. What’s more, researchers have found that walking for just 20 minutes per day lowers your risk of heart disease by 30%, and it can also cut your risk of obesity (a major risk factor for heart disease) in half.

它能促进心脏健康。为了你的心脏，多散散步吧：一项针对超过89000名女性的新研究发现，那些每周进行两到三次40分钟快走的人，绝经后的心脏衰竭几率比那些快走次数少或慢的人低38％。更重要的是，研究人员发现，每天步行20分钟能降低30%的心脏病风险，同时还可以降低一半的肥胖风险，而肥胖是心脏病的主要危险因素。

Though she's tried everything from kettlebells to gyrokinesis , personal trainer and fitness video guru Jessica Smith says walking remains her workout of choice for fitness and weight control. "I truly believe it's the best way to get and stay in shape," she says. "Not only is it free, anyone can do it and you don't need any equipment to begin. It's easy on the joints, and I believe it helps with appetite control"-unlike with running, she feels less hungry after walking, not more.

虽然私人教练兼健身视频大师Jessica Smith尝试了从壶铃到陀螺仪的所有锻炼方式，但她说步行仍然是她健身和控制体重的首选。“我真的认为这是获得并保持好体形的最好方法。”她说，“它不仅是免费的，而且任何人都可以做，你也不需要任何设备就可以开始。它对关节很友好，而且我认为它有助于控制食欲。”这一点和跑步不同，她在步行后感觉不那么饿，而跑步后则会觉得更饿。

（翻译：MS小冰晶）