People who are physically active throughout their life are much less prone to this disease than those who have a more sedentary lifestyle. And that’s because they have more volume in their hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for verbal memory and learning.

A daily half-hour walk helps avoid serious problems, like coronary heart disease to name one, by lowering high blood pressure and cholesterol levels and improving blood circulation. Because of better-quality and deeper breathing, some symptoms associated with lung disease can show significant improvement thanks to walking.

Muscle tone and weight loss is also totally achievable through simple walking. Find your optimal pace, but don’t break out into a jog. This sort of speed walking is low impact and doesn’t require any recovery time, which means no sore muscles to keep you from getting out and walking the next day.

The Arthritis Foundation recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate walking a day to reduce pain, stiffness, and inflammation in the joints. Building strong bones will help you prevent osteoporosis and reduce bone loss. Walking contributes to better blood circulation within the spinal structures, pumping important nutrients into the soft tissues and improving posture and flexibility, both of which are vital for a healthy spine. Research shows people that exercise regularly develop less arthritis than people that do no exercise and increased blood flow is good for people that suffer from arthritis as it keeps the joints mobile and reduces the pain.

A group of researchers at Iowa State University worked with hundreds of college students. Walking changed their mood for the better, even though no one warned them it could do so.

If you still don’t feel motivated enough to start walking for your health, try joining a class or find a buddy who also wouldn’t mind getting all the benefits of walking. Another idea could be to hire a personal trainer.