5 Reasons Walking on the Beach Can Improve Your Health

"Long walks on the beach" isn't just something you put in your dating profile; regularly undertaking a beach walk can also prove serious commitment to your lifelong physical health.

Why? Because believe it or not, walking on the beach is significantly better for you than walking on other surfaces. If you're lucky enough to live near sand and surf, like many of our Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach Chiropractic Clients…

Here are five reasons you should take this fitness-boosting opportunity whenever possible:

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1. Beach Walks Provide Free Reflexology

You'd pay big bucks for a foot massage, wouldn't you? Even if you wouldn't, how would you like a free one? Well, that's exactly what a beach walk is: reflexology. The shifting sand underneath your feet hits multiple pressure points as you walk, releasing tension and toxins that bring you down.

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2. Barefoot Walking Improves Your Posture

We evolved to walk barefoot, without support or shoes. While shoes are a necessity in the modern world, removing them returns us to our natural state. Most of us have better posture when we don't have shoes on throwing off our natural balance, and better posture has a range of its own benefits: decreased stress on bodily systems, increased comfort, and relaxation.

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3. Sand Makes Your Workout More Effective

Because sand sinks and slides, you have to work harder to keep yourself moving. It takes 2.1 to 2.7 times more energy and you will use 20 to 50 percent more calories than you would walking sand than walking on hard surfaces. This is a great way to burn a lot of calories without having to work that hard.

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4. Soft Surfaces Protect Your Joints

Unlike pavement and even gravel, which are tough on joints, sand is very gentle. It gives way under impact, allowing each footfall to minimally affect your bones, tendons, ligaments and muscles. This reduces the chance of injury and offers you lasting health.

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5. Barefoot Walking Is "Grounding"

This is related to point no. 2. As animals, we were made to use our feet without the interruption of shoes, and barefoot time reconnects us to our physical bodies in a way that wearing shoes never can. Feeling sand and earth beneath our feet, and using systems that get suppressed when shoes are on, is great for your health.

If walking on the beach isn't quite enough for you and you think you might benefit from chiropractic care and/or foundation training, feel free to get in touch and schedule a consultation with Dr. King today. There's no need to wait for better health.