Stay young, stay green, stay clean – keep walking (Part 1 of 4)

No matter what we say, there are still many things in the world that are free and still brilliant. I mean, it is difficult to see that the air that we breathe in, is important until it is taken away from you. The other day, I was watching this movie (Interstellar) and I just realized how important oxygen is despite us not thinking about it most of the time.
The same is the case with walking; it is an exercise different to many others in many ways. For starters it is much gentler than other forms of exercise yet equally useful if done over a sustained period. It is also very low on requirements – you can do it anywhere (almost always free), you do not require a lot of gear (gear helps but is not always necessary) and it is suitable for almost all people of different age groups and physical abilities. I have written before how well walking is but like all things important, repetition only helps in getting the message through.
I will list some more reasons here for you to think about the benefits of walking

1. The heart is where it hits the most!

Truly, this feels more like lyrics than any scientific fact but at the end of the day, your heart requires you to walk more and feels healthier when you do it. The benefits of regular walking are immense and difficult to list all of them in one post. Regular walking has been scientifically proven as a key agent in decreasing the probability of a heart disease. We all know how the bad cholesterol can cause problems to the heart – regular walkers though, have a great advantage as walking helps reduce the bad cholesterol levels from the body keeping both the levels of good cholesterol high and blood pressure in check.

Doctors have been suggesting people of all ages to start with walking as an alternative to harder exercises, not only it helps build stamina, it offers steady cardio training to the heart making it more capable to survive tough training regimes. Going just by the statistics, brisk 30 minute walk everyday can help prevent high blood pressure and reduce the probability of getting a stroke by a WHOPPING 30 per cent.

2. Increase power to the immune system!

The immune system is a fascinating mechanism within our body and even now, we know very little about all the details (the microorganisms, blood platelets and antibodies) that are working simultaneously to keep our body healthy.  What we already know for sure though, is the fact that regular walking can help decrease the risk of certain types of Cancer, Asthma, Type 2 Diabetes and other dangerous and life threatening disease.

According to the prestigious British Medical Journal, sustained walking can reduce the risk of different diseases ranging from Stomach & digestion problems, Colon issues to Cancers of different kind by a hefty 20 per cent. Considering the amount of people suffering from such disease and the problems associated with the modern lifestyle, that number is extremely high and provides a lot of hope to healthy people for a great, active and healthy life.



Photo credit: pedrosimoes7 / Foter / CC BY