Walking for fitness
Before anything else, we hope nothing foolish happened yesterday and did not let amorous emotions fill our hearts and emptied our brains as surely there would be consequences. To the unattached, and especially to the wedded but irresponsibly adventurous, I hope you made sure you’re aware of what you’re doing when you had your frankfurters between buns. Things can get complicated if you’re not ready. Remember, babies are sexually transmitted.
Yes, it’s the second month of the year, the love month, and most of us had moved on from our resolutions that were never meant to be fulfilled. We could now be lounging in our favorite haunts and letting the calories slowly creep into our system and unconsciously add girth and weight. And after with whatever we had yesterday, we get alarmed when gifts from our special someone gets more than form fitting that we can’t get it past our throats.
Health professionals suggested on walking, the simplest form of exercise where we can do it almost anywhere and all we need is a decent pair of sneakers and garments that draws sweat away from the body. Yes, exercising is also feeling comfortable although looking good is a plus. Ergo, you can hike like a walking billboard of your favorite apparel company.
A simple thing as walking has many benefits. Experts say that at least 8 kilometers a week does wonders to our bodies. A pace of 3km per hour for 30 minutes every day lowers the risk of stroke and heart attack by up to 40%. Getting the heart rate up strengthens our tickers and lowers blood pressure. Walking farther and faster give more benefits.
The same experts say that 10,000 steps a day should be the target. That’s 8 kilometers of daily walking and it actually means your accumulated daily total. But if you’re physically fit, you can do the 10k steps as your morning or early evening routine. Brisk walking is cardio exercise and doing it at least 30 minutes a day cuts the risk of serious diseases.
Diabetics like me will benefit because the hormone insulin gets the sugar out of the bloodstreams and brings it to our cells to be used as energy. It lowers complications related to diabetes such as nerve damage and kidney troubles. In doing so, it helps lessen maintenance meds dosage as the sugar levels had been controlled. Health professionals suggest to diabetics to have a 10-minute walk after each meal. So when you go out to eat, park your vehicles at least 10 minutes away from the restaurant.
150 minutes a week of exercise is recommended to raise our heartbeats. If we want to lose weight, health experts say to double time. It might seem too much for us but 300 minutes a week is only 43 minutes daily. If we’re up to it, the same experts say that 20 minutes of high intensity interval training (HIIT) burns as much calories – a 20-second sprint and a minute of recovery walk. HIIT jumpstarts the body to burn more fat.
In a scientific study at Stanford University, two groups of people were asked to do a 90-minute walk in either an urban setting or in a wooded and grassy location. Results showed that nature walkers had less activity in an area of the brain that triggers depression. City dwellers tend to have mood disorders compared to those living in the country.
Since walking is a weight-bearing exercise, they stress our bones that lead them to make more cells and become solid. Joint fluids move around when we’re active and they give nutrients and oxygen to our joints and cartilage which prevents friction that causes pain.
A slimmer body means less pressure on our joints. Losing 5% of our body weight already makes a big difference. Losing 10 pounds removes 40 pounds of pressure on our knees and ankles. The extra weight contains chemicals that can damage joints and tissues over time. Getting rid of excess baggage prevents the arrival of arthritis.
So what are we waiting for? The experts had spoken and let’s put on our trendy gears and do the walk.
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