Walking Your Way to Weight Loss
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Walking is a very healthy activity. Among the health benefits of walking are
the reduced risks of developing heart diseases, colon cancer and breast cancer.
It also lessens the risk of diabetes and stroke.
Aside from the obvious health benefits of walking, it is also one of the
most superior ways to lose weight. For one, there are so many oppoturtunities
to do it. From taking the stairs in a multi-story building to walking to take
care of your most basic errands close to home, there are many ways to take advantage
of the benefits of walking in a day.
Walking, believe it or not, is also a very healthy resort for people who do
not wish to involve themselves in more strenuous activities but are very interested
in not only achieving weight loss, but saving their joints. When you walk, your knees, hips,
and ankles don't go through the pounding that many high-intensity activities like
running or stair-stepping would expose them to.
In losing weight, a person can actually prevent high blood pressure, in addition
to preventing stroke and heart diseases. People who are overweight are more
prone to have high levels of triglycerides and cholesterol present in the blood
stream. Walking reduces the levels of both of the triglyceride and cholesterol levels
and improves the functioning and
vitality of the heart.
Being overweight, which always means there is a presence of excessive cholesterol
and fat in the body, is also related with cancer. Weight loss reduces the risks of
cancer as such of the colon, gallbladder, uterus, breast and ovary for women, and
that of rectum, prostate, and colon, which is commonly developed in men.
Weight loss helps regulate medication and the levels of blood sugar for diabetics.
Both type I and the type II diabetes are associated with being overweight, which greatly
increases one's risk for contracting either.
Sleep apnea, a condition in which a person heavily snores in his sleep and
occasionally stops breathing for brief periods, is also often related to being
overweight. This condition is dangerous since it could cause sleepiness or drowsiness
to a person even during the day. Weight loss prevents the development of such a
condition. It can also reduce, if not eliminate completely, this serious and
dangerous condition.
People may not like it when they see themselves overweight. But the body that
carries this weight does not like it either. An overweight person’s back, hips and
knees all have to work together, exerting extra effort (twice the effort if not thrice),
to carry the body’s entire weight. Weight loss will reduce the risk of developing
arthritis in the joints of a person’s knees or his back and hips. If a person will
lose weight, his body will also be able to move more freely and comfortably.
How to walk the walk
It has been said that walking is perhaps the best solution if a person wants to
slow down the process of aging. It is the best form of exercise that can regulate
weight, tone muscles in the legs and toughen bones. Walking also helps a person maintain
or improve proper posture, as well as develop and maintain a person’s self-concept that
is positive in nature.
Another thing about walking is that the pace is not very important if a person
is walking in order to lose weight.
It is the amount of time devoted to walking that is important. There is no finish line
to be crossed or race to be won when you are walking to burn calories. Because pace and
intensity matters les, people
of all ages and fitness level can easily enjoy maximum benefits of this exercise.
Remember, you are walking to burn calories. A moderate pace will allow you longer
walking sessions or, in other words, it will allow you to burn more calories. Also,
a comfortable pace means less pain after the walk, as the body does tend to feel sore
after an exercise.
A person does not have to allot long walking hours for a daily exercise-not even
a full hour! 30 minutes on a regular basis is just as good. You can just keep you
lifestyle active (meaning do not just lay around) every day. It is the movement that
burns the calories. Not the speed. Not the distance.
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