The Benefits of Walking

[crisipicada]

WALKING.
An activity you do every day.
The number one activity everywhere!

Running...no...cycling...no...skating...no. None of these activities can make the claim that walking can. Walking is the number 1 participation sport worldwide. Why? Well here are few good reasons:

EASY TO DO - there is no great trick to walking. It does not require any special skills or advanced conditioning. Walking doesn't require any special equipment or clothing. All you need is a good pair of walking shoes, comfortable clothing, a padometer, and you're all set.

HEALTHY - When hippocrates said that "walking is man's best medicine", he didn't realize that thousands of years later, new benefitsof walking would be discovered daily. Some benefits of walking include:
*Burns almost as many calories as jogging
*Slims ease back pains
*Slims your waist
*Helps lower blood pressure
*Helps reduce level of bad cholesterol
*Helps reduce heart attack risk
*Helps stamina and energy
*Helps lessen anxiety and tension
*Helps improve muscle tone
*Easy on your joints
*Helps reduce appetite
*Increase aerobic capacity
*Can be done in short bouts
*Can be done when you are traveling

SAFE -Walking is probably the safest exercise you can do. It doesn't require prior training or conditioning and doesn't involve a great involve deal of physical exertion in the beginning. Studies have even shown that due to the design of the body, walking is more natural than sitting, standing or running and walking is not as stressful to the body as other exercise.

For example, running is much more stressful on the heart and joints and leads to many more injuries. The shock impact of a runner's step is 3-4 times a person's weight, while walking is only 1 1/2. Some sports like basketball and tennis can have a shock force of 7 times a person's weight.

While walking is easier on your body, it can be just as beneficial as running in helping you lose weight. If you run for 30 minutes at 5 miles per hour you will burn about 285 calories. if you walk for 30 minutes at 4 miles per hour you will burn 165 calories on a level surface, 225 on a slight incline of 5%, and 360 calories on a 10% incline.

WALKING:No Advance Degree Required
There is no need to buy expensive videos, computer programor manuals in orderto learn how to walk.

All you have to do is walk naturally. Find a method that is comfortable to you and that's there is to it. Here are few helpful hints for walking:

*Posture is Key - In order to get the most out of walking, good posture is crucial. Keep your head up and spine straight and look straight ahead. Keep your arms and shoulders loose (do look downoccationaly to aviod possible road obstacles).

*Take deep, regular breaths - Never hold your breath.

You should keep a brisk pace, but not fast. You should be able to individually determine a correct pace shortly after starting your walking routine. If you find it is difficult to breath easily, slow down. You're obviously walking too fast.

* Is your Body Trying to tell you something? - The expression "if it feels good, do it" applies to walking and the opposite is also true. If you have a lot of pain and discomfort, check with your doctor.

*Stride - Try to take long, smooth strides. Your motion should be fairly effortless, with your arms swinging at your sides for balance.

WALKING EQUIPMENT

Shoes Make The Walker - shoes is the single most important piece of equipment for the walker. They can be the difference between having a fun, realxing walk and an uncomfortable, painful one. It is important to get a good pair of walking shoes with the following characteristics:
*Provide both support and comfort to all parts of the foot.
*Have enough toe room so that you can wiggle your toes.
*Have firm support at the heel.
*Have a flexible cushioned sole in order to aid in the walking gait and to absorb shock.
*Should be made of breathable material, preferably leather, or fabric to allow perspiration to dissipate.
*Be lightweight.

While there are so many shoes at various price ranges designed specifically for walking, a running shoe or tennis shoe will also serve the purpose so long as it is comfortable and has the above characteristics.
SPORTSLINE

[Chas]

WALKING.

* Is your Body Trying to tell you something? - The expression "if it feels good, do it" applies to walking and the opposite is also true. If you have a lot of pain and discomfort, check with your doctor.

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Yes - my body is telling me I am (slightly ) overweight. Ok Crispy I will spend less time online and I will walk more.

[purex]

WALKING.

* Is your Body Trying to tell you something? - The expression "if it feels good, do it" applies to walking and the opposite is also true. If you have a lot of pain and discomfort, check with your doctor.

[/color]

Yes - my body is telling me I am (slightly ) overweight. Ok Crispy I will spend less time online and I will walk more.

walking is the best exercise. Better start now together with diet.

[Edwin]

My son-in-law's sister is over weight, and my son-in-law was telling her that she should walked as fast as she can and still carry on a conversation. If you walk fast enough that you can't keep talking, you are walking too fast. If you walk to slow it would be as advantageous either. I heard years ago that you burn more calories brushing your teeth than you do with heavier exercises. My wife has a number of health problems, so that walking helps her. We live one quarter of a mile from our mail box, and she walked to get the mail to get that benefit. By the time she returns to the house she has walked one half mile. It is a couple of miles over to my brother and sister-in-law's house, and sometimes we walk over there. We are 600 feet from our kids' house so if we walk over there a number of times then we get more walking in, and some days we do that. Walking also does something to lift your spirits. You feel happier after walking, and that is great. We would all benefit from walking more.

[m&m]

I've been suffering from hypertension and difficulty in breathing. I've been to the doctor for 3years and my consultation is every week. Since i started to walk and stretching, i feel a lot of better but still continue my medication. Food supplement also helps me especially those that are rich in grapes seed as the main ingredient. Walking indeed is the best for the heart.

[Edwin]

I've been suffering from hypertension and difficulty in breathing. I've been to the doctor for 3years and my consultation is every week. Since i started to walk and stretching, i feel a lot of better but still continue my medication. Food supplement also helps me especially those that are rich in grapes seed as the main ingredient. Walking indeed is the best for the heart.

My wife, Carol, has high blood pressure problems and diabetes. The medicine that the doctor prescribed for her for high blood pressure years ago damaged her heart. Keeping her blood sugar under control is a struggle for her. She is tired a lot and she requires lots of rest and lots of sleep. She is not as strong as she used to be, and that bothers her. She works hard to take care of herself and her disease is not as progressive as it would be if she neglected to take care of herself like some diabetics do. She struggles with depression some too, but she does the best she can, and she is a good person.

[crisipicada]

Just walk 4.46 miles or 9,200 steps. It feels better to do exercise evry morning. Every body must have try it.

[Edwin]

Just walk 4.46 miles or 9,200 steps. It feels better to do exercise evry morning. Every body must have try it.

Good idea! And I should try it.

[red]

Walking is good I can attest to that. Back when i was a kid we used to hike 6 kilometers total back and fort(school to house). We lived in the barrio which is far from town where school is located. Wow. When we moved to city we used to ride on jeepneys and motorela so less walking from highway to house. Now that I got married we use to ride on bikes and vehicles. So very least walking to do. Whenever vehicle's in trouble have to walk, man, i get alot of sweating! I also been advised by my OB to walk daily. Go for walk!

[Edwin]

When I was 15 years old we were driving the car five miles to meet the school bus to take us on to school. I was the oldest and the driver, although I was driving illegally. My dad kept me home to help pour cement/concrete on a shop floor. My younger brother drove my younger sister to the bus, then picked up a few of his Indian friends and headed for Texas which is from the North USA to the South USA. They got down into Oregon and ran out of gasoline, walked to the nearest house, asked for gasoline and found it the house belonged to a juvenile officer, well they got a ride back home. Dad knew the authorities would be watching us after that, so my younger sister went to stay with my older brother, and my younger brother and I walked that five miles to the bus in the morning and home that five miles in the evening. We didn't care and we were glad to walk, and I even carried my trombone home so I could practice it in the evenings. We walked until December 2nd, which was my 16th birthday. There was snow on the ground by this time. I went in to get my driver's license and ran a stop sign, so I returned the following week, passed my driver's test, got my license on December 9th, and again we were driving that five miles to the bus instead of walking. And since there was already about a foot of snow or more, we were really happy to be able to drive.