Walking for Exercise

A recent news report in British media said that Prince Charles was concerned about the state of the nation’s health. He feared that with sedentary lifestyles, not enough exercise and a relatively stable economy, people were getting out more, staying in less, indulging in unhealthy eating habits and getting more obese by the day.

Research has shown that nearly one in four adults in Britain was dangerously obese. And Prince Charles encouraged walking for exercise as an option for Britain to get trim and fit once again.

If that is the scenario in the UK, the USA is much worse. Our census figures show that nearly one in three adults are dangerously obese, with the statistics for children being much worse. America has been, is, and will continue to remain a land of plenty.

But what is the cost of this bounty? Bad health and increasing per capita medical expenditure. Which is why walking for exercise has become a clarion call for people worldwide. There are several benefits to walking for exercise.

For one thing, it doesn’t cost a cent! You don’t have to pay hefty membership fees or even buy expensive equipment in order to take up walking for exercise. Strength training exercises are great, but we all know that after the initial novelty has worn off, the membership card is discarded and the fitness equipment lies in a corner gathering rust and dust. But with walking as exercise, you don’t need anything more than two sturdy feet (and some decent shoes.)

In fact, walking is recommended for those patients who are not capable of. or shouldn’t be doing, any other form of exercise, especially weight training exercise. There are some people who are so upper body heavy that more strenuous exercise could prove to be harmful for them.

They need to tone up their bodies first, and reduce the fat through walking, before they can begin other courses of action. Most doctors will advise the same. People need to be capable of properly undertaking exercise in a gym or health center and for those grossly overweight, walking provides them with a means of exercise to get to started.  After that they can go for more intensive exercise.

But the exercise one gets from walking in itself can do wonders. There are reports nearly every other week in the newspapers about how some people (mostly women!) have managed to take off several pounds and even kept them off purely through walking as their only exercise.

And studies have revealed that walking has more health benefits than was previously thought possible. For one thing, walking is a great way to let your body indulge in a cardio workout. For another, you can determine how brisk or leisurely you want the exercise regimen to be. Third, being a natural activity of the human body, walking for exercise enables one to indulge in it without any noticeably major side effects. And finally, because it is free, easy and doesn’t take too much of your time, it can be easily stuck to, without major modifications to your schedule or lifestyle.

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