Not all exercises are created equal. In fact, there is one form of exercise that is better than many others: walking. Harvard Medical School took a look at various exercises and concluded that walking is up there with swimming and tai chi in terms of health benefits. Regular walking can help maintain good cholesterol and blood pressure levels and keep your bones strong and healthy. One study showed that 40 minutes of walking every day helped people reduce blood pressure from hypertension to prehypertension, and then eventually to normal over several months. Walking can even keep many different kinds of diseases at bay, such as diabetes and heart disease. In addition to these physical benefits, walking daily can improve your mood and overall mental health. As simple and straightforward as walking is, it can be difficult for many people to find the time. Most experts agree that you need 30–60 minutes of physical activity per day, but the good news is that you can split those minutes up throughout your day. For example, you can take a brisk 20-minute walk in the morning before work, followed by another one at lunch and one more after dinner. Those 60 minutes also don’t have to be strenuous; they just need to happen. However, the more time you put into walking, the more you will get out of it. If you slowly increase your distance and speed, you’ll end up burning more calories and strengthening your legs over time.
The great thing about walking is that it’s not particularly taxing on the knees, and you can move at your own pace. It doesn’t get any better than that! To get the most out of walking, schedule your walks for after mealtimes, especially the ones that come later in the day, like lunch and dinner. It’s a great way to aid digestion and burn calories — which can’t hurt your waistline!
TAKE A BREAK
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These vegan, gluten-free chipotle black bean burgers are so full of flavor they will knock the socks off any meat burger!
INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS
1. Place half the black beans, onion, and garlic in your food processor. Blend for 20–30 seconds until combined. Add chipotle, cumin, salt, cornstarch, cilantro, and Sriracha. Blend for another 10–20 seconds. 2. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Stir in oats and remaining black beans. 3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Form mixture into patties and carefully transfer to skillet. Cook for about 5–7 minutes until bottom is browned and set. Very carefully flip and cook for an additional 4–6 minutes until opposite side is browned and set as well. 4. Serve immediately, or store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week. 3 (858) 675-1133
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2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
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1/2 medium onion, roughly chopped
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3 cloves garlic
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2 tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
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2 teaspoons cumin
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1 pinch salt
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1 tablespoon cornstarch
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1 handful fresh cilantro
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1 teaspoon Sriracha
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1/2 cup gluten-free rolled oats
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1–2 tablespoons olive oil
Inspired by ArisMenu.com
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