I’ve been waking up early since March.

I used to usually go to bed around 11 p.m. and wake up naturally between 7:00 and 7:30 a.m. before that.

Then, for some reason, I began waking up between 5:30 and 6 a.m. on an unconscious level, no matter what time I went to bed. As a result, I also adjusted my bedtime early.

I’m not sure why the change occurred; perhaps as I get older, my circadian cycle changes.

When I initially started rising early, I was at a loss for what to do. Before the rest of the family woke up, I read a lot and took care of administrative tasks.

However, at the beginning of May, as soon as I woke up at the crack of dawn, I made the decision to go for a two-mile walk. Why? I’m not sure. Most of all, it was something to do. I also realized that I should walk more. As a blogger and podcaster, I work a rather sedentary profession. Every day, I spend hours reading, writing, and responding to emails.

Many speakers on the program have discussed the studies showing the negative health effects of being sedentary, even for those who schedule frequent, intense exercise, as I have done for more than 15 years. You cannot make up for spending the majority of your waking hours sitting on your behind with an hour of focused exercise each day.

I decided to make more of an effort to get my steps in and walk more during my newfound morning time.

When I first started the daily walking habit, I had no expectations and no specific health goals.

However, I soon noticed that it was improving my health, both from direct observation and the usage of my fitness trackers, the Oura ring and the Apple Watch.

After following my morning walk regimen for a month, the following occurred:

My stepping total per day rose.Every night before I tuck her in, my daughter Scout likes to look at my Apple Watch statistics. She saw that my daily steps were usually between 4,000 and 5,000 steps back in March. She would say, “Dad, you really don’t move much during the day.” You resemble a lump.

Verified!

I’ve been walking every morning and now average between 12,000 and 15,000 steps each day. Much improved. My daily stroll hasn’t been the only thing that has given me a boost; it’s also had the unforeseen benefit of encouraging me to move more generally. I enjoy the sensation of walking, therefore I will occasionally take 10-minute walks during the day. Every night when Scout glances at my watch, she gives me the thumbs up.

Success!

My heart rate fell to resting. It has been demonstrated that resting heart rate is a reliable measure of cardiovascular health and general fitness. Your heart is beating more forcefully when your resting heart rate is lower. Cardiovascular illness has been linked to higher resting heart rates.

Adults typically have a resting heart rate of 60 to 100 beats per minute. Athletes with good training have resting heart rates that are closer to 40.

My resting heart rate was typically in the range of 60 to 55 before I started walking in the morning. Not too bad.

However, after walking every day for a month, my resting heart rate began to hover around 45, which is closer to the level of an exceptional athlete. And all it took to get there was 35 minutes of daily, brisk walking.

There was an increase in my heart rate variability. The difference in the time intervals between successive heartbeats, or heart rate variability (HRV), is a reflection of the autonomic nervous system’s control over the heart. In reality, you want your heart rate to vary widely. A balanced sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system is indicated by a high heart rate variability (HRV). People who have a high HRV are more emotionally and physically resilient and experience less stress. When your HRV is high, you can function more efficiently both mentally and physically.

A low heart rate variability (HRV) is a sign that your body is stressed out from things like illness, dehydration, exhaustion, or overwork.

Walking is one type of physical exercise that lowers your HRV by increasing your nervous system’s parasympathetic (rest and digest) activity. A reduced HRV is also influenced by improved blood flow and stress management, two more benefits of physical activity for your body.

My HRV ranged from 36 to 40 ms before I started exercising every morning, which wasn’t fantastic. It is now ranging from 45 to 55 ms. An advancement!

My V02 max increased. The highest rate of oxygen consumption that your body is capable of during vigorous activity is known as VO2 max, or maximal oxygen absorption. It is a crucial measure of aerobic endurance and cardiovascular fitness. Greater oxygen utilization by the heart, lungs, and muscles is indicated by higher VO2 max readings, which also suggest higher levels of general fitness and endurance.

Regular HIIT or steady-state cardio can raise your V02 Max. I’ve been walking every morning for the past month as my only form of cardio.

My estimated V02 max (note the emphasis on estimated; a real V02 max test would be necessary to obtain an accurate reading) was 38.5 at the beginning of May, based on my Apple Watch. It is 42 today. Walking every morning appears to have made a difference, however there is still much space for development!

At night, I get better sleep. Since I started going for morning walks, my sleep has generally improved, even if I’m still getting up earlier than I used to.

My Oura ring indicates that I sleep deeper and experience more REM sleep when I go to sleep. Your body releases growth and healing hormones when you are in deep sleep, and your brain purges toxins. Dreams occur during REM sleep, and as we’ve covered on the podcast, dreams help our brain make sense of everything we experience during the waking hours and to organize memories.

The early stroll has, in my opinion, enhanced my sleep in two ways. To start, walking is an excellent method of increasing your sleep pressure. Your brain produces adenosine through physical exercise, which induces sleep. Your level of sleepiness at night increases with the amount of adenosine you’ve accrued during the day. I’m ready to go to bed around 10 p.m., and I’m out the moment my head touches the pillow.

The exposure to early morning sunlight that comes with the walks in the morning has probably also improved my sleep.Our circadian rhythm is regulated in part by exposure to sunshine. According to research, being outside as soon as you can in the morning will help you establish a healthy circadian rhythm, which will improve the quality of your sleep and make you feel more asleep when you do go to bed.

I feel happier now. As we’ve discussed, exercise is the best way to combat anxiety and sadness. The endorphins that are released when you exercise your body are entirely responsible for this.

My mood has improved, I’ve noticed. I simply feel better after taking my early walks.

I’ve shed a few pounds. I did a quick bulk from January to March to get from 185 to 200 pounds. I started limiting calories in April so I could get in shape for summer. The objective was to return to 187 pounds. What makes 187? At that weight, I look and feel great. I lost five pounds of weight in April by cutting calories only once a week. I kept cutting back on my weekly caloric intake in May, but I also started going for regular walks. In just four weeks, I was able to lose the final 10 pounds, and because my calorie intake didn’t drastically decrease, I never felt hungry. My weight reduction was accelerated when I combined walking’s higher energy expenditure with calorie restriction.

Reduced body weight, deeper sleep, elevated heart rate, elevated HRV, and enhanced V02 max.

Wandering around. Walking is the solution. Absolutely true.

It is highly recommended that you go for daily walks. I take roughly 35 minutes to go two miles. In just one month, I was able to see some pretty major improvements in my health with just 35 minutes a day. You will reap an enormous array of advantages by making a minor alteration to your everyday schedule.

Try taking a two-mile walk every day if you haven’t begun an exercise regimen because you don’t think you have the time or that you need to work out extremely hard and intensely to benefit from exercise.

Not prepared for two miles or lacking the necessary time? Then simply walk a mile. Anything is always preferable to nothing.

Feel that you’ll get bored? Take a listen to a podcast (AoM’s, perhaps?). Enhance your mental state while making minor yet substantial physical improvements.