Everyone knows they “should” be doing regular
exercise, but most people have not exercised in so many years that they don’t know where to begin. As a result, people start and stop various
training programs and routines. They join gyms, buy workout clothes, spend
hard-earned income, and ultimately fail to follow-through because they don’t have a clear idea of how to exercise effectively.
One of the issues relates to the many choices available. You can
lift weights, swim, ride a bicycle, run, take Pilates classes, take yoga
classes, or play tennis. But the challenge lies in selecting the form of
exercise that’s best for you, and then having the specific
knowledge to begin training in a way that will be beneficial and not harmful.
It’s actually easy to hurt yourself if you’re returning to exercise after an absence of many years or, for
some people, of decades. Doing too much too soon is a typical cause of an
exercise-related injury. Doing the wrong type of exercise for your level of
preparation is another major cause of these injuries.
Getting hurt doing exercise is a real deal-breaker for people who
didn’t really want to exercise in the first place. If you haven’t exercised in years, finally work up the motivation to start doing
something, and hurt yourself after a few days or weeks of your new program,
quitting and never going back becomes a very attractive option.
But exercise is a key factor in maintaining proper spinal
alignment and overall health and wellness. If you’re
committed to the long-term health and well-being of yourself and your family,
regular vigorous exercise is critical. The solution, at least in the initial
phases of returning to fitness, is walking for exercise. Walking avoids the
vast majority of pitfalls associated with other types of exercise. Walking is
low-impact, requires minimal equipment, and no gym memberships are needed.
Walking is done outside in fresh air and sunshine, providing many additional
benefits beyond those gained by exercise as such.
Walking is excellent exercise, and yet it’s
important to follow some basic guidelines.
Starting slowly is the main consideration. If you haven’t done any vigorous physical activity for months or years, 10
minutes of walking at a modest pace should be sufficient for your first day of
walking. Five minutes out and five minutes back. Make 10 minutes your limit
even if that amount feels like too little. It’s always better
to do a little less exercise than a little too much. Add approximately a minute
a day, until you’re doing a 30-minute walk at a modest pace. With
this quantity of comfortable walking, you can now begin to increase your pace.
Ultimately, 30 minutes of walking at a brisk pace will provide sufficient
health benefits for most people, based on the principle of five or six vigorous
exercise sessions per week.
The long-term results of such a program are profound. Consistent
vigorous exercise helps to lower blood pressure, prevent heart disease, reduce
the incidence of stroke, reduce the incidence of diabetes and obesity, and
improve outcomes in patients with cancer. Walking for exercise is an efficient,
enjoyable, and easy way to enable you and your family to begin obtaining these
long-term health benefits.
References:
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention: Vital signs: walking among adults - United States, 2005 and 2010.
MMWR Morbid Mortal Wkly Rep 61:595-601, 2012
Lima LG, et al: Effect of a single
session of aerobic walking exercise on arterial pressure in community-living
elderly individuals. Hypertens Res 35(4):457-462, 2012
Subramanian H, et al:
Non-pharmacological Interventions in Hypertension: A Community-based Cross-over
Randomized Controlled Trial. Indian J Community Med 36(3):191-196, 2011
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