The very nature provides that a person must constantly walk. Motor activity is the basis of our life and health. But despite this, we year after year, in every way we are trying to shorten our lives, since we have reduced physical activity to a minimum. Scientists have concluded that the exercise of modern people has decreased by 50-100 times in comparison with the past centuries.
Imagine, even in the middle of the XIX century, the physical load of people was much higher than now. Peasants spent 5-6 thousand calories per day, aristocrats - were actively involved in fencing, skating, horse riding. What are their endless balls, in which they never tired of dancing 15-20 dances? Agree, not everyone can withstand such a rhythm.
In ancient China, there was even a form of punishment that deprived a person of physical activity. The guilty were put in a rather small cell, where he could either lie down or sit. A few months of such torment and the man weakened so much that he could not move independently, so much the muscles of his limbs became atrophied.
Pay attention to the behavior of our children. Their special mobility, activity and vigor immediately catches the eye. The older a child becomes, the lazier he is. An adult person, at times, cannot be forced to do something against his will, and his motor activity is very passive. This is the main problem of the inhabitants of megalopolises.
But there is another extreme when people, striving to achieve an ideal in their figure, disappear in gyms and torture themselves to seventh sweat, which is also fraught with problems.
There are various theories that every living individual is given the necessary amount of vital energy.
Health benefits of walking
- From the medical point of view, the most useful type in maintaining a person’s tone is walking and light exercises that involve different muscle groups. For example, ordinary walking can bring a lot of benefits for your body: sleep is normalized, bowel performance improves.
- But, always and in everything, there must be a happy medium, and the right approach is necessary for walking. The amount of physical activity in any case should not be excessive, and at the first sign of fatigue, they should stop.
- When walking, almost all muscles are involved, the cardiovascular system is activated, cholesterol content and blood pressure are reduced in the blood.
- In addition, it should be noted that walking is the safest, besides, a useful form of fitness. Trauma when walking to get more need to try. Walking is much more useful for vessels than aerobics and running, because of the small load on.
- When “sedentary” work, be sure to try to include in your schedule walking minutes and small warm-ups. Take the opportunity to walk, at least one stop, to fresh air.
- In Japan, they believe that a person must make 10 thousand steps during the day, and since the Japanese are a disciplined and punctual nation, they do not allow themselves to be lazy and scrupulously follow this rule. And, as a result, their life expectancy is one of the highest in the world.
- The most interesting thing is that for walking, there is no need for special equipment, a specific place and time. You can walk alone or invite a friend.
- Walking is good for your good sleep. After hiking, clearly, it is easier to fall asleep.
- With intensive walking, blood is activated, it moves more easily through the vessels, enriches the spleen, liver, pancreas and washes away harmful toxins.
- Walking has a positive effect on joints and the spine. The intervertebral discs, while walking, either contract, or tend to relax, as if massage actions take place.
- Walking, moreover, is a great way to escape from dark thoughts and relax. During walking, the heart rate is normalized and our internal state is harmonized.
- Go everywhere and always! Remember - movement is life and the more you move, the more and healthier you will live.
It would seem that the benefits of walking on foot have long been explained by doctors, and she herself was recommended by coaches. However, most people are still going to the store, looking for a minibus. Some even go to a carriage for cigarettes by car. And all while complaining about the "beer" belly, interruptions in the heart and weakness in the legs, if you have to stand in line.
Lose weight without problems
In the list of what walking is useful for, the most attractive item for many will be weight loss. People usually begin to think about health when problems begin with it, but their attractiveness has been troubling almost since the moment it began to be lost. And it is even good: starting to walk for weight loss, a person at the same time and health will strengthen.
The researchers found that the benefits of walking on foot to gain harmony are much higher than from regular visits to the gym. Walking is more effective than diets and gives a more stable result, unless, of course, is not accompanied by gluttony. When walking on foot for half an hour, "burned" as much fat as you spend in the fitness room for an hour. And at the same time for such training you do not have to pay. In addition, the load during walking is natural and evenly distributed. You are not threatened with "pretension" or overload of certain muscle groups. And an additional bonus can be considered an improvement in posture, if at first you teach yourself to walk with your shoulders turned. By the way, it is easy to do: it is enough to wear a slightly loaded backpack on both straps. 
Let's say no to old age
The undoubted advantage of walking on foot is also observed for those who want to push as far as possible the advance of senile infirmity. The most common cause of age-related mortality is strokes and heart attacks. And they are caused by weakness of blood vessels and heart muscle. To strengthen them, static loads - weightlifting, training on simulators, etc. - are not very suitable. But clean air, rhythmic movements and uniformity of the load cope with the task as “excellent”. The pressure stabilizes - the vessels no longer experience excessive effects. The heart catches the desired rhythm and is not overloaded, at the same time strengthening.
Fighting apathy and depression
Another reason for rapid aging is stress, without which our life is not complete, even if we carefully avoid unpleasant impressions and sensations. The advantage of walking on foot is also in the fact that it quickly and drug-free eliminates the effects of nervous shocks.
European doctors conducted a large-scale study of the age group from 40 to 65 years. It was carried out for many years and gave stunning results: the risk of heart disease drops by almost half, if people at about three hours every day just walk at a fast pace. In addition, among those who like to walk, senile dementia, atherosclerosis and other diseases frequent at their age were not observed. 
Prevent dangerous diseases
The list, what is useful in walking, is long and convincing. His most convincing points are:
- Reducing the "harmful" cholesterol in the blood naturally to a minimum. And that means - preventing the occurrence of related diseases.
- At least a third decreases the likelihood of diabetes.
- In women, the risk of getting a breast tumor is markedly reduced, in men, prostate cancer, and in those and others, bowel oncology.
- Without medical intervention (including medications), the work of the gastrointestinal tract is normalized.
- The risk of developing glaucoma falls almost to zero.
- Strengthening the skeleton and joints prevents the development of osteoporosis, arthritis and rheumatism.
- Immunity grows: “walkers” do not pick up the virus even in the midst of epidemics.
True, to achieve such results, the daily benefits of one-time walks are much lower. 
How long does it take to walk?
An average person who leaves the house only on the bus to the service and on the tram to the store, on a working day, makes no more than 3 thousand steps. It is so small that the unpleasant consequences for the body can be considered provided.
If a person is more conscious and travels to work (located nearby) on foot, he walks about 5 thousand times. Better - but still not enough. In order not to lose this nature, it is required to take at least 10 thousand steps daily, which will be approximately 7.5 km. With an average speed of movement you need to travel about two hours - and your health will not leave you. 
Where and how best to walk?
It is advisable to correctly select places for walking. Naturally, if you combine walking with a trip to work, too much correction of the route will not work. However, walks in your free time allow you to choose a "useful" trajectory of movement. Parks are best suited for this purpose: there is unpolluted, clean air, fairly flat paths, quite suitable for walking, plus at least some nature. If there is no park nearby, choose a route away from traffic arteries. At least in the courtyards of houses.
In addition, the advantage of walking on foot is observed only if a person is going energetically. When you wander slowly and sadly, your body works in a mode that is slightly different from the rest mode.
No special walking equipment is required. The only thing worth paying attention to is shoes. Flip-flops or heels are clearly not suitable for a long and vigorous walk.
Only fresh air!
I would also like to note that walking down the street can not be replaced by the use of a treadmill at a sports club, even in the most intensive mode. You only need to walk outside: here you get your dose of the sun, which causes your body to produce vitamin D. Without it, the healing effect will be much lower, although the weight loss will remain at the same level. And do not need to dissuade clouds. Even on an overcast day, sunlight is enough to stimulate the production of valuable vitamin in the right amount. 
How to train yourself to walk?
Laziness, they say, is the engine of progress. But it is also a stop crane for keeping fit. You do not want to make extra gestures, and the person begins to justify himself with lack of time or other objective circumstances. However, you can gently force yourself to start walking. The methods are simple and feasible.
- If your office is two stops away from home, go to work and back on foot. If you can’t do without a trip by transport, get off to a stop earlier when traveling by metro and two, if you travel by bus, tram or trolleybus.
- Do not bring your brakes to work, take a walk for lunch at a cafe. And not the closest.
- Forget about the elevator. Let you live on the 20th floor - walk. For a start, just down, with time and go back home by the stairs. In addition to weight loss, health promotion and the development of "breathing", you will also find elastic buttocks by the summer, with which you are not ashamed to appear on the beach even in a bathing suit with thongs.
Having appreciated all the advantages of walking, each person should make a first effort over himself and support him throughout his life. Unless, of course, in a shallow old age, he does not want to remind himself of the ruin and regret the missed opportunities. In the end, walking is just interesting. If you can't walk aimlessly, set yourself a task to walk to the beach, museum or your favorite cafe. Or find a like-minded person who will be curious to talk while walking. Or get a dog.
From early childhood we are told that we need to walk a lot. Walking is the most universal means of physical exertion on the body. She has practically no contraindications, she does not need special clothes and accessories.
Walking is possible at any age. This lesson can be successfully combined with work, going 1-2 stops before the one you need. If you are a young mother, then there are no problems at all, take a stroller with a baby and go on a leisurely walk to the nearest park. And the child walks, and you relax! Many mummies with wheelchairs just sit on the bench, although walking is much more useful for the body and more interesting for itself. If you have firmly decided to engage in such a simple affair as walking, you can not do without counting steps. For this there are special devices, called pedometers. They allow you to calculate the number of steps. If you do this every day, you can gradually increase the number of steps and, accordingly, improve the result to which you aspire. If you buy this device is not possible, focus on your body, the feeling of tension in the legs and gradually increase the time and pace of walking.
Types of walking
Walking is of several kinds.
- Wellness
- Scandinavian
- Energy
- Sports
- Slimming
Wellness walk available to everyone. Depending on the pace it can be slow, medium, fast and very fast. Does not involve the use of special equipment.
Nordic walking involves the use of special sticks, which can be purchased at a sports store for prices ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 rubles per piece. There are more expensive options. Sticks are very strong, while light. It is a less traumatic sport that allows you to avoid unwanted injuries. Sticks take up to 1/3 of the load, which during normal walking falls on the arms and back. This kind of walking is very popular lately. It has no contraindications, evenly distributing the load on all parts of the body. The spine is straightened, not overloaded, remains in good shape. Sticks allow you to increase the length of the step and transfer part of the load on the upper shoulder girdle. With such a walk, they first step on the heel, then on the toe. The case leans slightly forward.
When energetic walking hands are very active along with the body, activating the entire body. When this happens, the work of the blood-forming organs improves, energy comes to the whole organism, more energy is spent. Such walking is like running. Special sticks can also be used, but not the same sticks used for Nordic walking.
Walking - fast movements at a speed of 2-3 times higher than a recreational walk. It also involves the hands, the steps are done more often and longer than usual. The main principle of such walking is that all the time one leg is in the air - right, then left. Both legs should not be on the ground at the same time. One leg is held straight until weight is transferred to it. In this case, the person works with his hands and shakes his pelvis. This kind of walking is an Olympic sport. The only restriction is flatfoot, with it the load will not be able to be redistributed correctly and you can get injured.
Slimming walking - this is walking at a fast pace. In order to lose weight, you need to move fast enough and over long distances. But the pace should be fast, not slow. Otherwise, you will simply walk, and overweight will not help in losing weight.
When trying to lose weight with walking, the average walking speed should be about 6 km / h. The duration of the walk is at least 30 minutes. The longer you walk, the faster you can lose weight. At the same time, you should feel how the muscles are tense. You should be thrown into the pot, then you can achieve the desired result. In this case, it is useful not only to walk, but also to exercise. And of course, the right nutrition has not been canceled.
The benefits of walking for the body
Walking is beneficial to the body in many ways, it rejuvenates, prevents the occurrence of chronic age-related diseases, normalizes pressure, mobilizes forces, helps to keep strength and thoughts in tone, helps to lose weight.
Walking helps to activate the whole body. Even at an average pace, the body will experience incomparable benefits. How does walking to health, see the video below.
Effect of walking on the spine
First of all, walking is good for the spine, strengthening it and massaging the vertebrae, which, when walking, become stronger and take their place. Blood begins to be delivered even in remote places, swinging the vertebrae creates a massage effect.
Walking nourishes all organs with oxygen, removes toxins from the body. The work of the heart is activated, the level of cholesterol in the body decreases, the pressure decreases.
Walking is available to absolutely everyone, it does not need extra costs in the form of a suit and equipment. Walking trains the muscles of the legs, being the prevention of osteoporosis, trains breathing, heart muscle, the blood begins to swing with more force. This kind of load allows you to get rid of shortness of breath.
Half an hour of walking can reduce blood sugar levels, strengthen bones and muscles, improve your health, increase resistance to stress.
Harm and contraindications
Harm walking can cause only if you have neglected the rules of safety: put on uncomfortable shoes or clothes, did not remove the jewelry, too quickly increase the pace. It is also important to follow the breath. Improper breathing when walking can cause more harm than good. When walking fast, there is a risk of damaging the knee, so keep an eye on your knees. If they have started to hurt you, it is better to postpone classes for a while and consult with a specialist.
Contraindications to this sport quite a bit. We list them:
- Viral infections
- Recently transferred operations
- Chronic Acute Diseases
- High blood pressure
- Flat feet
- Injuries to hands and joints
- Deviations in the development of the musculoskeletal system
- Heart disease
In all these cases, you need to consult with your doctor about the possibility of walking at a leisurely pace for short distances. With flat-footedness, the load during walking is not properly distributed, and it is possible to harm your condition even more.
What is necessary for practicing walking
Before walking and after it is necessary to drink a glass of water to compensate for the loss of fluid. You can take a bottle with warm, not hot water for a walk and drink during breaks. Clothing should be comfortable, not chilling movement. The best is for this sports suit and sneakers. Shoes with heels should be excluded. You can take a player for a walk, combining business with pleasure. After classes on arrival home you can eat, but do not overeat. When you enter the rut and the lessons will become a habit for you, the pace can be increased. Walking is useful to combine with morning exercises.
Norm steps per day
It is believed that for good health per day, you need to do at least 10,000 steps - which is 6-8 km, depending on the length of the step. It is estimated that the average person does about 3000 steps per day, taking into account walking at work and at home. Therefore, to gain the necessary number of steps - you need to try hard, and give extra walking for about an hour a day.
True, many experts believe that only “clean” steps are taken into account, i.e. walking around the house or doing business has nothing to do with it. If it is cold or raining outside, a treadmill will help replace walking. You can not only run on it, but also walk in a hurried pace. It is important to control breathing and your condition and not forget about mileage.
When, how much and at what age can you walk
Walking is the only kind of exercise that is shown at any age and in any weather. Here the main thing - do not overdo it. Even people with very high weight can go in for walking.
The best time to walk is the morning hours. the body will be able to wake up better, metabolism processes will start, the body will begin to break down fats after an overnight fast, helping you lose weight. This walk can be done in the evening, but not just before bedtime.
If you are just starting to engage in walking, then chasing the results immediately is not necessary. At first, it is better to walk at a slow pace, gradually increasing the time of the lesson, then increase the pace of the walk. You need to start walks with short walks, increasing the time of classes up to 1 hour.
When walking, you should keep your back straight, shoulders back and spread to the sides, you can not slouch. Also, do not forget about proper breathing: inhaling is performed through the nose, exhalation - only through the mouth. Breathing is better commensurate with the steps. When walking, it is better to be silent so as not to knock your breath.
At the beginning and end of the workout pace should be unhurried. After 5-10 minutes with good health pace can be increased.
Older people can and should also walk, while controlling their breathing and heart rate. If you feel short of breath, just slow down. With the normalization of breathing, the pace can again be increased. For older people, the walking time should not exceed 1 hour with good health. Older people are better off walking on level ground, you need to start at a pace of 70 steps per minute, after 2 weeks you need to bring the pace to 110 steps per minute. It is useful for older people to walk in the evening, take off daytime fatigue.
The rapid pace, radiant smile, a feeling of lightness and unlimited supply of vitality - the standard of a healthy person. Reaching the ideal is far from easy for people who are carried away by career achievements, building a personal life, a favorite thing. Someone iron, someone runs, and someone loves to walk - and makes himself a figure no worse than runners or other athletes.
About the fact that you need to move a lot, now they write in any article about a healthy lifestyle. Let's see what exactly is walking on foot useful for?
Walking: the benefits and harm
Were you on a regular walk about 10 years ago? Last time engaged in sports exercises at school? Then bring the body back to normal will not be easy! At first, heavy loads are absolutely contraindicated, even if a weakened organism even perceives the usual climb up the stairs as torture. In my opinion, walking for health is an ideal way to strengthen your body and morale.
Dietitians and doctors urge us to maintain a proper lifestyle, fitness equipment and fitness instructors develop complex weight loss programs, strict diets and require ultra-precise adherence to the daily regimen. Meanwhile, normal recreational walking can bring more benefits than heavy physical exertion. What is useful walking on foot? First of all, minimal harm and good health effect!
And with the help of walking on foot, you can lose weight, if you correctly approach this.
The benefits of walking are not obvious to everyone. Unfortunately, many consider walking as a waste of time. The habitual rhythm of city life leaves no place for unhurried dreams in the shade of trees, for enjoying the landscapes of the morning park or admiring the evening lights. Cause requires our participation, and the body, meanwhile, suffers from hypodynamia.
What about harm - it's just not there :)
Here are some good reasons to walk more:
Physical body
The main cause of the fall in immunity and premature aging is the lack of sufficient physical activity. Nature has adapted our body to survive in the most difficult conditions. Excessive effeminacy quickly disables the entire body.
- Brisk walking simultaneously tones virtually all muscles. Not only the legs are tense, but also the muscles of the body (abdomen, back, thoracic). This contributes to the uniform strengthening of muscles, slow and harmless weight loss, improving the condition of the skin (anti-cellulite effect).
- Spinal condition improves due to the strengthening of the muscular frame, uniform blood flow to all departments, direct circulation with straightened shoulders.
- The benefits of walking on the physical level, it is felt already after 2–3 weeks of training (3 times a week for 1–1.5 hours) - endurance increases, sleep improves.
Internal organs
Hypodynamia occurs as a natural consequence of a sedentary lifestyle. Most chronic diseases and disorders of the internal organs are associated with a lack of physical activity.
- The cardiovascular system responds instantly to recreational walking. Moderate cardio loads “make” the heart work better - regular exercise normalizes the pulse, blood pressure, improves blood circulation.
- The benefits of walking are indisputable for people prone to tachycardia. Long walks are shown to every person whose relatives have suffered from heart attacks and strokes.
- Fresh air and proper breathing help improve the performance of the respiratory system. The risk of pneumonia, severe bronchitis, and colds is reduced. The body receives much-needed oxygen saturation, which helps to rejuvenate and strengthen the immune system.
- Motor activity leads to proper absorption of sugar and other nutrients. Work of the digestive system is normalized, appetite improves, weight returns to normal without cruel diets.
Nervous system
Is walking on foot good for the nervous system? Of course, it will not cure complex diseases associated with irreversible damage to brain tissue. However, after any serious injury or illness, doctors prescribe health walking, naturally considering it a simple and effective way to restore the body.
How useful is walking for the nervous system?
- Improving the state of the spine and stimulating blood circulation leads to the restoration of nerve fibers. The brain gets more nutrition, which contributes to increased reactions to the outside world. Therefore, long walks are necessary for people working with complex mechanisms.
- Uniform loads, unhurried rhythm, beautiful landscapes contribute to the restoration of the nervous system.Walking before bed will ensure a quick sleep, a good sleep.
Mental condition
The benefits of walking on foot quickly affect mental state.
- Walking allows you to “air the brain” - switch from complex life tasks, relax, dream. It is useful for creative people to walk alone, letting thoughts flow freely. Many brilliant discoveries are the results of frequent walks of their authors.
- A walk is a way of communication. A busy person rarely finds time for carefree communication with friends, while friendship is an absolute must for most people! Slow walks allow you to have a leisurely conversation and at the same time engage in health promotion.
Ordinary walks are very different from recreational walking, but even they have a positive effect on the body. If you are just starting out and are not ready for intensive training, you should not demand the impossible from yourself. Start with a long, slow walk through the park or your favorite city streets. And when these unhurried walks cease to seem difficult, you can easily switch to health walking.
Go to your health!
Some people consider walking to be a panacea that can cure various diseases, not only existing ones, but also those that can appear with age. Doctors say that walking is much more useful than running or doing other exercises.
The advantage of walking is not only a favorable effect on the physical health of a person, but also on his psycho-emotional state.
What are the benefits of walking for health?
- During circulation, there is a more intensive movement of blood through the vessels, respectively, all organs are more saturated with oxygen, which leads to an improvement in their work.
- Walking prevents the development of cardiovascular diseases, as well as helps to overcome them, by strengthening the walls of blood vessels and heart muscle.
- Daily walks help reduce the amount of cholesterol in the blood.
- Walking has a healing effect on the respiratory system.
- Hiking trips prevent the development of severe endocrine pathologies.
- Walking on foot has a beneficial effect on the digestive system, contributing to the acceleration of metabolic processes and the removal of toxic substances from the body.
- During walks, the condition of the joints, bones and spinal column is improved.
- Walking hardens the body. Due to the strengthening of the immune system, a person rarely suffers from a cold.
- Favorable effect on the eyes. Especially useful are walks in a park or a forest where there are a lot of trees, since looking at greener relieves tension from the eyes and improves vision.
- There is a strengthening of the muscles.
- Hiking helps to lose weight.
- Slowing the aging of body cells.
- Man becomes more enduring.
- Walking is considered a natural antidepressant. Unhurried walk helps, and improve mood. Man becomes energetic. Find out in our article about, and ease your well-being.
The benefits of walking: when, how and how much
The main rule of walking is its regularity. Hiking should not be affected by the seasons and weather conditions. At first, many people cannot bring themselves to walk every day. But after they have passed this initial stage, the walk begins to give them pleasure. Such people no longer represent their lives without regular walking.
To get the most benefit from walking, you need to follow some simple rules:
- The pace should be fast enough, but you do not need to “almost run”. The walk should be fun, without causing pain and increased breathing. Great benefit brings alternate walking, that is, a couple of minutes of fast speed are replaced by a slow pace and vice versa.
- First you need to walk a little. The load increase should be gradual. The same goes for tempo. During the first walks you need to walk at a moderate pace, gradually increasing it. This will allow the body to get used to new loads.
- When walking, the head must be kept raised.
- Shoulders should be lowered and relaxed.
- At each step, the foot must be repelled.
- Walk better on uneven, elevated areas.
- At this time, try to think about something good.
The duration of the walk should be about half an hour. If during this time you are very tired, then you can start with 10-15-minute walks, and eventually lengthen them. Walking is equally useful at any time of the day.
Walking is the easiest way to help improve your health. But do not forget that walking is only part of a healthy lifestyle. About that, read the article of the same name on our website.