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- Walking is Man’s Best Medicine
As Hippocrates stated, “walking is man’s best medicine”. Regular and longer walks not only increase your chances of living longer, but also help you get more energy, lose weight, stay healthy and positive.
Physical activity is anything that moves your body and burns calories. This includes walking.
Aerobic or “cardio” activity gets your heart rate up and benefits your heart by improving cardio-respiratory fitness. When done at moderate intensity, your heart will beat faster and you’ll breathe harder than normal, but you’ll still be able to talk. Think of it as a medium or moderate amount of effort. Brisk walking (at least 2.5 miles per hour)is moderate intensity.
The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides a comprehensive set of recommendations for Americans on the amounts and types of physical activity needed each day. Adults need at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity and should perform muscle-strengthening exercises on 2 or more days each week. Youth ages 6 to 17 years need at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day, including aerobic exercise.
The simplest way to get moving and improve your health is to start walking. It's free, easy and can be done just about anywhere, even in place.Don’t worry if you can’t reach 150 minutes per week just yet. Everyone has to start somewhere. Even if you've been sedentary for years, today is the day you can begin to make healthy changes in your life. Set a reachable goal for today. You can work up toward the recommended amount by increasing your time as you get stronger.
Walking 10,000 steps equates to about five miles a day, which is quite an increase for those who sit at a desk all day. It comes out to about 90 active minutes a day, which is three times the amount recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Don't let all-or-nothing thinking keep you from doing what you can every day.Any amount of movement is better than none. And you can break it up into short bouts of activity throughout the day. Taking a brisk walk for five or ten minutes a few times during the day will add up. Encourage opportunities in the workplace for regular physical activity through active commuting, activity breaks, and walking meetings.
Family walking at a Farmer's Market. Mother is pulling the red wagon with a young boy 5 years old. The Father and the 12 year-old sister are following alongside the wagon. The wagon has some vegetables inside and the young boy is eating an apple.
A woman and a man are hiking in the woods on a sunny day. The man is carrying a backpack and a walking stick. Both people have water in refillable water bottles. Hiking is the same as walking, but usually refers to walking in a forest or woods or on a trail of some sort, outside in nature.