Walking is very useful to keep an individual fit and get rid of various diseases. The best means of transportation for patients suffering from various diseases is to walk on their own. One should see scenic places like forests, valleys, water falls, hills, rivers, gardens, parks etc..... and should get drenched and mesmerized in the beauty of nature and to enjoy these places at their best, they should be explored by walk. Regular walk keeps body healthy and mind peaceful.
Daily walk is the most easy, economic and natural way of keeping body healthy. It helps to get rid of diabetes, blood pressure, heart diseases, paralysis and stomach disorders. Heart beats at a quicker pace when an individual walks. This improves blood circulation in the body. Blood vessels do not block and do not clot. Thus, rise of blood pressure is prevented in such individuals. There are lots of individuals who go for regular walk and keep their diabetes under control. With the help of yoga, medication, regular walk and balanced nutritious food, diabetic patients have kept their blood glucose level in normal limits and have lived longer. They have been freed from intake of insulin and diabetic medications.
If a healthy diet is followed along with regular walk and exercise regime then one can live happy and free of all the diseases and mental stress. Regular daily walk can build up energy in body as well as mind and person feels happy from inside. It helps in the secretion of hormones responsible for mental balance. Walking helps an individual to experience freshness. Morning walk enables lungs to breath pure air. This makes lungs stronger and efficient in their work. Body becomes alert and active. Energy builds up in the body and immune system becomes stronger.
Time schedule for daily regular walk can be kept at any time, may it be in the early morning or in the evening. But, early morning walk is beneficial to the body. One must not walk at faster pace during evening or night after having dinner. It imparts bad effects on the body. Walking keeps heart, lungs, digestive system, muscles, blood vessels etc..... healthy. All the body parts become efficient in their work and also they work at a quicker pace. This greatly helps patients suffering from heart diseases and diabetes.
There are many ways of walking. Each and every individual should walk according to their age, physical condition, mental condition, physical ability and strength. Initially an individual can start walking for few minutes. Later, as their physical strength enables them to walk more then they can prolong it for one hour. By this simple exercise body can be kept free from many diseases.
WAYS OF WALKING:-
There are many ways of carrying out this simple exercise. They are:-
- Walking at a slow pace,
- Walking at a medium pace,
- Walking at a faster pace,
- Walking for a long time covering long distances.
WALKING AT A SLOW PACE:-
Walking at a slow pace is beneficial especially to those individuals who are weak, unhealthy and old. Excessive weakness and age factor does not allow people to walk at a faster pace. They can only walk slowly and help themselves to remain fit.
Walking slowly is very beneficial for health. This sharpens memory and enables an individual to develop deeper thoughts. Poets and writers greatly benefit by this kind of walking. Individuals who can only concentrate on their working with help of smoking, do not realize how harmful smoking is for them. Instead of smoking they should start walking slowly. Walking slowly can be compared to nectar and smoking is like a poison.
Early morning slow walk in pure and fresh air imparts lots of energy in an individual. This habit will help in the betterment of health. According to doctors, after eating food if an individual walks slowly, it will help in his digestion, decrease the acidity in stomach and help him to get rid of gastric problems. After dinner one can walk at a slow pace around 2-3 kilometers. Speed of a person should be a little less than 2kms/hour.
While walking at a slower pace, one should breath normally. There is no need to breath heavily. Activities of body increases slightly even with this pace of walking. This does not increases blood pressure and blood glucose level remains normal. It is seen that obese men and women do start losing their weight if they practice this regularly. Obese individuals can also loose their weight by walking at medium or fast pace. But, walking at medium pace is best for losing excess of weight quickly. During walking at faster face the fat stored in the body burns up at a faster rate and weight also reduces fast. During walking at a slow pace, fat in the body burns up slowly but it gets burnt up in larger amount.
All the individuals, irrespective of whether they are suffering from diseases or no should develop a habit of walking slowly. This habit will surely yield profit. If an individual is a diabetic patient, this habit will help him in improving his condition. Body becomes flexible by walking. It also improves functions of joints and helps to get rid of joint pain. Less calories are burnt in this activity. Thus, weak and thin individuals do not experience weakness. Calories in this activity are burnt in less amount but at a fixed rate. Fat individuals while walking at slow pace should increase their breathing activity. This helps in the melting of fat and an individual starts losing weight.
WALKING AT A MEDIUM PACE:-
Walking at a medium pace means covering almost 5kms in an hour. It means to cover 1km an individual has to take no more than 12 minutes. This kind of exercise keeps an an individual free from many diseases. This activity prevents high blood pressure and keeps blood glucose level under control.
One must at least cover 3kms in a day while walking at a medium pace. To visit our relative or friends staying 2kms away from us, we must not make use of our vehicles, instead should cover that distance by walk. Instead of waiting for buses or any other vehicles, 3-4kms distances should be covered by walk itself. Health conscious personalities either walk or cover the distances by cycling instead of covering it on scooter, motorcycle, car or bus. From this, two benefits are obtained. First benefit is of staying healthy and second benefit is it keeps environment pollution free. Petrol, diesel burns in vehicles and pollutes the environment. Thus, short distances when covered by walk keeps an individual fit, does not allow fat to accumulate in the body and person does not becomes obese.
Walking at medium pace is very helpful for body. It lessens back pain and helps in getting rid of fat from stomach. Simultaneously, it helps an individual to keep blood pressure, diabetes and heart diseases at bay. This type of walk enables an individual to get oxygen in sufficient amount from the environment. This improves working of brain. Morning time is very beneficial for this kind of walk because early morning, sufficient oxygen is present in the environment which is very essential for health. Obese individuals too during night time can walk at a medium pace for at least 15-20minutes to get rid of their excess fat. This improves appetite and decreases weight. Along with daily walk following a proper diet is also very essential.
WALKING AT A FASTER PACE:-
Walking at a faster pace or brisk walking is good for health. This makes an individual active and fresh. It decreases weight. This activity can be done by two ways. One way is to walk fast, shaking hands to and fro. One should walk until one starts sweating. Irrespective of summer, winter and rainy seasons a person should continue walking for such a longer duration until he starts sweating. One should take care that he shouldn't feel tired while carrying out this activity. This activity also helps to bring body weight under control. Another way is by jogging. Elbow is bent in 90 degrees and walking in the form of hopping is done at a faster pace. This kind of walk is very beneficial for health. This activity increases heart rate. Old age individuals and heart patients should not carry out this activity as it might prove harmful to them because increased heart rate is not good for them.
It is essential that individuals should start walking at a slow pace in the beginning. Then, they can increase their speed up to medium pace and later can walk at quick pace. Another rule is, while walking at faster pace, individuals should not rest suddenly in the middle. He should transform his walk to medium pace and then after couple of minutes should start walking slowly and then only he should allow his body to rest.
WALKING FOR A LONG TIME COVERING LONG DISTANCES:-
Walking for a long time and covering long distances is good for health. This keeps body flexible, active and keeps weight under control. Body is also kept away from diseases.
It is well known that Mahatma Gandhi, Vinoba Bhave used to travel long distances to achieve their goals. The secret behind their health was their walking activity they carried out to cover long distances. As per studies, walking for long distances keeps an individual healthy and it prolongs their age. One should be able to walk for 2-3 hours and without getting tired. They should be able to cover 10-12 kilometers.
Earlier, there were no means of transportation. During those days traveling 15-20 miles by walk was a normal scenario. Such distances could easily by covered even by 55-60 years old individuals. Kids of 10-15 years old too would cover 7-8 kilometers by walk on daily basis to reach their schools. These people never suffered from blood pressure nor from diabetes. There is no doubt in this fact that walking is good for our health, but one should walk as per their physical abilities. During walk one should wear clothes and shoes according to the weather. In winters, winter clothes and in summer, summer clothes should be worn. Clothes should be a little loose and not body fit.
Diabetic, blood pressure patients and heart patients should increase their pace of walking as well as distances to be covered slowly. At night time, it's harmful to walk around trees or in gardens. This is because during night time, plants and trees respire and expel carbon-dioxide. It is very beneficial to walk in gardens and parks after the sunrise as one can get lots of fresh and pure oxygen which is very beneficial for physical and mental strength. Body becomes active, glow increases on face and man's age gets prolonged. Also, defense power of the body increases. Conclusion of the matter is walking is the best exercise.