10 unnecessary ridiculous facts about walking

How many Dutch people would have become addicted to it this year? I think a lot. The walking virus seemed almost more contagious than corona. Not so crazy actually, because hey it is free, and the perfect way to feel good about yourself. Did you already know this about your new favorite hobby?

1. In Japan, there is ‘forest medicine’. The Japanese have therapeutic forests to walk in and relax. They have a special name for it, namely forest bathing or in Japanese shinrin-yoku. How fun!

2. 75 minutes of brisk walking per week can add almost two(!) years to your life. What is 75 minutes anyway?

3. If you walk an hour a day (5km), you burn about 300 kcal. That seems mwuah but if you do it every day, this totals 8400 kcal per month, which means you lose an average of a kilo per month (provided you don't compensate that walking with bags of chips, mountains of chocolate, and large pieces of cake).

4. Walking has the same effect as najaaa wine? research shows. Due to the positive effect on your nervous system, you feel - besides less stress and anxiety - also less anger and hostility.

5. Oh and just so you know: walking in the morning is better for you. The earlier, the less polluted the air is and that is something your lungs really appreciate. Additionally, the air in the early morning is charged with negative ions, which means more oxygen in the air.

6. Just 2 hours of walking per week reduces the risk of a stroke by 30 percent.

7. Walking together is not only romantic, it also benefits your relationship. It is said to boost your sex life, bring you closer together because you have time to talk, and give you more energy. Bring on that weekend at the sea.

8. A total of 1,450,308 people have ever completed the Four Days March.

9. Want to quit smoking? Walking helps. During a walk, dopamine is produced, yes, the happiness hormone. Dopamine reduces the dependence on nicotine, making you less inclined to crave a cigarette.

10. 72 percent of the Dutch walk more often from home than before the corona crisis. The main reasons are to get fit and healthy, for relaxation, and to ‘get away for a bit’.