Healthy Life: Just a cake ‘walk’

By Dhiraj Khatri

At a time when you are not sure about timely intake of daily meals, devoting time for physical activity seems a distant dream. You are grappling to prove your worth, but at the cost of your precious health.

The fast paced life leaves you with no time to concentrate on your health. Every new year, you make a resolution to start exercising or join the gym but within few months it becomes a distant dream due to work and family priorities

In such a tight schedule even a 30 minute walk can work wonders for you – compared to not indulging in any physical activity at all. Yes, I said WALKING and it is the only activity which you don’t need to learn or need any specific equipment, all you need is your will.

Scientists at the US National Cancer Institute found that just 10 minutes of walking (or any other physical activity) can add 1.8 years more to your life!

For the study, the researchers considered 650,000 men and women – both aged 40 and older in Sweden and the US, who reported their activity levels. It showed that even as little as 75 minutes of walk a week extended life expectancy by nearly two years.

Walking is the basic and the best exercise. Besides benefitting your heart and lungs, brief walking takes care of your joints since body tends to move in coordination with the joints and nerves. If you wish to cherish good health, take out time for a short walk.

In addition, it was also found that brisk walking for 450 minutes a week, which is just over an hour each day, allows you to stay for 4.5 years more. Do it on a regular basis if you wish to get results. Opting it once or twice a week will not be so beneficial.

Now when I say walking 30 minutes a day means it should be a walk a continuous rhythmic walk. It should not be spilt during the day — like 10 minutes in morning , 10 in the afternoon or during lunchtime or five minutes to car parking, that’s your daily activity which your body has been adapted to.

Your body needs a bigger challenge other than the daily activities. Your body will find it difficult to even walk for that long for a few days or weeks. But the good news is it starts getting easier. That’s just because human body is so adaptive, in order to keep on getting benefits you need to give further challenge like increase in speed or less rest or longer duration. All you need is to keep on moving. Our body is made to move, our joints are made to be loaded, our muscles are made to work and all together life is all about moving. “I often say the more you walk and the less you age. “

Be it morning or evening– whenever you feel take a quick walk, just go for it!