It would seem that the benefits of walking have long been clarified by doctors, and she herself was recommended by the trainers. However, most people are still heading to the store, looking for a minibus with their eyes. Some even go to the stall for cigarettes by car. And everyone at the same time complains about the “beer” tummy, heart failure and weakness in the legs, if you have to stand in line.
Lose weight without problems
In the list of what is useful for walking, the most attractive item for many will be getting rid of excess weight. People usually start to think about health when problems start with it, but their attractiveness worries them almost from the moment it starts to lose. And this is even good: starting to walk for weight loss, a person at the same time will strengthen his health.
Researchers have found that the benefits of walking for gaining harmony are far greater than regular visits to the gym. Walking is more effective than diets and gives a more lasting result, unless, of course, it is accompanied by gluttony. When walking on foot in half an hour, “burns out” as much fat as you spend in the fitness room in an hour. And at the same time you do not have to pay for such training. In addition, the loads during walking are natural and evenly distributed. You are not threatened with “krepatura” or overload of certain muscle groups. And an additional bonus can be considered an improvement in posture, if at first you accustom yourself to walk with your shoulders deployed. Incidentally, this is not difficult: just carry a slightly loaded backpack on both straps.
Say no to old age
The undoubted benefit of walking is also observed for those who want to push off the onset of senile weakness as far as possible. The most common cause of age-related mortality is strokes and heart attacks. And they are caused by weakness of blood vessels and heart muscle. To strengthen them, static loads - weight lifting, training on simulators, etc. - are not very suitable. But clean air, rhythmic movements and load uniformity cope with the task perfectly. Pressure stabilizes - vessels no longer experience excessive exposure. The heart catches the right rhythm and does not overload, while strengthening.
Fighting Apathy and Depression
Another reason for rapid aging is stresses, without which our life can not do, even if we carefully avoid unpleasant impressions and sensations. The benefit of walking is also that it quickly and without medication eliminates the effects of nervous shocks.
European doctors conducted a large-scale study of the age group from 40 to 65 years. It was carried out for many years and yielded stunning results: the risk of heart disease almost halves if people walk around at a fast pace every day for about three hours. In addition, senile dementia, atherosclerosis, and other diseases frequent at their age were not observed among walkers.
Prevent dangerous diseases
The list of useful walking is long and convincing. His most convincing points are:
- Reducing "bad" cholesterol in the blood naturally to a minimum. And that means - preventing the appearance of diseases associated with it.
- A minimum of one third decreases the likelihood of diabetes.
- In women, the risk of getting a breast tumor is markedly reduced, in men - prostate cancer, in both of them - bowel cancer.
- Without medical intervention (including medicines), the work of the digestive tract is normalized.
- The risk of developing glaucoma falls to almost zero.
- Strengthening the skeleton and joints prevents the development of osteoporosis, arthritis and rheumatism.
- Immunity is growing exponentially : “walkers” do not pick up the virus even in the midst of epidemics.
True, to achieve such results, daily walking is required. The benefits of one-time walks are much lower.
How much do you need to walk?
The average person leaving the house only by bus to the service and by tram to the store takes no more than 3 thousand steps on a working day. It is so small that unpleasant consequences for the body can be considered secured.
If a person is more conscious and travels to work (located nearby) on foot, he steps about 5 thousand times. Better - but still not enough. In order not to lose this nature, you need to do at least 10 thousand steps daily, which will be a distance of about 7.5 km. At an average speed you need to travel for about two hours - and your health will not leave you.
Where and how best to walk?
It is advisable to correctly select places for walking. Naturally, if you combine walking with going to work, you will not be able to adjust the route too much. However, walks in your free time allow you to choose a “useful” trajectory. Parks are best suited for these purposes: there is unpublished, clean air, fairly smooth paths, quite suitable for walking, plus at least some nature. If there is no park nearby, choose a route away from transport arteries. At least in the courtyards of houses.
In addition, the benefits of walking are observed only if the person is walking energetically. When you wander slowly and sadly, your body works in a mode that differs little from the rest mode.
No special walking equipment is required. The only thing worth paying attention to is shoes. Slippers or heels are clearly not suitable for a long and peppy walk.
Only fresh air!
I would also like to note that walking on the street can not be replaced by using a treadmill in a sports club, even in the most intensive mode. You need to walk only on the street: here you get your dose of the sun, which makes your body produce vitamin D. Without it, the healing effect will be much lower, although weight loss will remain at the same level. And no need to dissuade the clouds. Even on a cloudy day, sunlight is enough to stimulate the production of valuable vitamin in the right amount.
How to accustom yourself to walk?
Laziness, they say, is the engine of progress. But it is also a stop crane for maintaining physical fitness. I don’t want to make extra gestures, and a person begins to justify himself by lack of time or other objective circumstances. However, you can unobtrusively force yourself to start walking. The methods are simple and feasible.
- If your office is two stops away from home, go to work and back on foot. If you can’t do without a trip by transport, get out of it to a stop earlier when traveling by metro and two — if you are taking a minibus, tram or trolley.
- Do not bring “brakes” with you to work, take a walk for lunch in a cafe. And not the closest.
- Forget the elevator. Let you live on the 20th floor - walk. To begin with, just down, eventually and return home up the stairs. In addition to losing weight, improving health and developing the “breathing space”, you will also gain elastic buttocks by the summer, with whom you are not ashamed to appear on the beach even in a swimsuit with thongs.
Having appreciated all the advantages of walking, each person should make a first effort on himself and support him throughout his life. Unless, of course, he wants to remind himself of the ruin and regret missed opportunities in a shallow old age. In the end, walking is just interesting. If you can’t walk aimlessly, set yourself the task of reaching the beach, museum or your favorite cafe. Or find a like-minded person who will be curious to talk with during a walk. Or get yourself a dog.