subject: Just Walk Away From Bad Health [print this page] If smoking and drinking are well known reasons for their role in causing major health ailments and early death, a third ing which is quickly catching up is idling The sad part is that while smokers and drinkers are aware of the harm that their habits are causing to their health, idlers are blissfully unaware of the harm they are bringing on to themselves by doing nothing. The heartening thing is that while the first two are highly addictive and difficult to kick off, one just needs to get up and start walking to overcome the third vice of remaining sedentary and idle.
It is not difficult to understand why we all need a bit of physical working out to stay healthy. God perhaps did not foresee that his creation would reach a stage when he would get all his work done by the press of a switch or a push of an accelerator or gear, he had conditioned the body in a manner that it would work best and stay healthy only when it is subjected to some physical activity and strain. All vital functions like effective digestion, absorption, secretion of vital fluids and over all body metabolisms needed some physical activity to be in top shape.
In the pre-industrial era man lived largely in an agri economy where he had his hands full in terms of sowing, ploughing, harvesting, watering , drawing water from wells and carrying it over distances in addition to walking good distances everyday. This gave him all the exercise he needed and more. With mechanisation and modernisation man had very little physical work to do, while this was a blessing in terms of enhanced pace of work and productivity, it made him sedentary. His body metabolism was not obviously prepared for this drastic change and this threw up a host of health issues like obesity, flatulence, clogging of the arteries, diabetes, a weak heart and excessive flab.
While we cannot obviously go back to the farm (incidentally agricultural activity is also highly mechanised these days!!) there is still one thing that we can do to overcome these health issues Walk. While walking is good at any part of the day, early mornings when the air is unpolluted, crisp and full of oxygen and the body fresh from a nights rest is the best time to walk It should be remembered however that health walking should be brisk and continuous for at least 30 minutes to have the desired impact. It should not be confused with a casual evening saunter with friends, which is of no use.
According to medical research the major health ailments that walking helps to keep at bay are
1. Helps to prevent heart attacks
2. Helps to prevent diabetes by burning calories and triggering the secretion of insulin, in the case of diabetics it helps in keeping a check over sugar levels
3. Reduces obesity by cutting down weight and flab, which helps in overall good health
4. Enhances heart health and functioning which results in better blood circulation to the whole body
5. Tones muscles especially in the leg
6. Triggers perspiration which cleanses the skin and the body
If a 30 minute walk could bring about such dramatic improvement to your health, just what is preventing us from walking, let us get into our sports shoes and start walking from today.
