1K charity fun run with my dog Margaux (black pug), I don't want to overdo it, we started a good walk and ends with a good walk.
Walking is a form of meditation for me, I always enjoyed a long walk, a trip to the shopping malls, parks, gardens, farms etc. Whenever I travel out of town or abroad, I found joy and happiness walking around the place, the city or a town, the foot and legwork involved is tiring at times but very educational and fulfilling, the best form of exercise too.
I used to do early morning jog around the area where I live, I noticed some Koreans and Japanese prefer to do brisk walking, as I observed them, they have sort of "crazy movements" while doing the walking and I guess it worked for them, at their age they have no big tummies, so vibrant, well-toned and physically fit.
Jogging, running and walking is a different thing but have the same results, I learned in Macrobiotic (Michio Kushi's) principles of exercise that stretching and walking is what I need best, more on stretching in my separate article. Many people have begun to jog or run over the last few years (noticed so many "Fun Run" events happening in the country), Perhaps one reason why jogging and running has become so popular is that it balances a high-fat diet. It helps to develop extra routes of circulation for the blood to flow through, while high-fat, high-cholesterol diet tends to close normal routes off. So Jogging and running increases circulatory capacity and may reduce the risk associated with eating the modern diet.
Nature Walk, the author in a meditative walk/hiking in the mountains of Montana, USA, taken 1998
Unfortunately running and jogging has drawbacks, too. While over a period of time it may be a balancing form of exercise for the heart and circulation, in the short run it tends to unevenly stress the heart and other body parts and systems. Although some people can enjoy jogging or running, joggers are frequently halted by back problems, bone and joint disorders, and kidney damage, due to the shock of pounding up and down while running.
In the words of Thomas Jefferson, "The sovereign invigorator of the body is exercise, and of all the exercises WALKING is best." The rewards of just plain walking equal those that can be obtained from any other exercise, with half the risk of injury or exhaustion.
It is easy to make excuses, but you can't get the benefits of exercises by just reading about it, go out and walk! If there's no place to walk or too hot outside or it is raining go to the shopping malls (in the PH, shopping malls are a good places for a lot of foot works!) just like what I do at times, If there is no time took the effort of walking, going home from work (if work place is near you). In cold countries obviously boots, a hat, a coat, gloves and sometimes umbrella will do the trick. A 30 minutes of walking per day helps to:
- Control your weight, by increasing basal metabolic rate (BMR).
- Improve blood circulation and quality, warming the hands and feet.
- Prevent heart problems and other illnesses
- Aids digestion and elimination, try to do this and I guarantee, you will have a good bowel movement and elimination.
- Act as a mild appetite suppressant
- Keeps bones healthy and strong.
- Relieve tensions and worry ( I do this to frees my mind)
- Prevents respiratory disorders, (breathing more gives more oxygen to the lungs).
- Burn off fat, ( we can also sweat a lot by just mere walking).
- Tone muscles, especially thighs, calves and hips.
- Improve looks, ( I guess by improving my posture as well).
Some exercise Physiologist consider walking to be a "second heart" because during walking the muscles of the feet, calves, thighs, buttocks and abdomen rhythmically contract and release. So does the diaphragm, the powerful muscles that is a part our breathing apparatus. As the muscles contract and release they squeeze the veins, pressing the blood upwards towards the heart.
When you do not walk, your blood tends to pool in the belly, hips, thighs and fee. Circulation slows, and the heart must work harder to make sure that enough oxygen reaches the cells and that wastes are removed. When you stand still or sit for long periods of time, your brain also suffer from lack of oxygen.
To begin a walking program, all you need is a comfortable pair of shoes, running shoes are specially good. For maximum benefit, your stride should be brisk, let your arms swing freely at your side and keep your head up. Rhythm is the key. Try to find a place to walk where you can establish a steady face without a lots of starts and stops. If possible, avoid crowded sidewalks and noisy or heavily trafficked avenues, and find a park, a trail in the woods or a beach, walking barefoot on the grass or on a beach is the most invigorating of all.
Other means of walking and ways to motivate to walk
Walk every day and make time to do the things that will benefit your health, morning is the best time to walk. many of the most confident, relaxed and content people have learned to begin their day with light exercise and a walk. The air seems fresher and the activity seems to awaken and stimulate physical and mental processes which otherwise remain half asleep. Scientists explain this phenomenon by pointing to endorphins, chemicals that are released inside us by physical activities such as a good walk. If scientists have discovered anything that could be "happy" chemicals, they would be the endorphins. A brisk morning walk is much better than a cup of coffee for "starting your engine." It will benefit your health and the environment if you start your own engine instead of driving your car for very little errand, that way also lessen the carbon impact. When you must drive, park in the space farthest from the store rather than the closest. Walk to work if you can, walk a dog etc.
A 30 minutes walk is good amount of time to spend walking, an hour a day is also fine. Whatever you do, don't overdo it, constancy is the key. Especially if you are ill, convalescent or out of shape, start out slowly, walking no more than is comfortable. Every few days increase the distance by 10-20%. I really encourage before you head out to walk, perform a light stretching exercises. If you feel too stiff and a little sleepy in the morning, get out and walk first and do the stretches when you return. Many people have found health and happiness in these simple principles.
*Some texts are sourced from the book of Michio Kushi's Macrobiotic Way; Chapter 10: The Joy of exercise; pp. 99-103.
