Mar 20: Is better mental and physical health just steps away?

March 20, 2025

If you’re looking for a low-cost, effective way to improve your mental and physical health, the answer may be no farther away than a good pair of walking shoes.

Save with SPP decided to take a stroll through the Interweb to see what is being said about this reliable old form of exercise and transportation.

“Medical experts agree that walking is an easy way to improve physical and mental health, bolster fitness and prevent disease. While it’s not the only sort of exercise people should do, it’s a great first step toward a healthy life,” reports the CBC.

Walking, the broadcaster reports, “can help meet national recommendations that adults get at least 2½ hours of moderate-intensity physical activity every week. This helps lowers the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, dementia, depression and many types of cancer.”

As well, the CBC continues, walking “also improves blood sugar levels, is good for bone health and can help you lose weight and sleep better.”

Some first-hand testimony on the benefits of walking can be found in a recent article in Readers Digest Canada.

Nancy Duguay, a 39-year-old nurse from New Brunswick, was trying to kick her smoking habit when “an idea struck her – walking instead of smoking,” the magazine reports.

She hiked to the top of nearby Sugarloaf Mountain, “in just my regular sneakers, a pair of shorts, and a T-shirt,” she tells Readers Digest Canada.

“I just felt so good,” Duguay states in the article. “My natural endorphins kicked in, and the craving was gone.”

“Almost every day since, she has gone for a walk—and the habit has changed her life. Not only did she quit smoking, but her resting heart rate dropped from 80 beats per minute to 60. The ritual has given her a lot more, as well: stress relief, mental-health management, and a sense of community,” the article reports.

“There’s a psychological and physical need to do it now,” she tells the magazine. “I want to keep healthy and keep moving.”

Some other findings from Readers Digest Canada:

• 150 minutes of walking per week “can reduce the risk of most chronic diseases by 20 to 50 per cent.”
• A brisk, 20-minute daily walk “is linked to a lower risk of seven types of cancer.”

The VeryWell Health blog lists a few more advantages of getting the running shoes on.

It burns calories, the blog notes – around 133 calories in 30 minutes for a person weighing 155 pounds.

It “helps strengthen the heart by improving the heart rate and improving circulation, which can lower blood pressure,” the article continues.

Walking can lower cholesterol levels and is great for easing joint pain. “Walking is one of the most important things you can do if you have joint pain or arthritis because it helps strengthen the bones and keeps joints flexible,” the article notes.

Finally, the article concludes, there is a strong link between brisk walking and longer life expectancy.

These are all very good points. We find we walk more in the summer, when the dog trails are clear of snow and ice, but we still get the pups out nearly every day in the winter. So, for sure see if you can build a little more walking into your day.

It can be difficult to save on your own for your retirement if you lack a workplace retirement program of some kind. That’s where the Saskatchewan Pension Plan can come in very handy. SPP is open to any Canadian with available registered retirement savings plan room. You can contribute any amount up to your annual RRSP limit, and you can transfer in funds from any other RRSPs you may have.

Once your savings dollars find their way to SPP, they will be professionally invested in a low-cost pooled fund. Your savings will grow as you continue to work and contribute, and when it’s time to retire, your options include receiving a lifetime monthly annuity payment or the more flexible Variable Benefit.

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CBC, VeryWell Health

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