Walking is a very effective exercise for people of all age groups. Walking for at least twenty minutes is essential to relax our body muscles and provide our mind good recreation from our stressful daily routines. Walking in an environment that is peaceful and free from pollution in the early morning, will definitely help you achieve high fitness levels. Many people indulge in walking for reasons like, walking to lose weight and increase stamina. Walking for weight loss has helped many people who are suffering from obesity and related problems to live a normal healthy life. Walking as an exercise is very easy and does not require money.
Some More Advantages Of Walking
Apart from the above mentioned things, there are some more advantages of walking. They are as follows:
Lowering levels of bad cholesterol Increasing level of good cholesterol Maintain blood pressure levels Reducing the risk of diabetes Bringing zeal and enthusiasm in your life Increasing your resistance power
Though there are innumerable advantages of walking, you should be aware of the walking exercise programs, so that walking as an exercise helps you achieve your set fitness targets. Here are some walking exercise programs, which will be very useful for you.
Walking Exercise Programs
Preparing before starting your walking exercise program, is a very important factor which will decide whether you will succeed or not. You should wear clothes in which you are comfortable while walking and good quality shoes. Select the kind of clothes depending on which season it is. The clothes should be ideally casual, loose fitting and not formal. Never commit the mistake of starting your walking exercise program without a warm up. A warm up which should last for five to ten minutes will help to make your body muscles ready for the further activity which will be requiring more energy. Try to make short jumping and stretching exercises as a part of your warm up.
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“Keeping just a few pounds off can significantly affect your risk of getting high blood pressure or diabetes,” says cardiovascular health expert Lawrence Appel at the John Hopkins School of Medicine. Most Americans don’t realize how simple modifications can tack on an extra ten years to their lives.
It was previously assumed that if you had heart attacks and congestive heart failure in your family, then you were doomed and if your genetic slate was clean, then you’d be fine. However, health experts are finding that long hours, high stress and sloppy lifestyle habits are contributing to a rise in patients suffering from hypertension.
Over at the Harvard School of Medicine, researchers have developed a dietary program known as “DASH,” an acronym for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The DASH diet includes: 8 grain servings, 5 vegetable servings, 2-3 low fat dairy servings, 1-2 servings of meat, poultry or fish and 5 servings per week of nuts, seeds or beans.
Saturated fats and sugars should be limited and serving sizes generally run 1/2 cup cooked, 1 cup raw or 2 tbsp nuts and seeds. Exercise is crucial! Within just two weeks, the diet already began having an effect on Dr. Gabe Mirkin’s patients, with 70% returning to normal blood pressure levels. He says that increasing minerals like magnesium, calcium and potassium had a strong impact, as did limiting fat and sodium. The diet triggers a diuretic effect, much like certain medications that work to “flush the system.”
In addition to the DASH Diet, certain “super foods” and supplements give high blood pressure sufferers high hopes for recovery. Several studies show the effectiveness of Q10, a coenzyme that reduces both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as fish oil supplements that pack the body with the necessary omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids it needs to perform better. Traditional Chinese medicine recommends garlic, chestnuts, turnips, honey, Chinese celery, hawthorn berries and mung beans to decrease high blood pressure.
Thirty minutes of moderate-intense exercise at least four days per week is the official 2003 American Heart Association standard for optimal heart health. For people who may not be able to meet strenuous standards, walking for three ten-minute intervals per day is recommended.
Additionally, yoga is a good low-impact exercise that decreases stress and may also help reverse high blood pressure. Many Americans find that treadmills and bicycles are their best allies when it comes to an enjoyable workout they can stick to.