The benefits of walking have been known since ancient times - it is movement that protects against many diseases associated with a sedentary lifestyle, as well as an effective way not to gain excess weight.
Nowadays, more and more people grow into office chairs, and children into sofas, lying on them in an embrace with a tablet. Seniors keep up with the purchase of all new channel packages for a comfortable pastime in a cozy armchair. As a result, the World Health Organization is sounding the alarm - every year all diseases are getting younger, the age of mortality is decreasing, and it is increasingly difficult to find an absolutely healthy person among the adult working population. The reason is a sedentary lifestyle - an enemy that is difficult to recognize before it is too late. But you just have to force yourself to walk - from home to work or back, but regularly, and you compensate for the rest with adequate physical activity.
Everyone remembers the famous expression: "Movement is life", and it is, indeed, true. Any organism needs constant activity to function properly. Think of at least one overweight athlete! When we move and move, all internal organs and systems are also actively working. People who are more often motionless sooner or later encounter a whole series of chronic ailments that seem to have arisen out of nowhere. Sick heart, malfunctioning of the digestive tract and metabolic systems, obesity, headaches, fatigue, joint problems - and this is just the tip of the iceberg!
Why walking is useful - let's try to find out, and also figure out how to walk with maximum benefit.
Benefits for women
Let's start with the fact that we will find out what is the use of walking for women - it is important for them not only to be healthy, but also to preserve youth and natural beauty as long as possible.
- Regular walks in sufficient quantities are a full-fledged physical activity, which means that their benefits in promoting weight loss;
- Evening walks are a great way to relax, calm down, and have a good night's sleep;
- Walking on foot stimulates better blood circulation, which means that cells receive maximum nutrition, as well as oxygen saturation;
- Cosmetologists note the benefits for skin, hair, nails, due to additional oxygenation;
- The mood rises, which means that the woman begins to look better;
- By improving the blood supply to the pelvic organs, the reproductive function is improving;
- Ask if walking is good for the heart, and we will answer: "Yes", it is adequate physical activity, which allows both to load the heart, and not to overexert it too much. This is why many heart patients are advised to practice daily walking at a relaxed pace.
We have found out why walking is useful for women, and now let's move on to the list of advantages for a strong half of humanity.
Benefits for men
The harm and benefits of walking on foot for men are not comparable - if movement is not contraindicated for you, it will only benefit! In what cases it is not recommended to move:
- Immediately after a heart attack or stroke;
- In conditions accompanied by an increase in temperature;
- In case of acute pain;
- With an increase or a sharp decrease in blood pressure;
- With pulmonary insufficiency.
So why walking is beneficial for men, let's identify specific benefits beyond those listed in the section above:
- Regular physical activity has a positive effect on potency. More than half of patients diagnosed with impotence do not move much!
- Due to the high-quality saturation of cells with oxygen, the mobility of spermatozoa improves, which positively affects the reproductive ability of a man;
- Walking helps to relieve stress, release accumulated irritation, and relax;
- Note the benefits of walking for smokers - walking strengthens the respiratory system.
How to get the most out of walking?
We have examined and proved the benefits of walking for the body and health of men and women, and now, let's find out how to walk as productively as possible.
- Decide what goal you are pursuing from exercise - weight loss or muscle tone;
- To lose weight, you should walk at an average or high speed, and to warm up, you can move in a calm rhythm;
- Buy a heart rate monitor and monitor your heart rate - the recommended limit is 80 beats per minute;
- The number of steps per minute for each athlete will be different - both the length of the stride (depending on height) and the pace of movement matter. The optimal amount that should be adhered to so that walking gives benefit is 90-12 steps per minute. It is allowed to alternate a slow and fast rhythm;
- Increase the load regularly;
- The recommended time for one workout is 1 hour. We have listed above what walking for an hour every day for women gives, but do not be discouraged if you cannot allocate so much time for the lesson. Install on your smartphone a special application for running and more, which counts your steps and control the movements you make during the day.
- If you have the opportunity to get out for a daily separate workout, consider a route - it should be away from gas-filled highways, dusty neighborhoods and crowded streets. It is optimal to walk in parks or on special jogging tracks;
- It is advisable to walk in the morning, but if you can’t take the morning hours for training, walk in the afternoon or evening;
- How walking affects the body and human health and what are its benefits, we found out, but do you know how you can harm physical activity without a warm-up? That is why any activity, even walking, should begin with warming up and training muscles, ligaments and joints. It is desirable to complete the workout with breathing exercises and stretching.
Consider the correct walking technique:
- Keep your back straight, look forward, arms relaxed, bent at the elbows;
- Start slowly, gradually accelerate to the desired pace;
- The foot is first placed on the heel, then rolled onto the toe;
- Pull in your stomach slightly, breathe deeply, taking an inhale or exhale for every second step;
- Take care of a comfortable sports form, and, most importantly, comfortable shoes.
This article has come to a close, we hope we have convinced you that walking is of great benefit. If you are interested in what kind of walking is good for the health of women and men, we will answer: "Any" and we will be right. Sports, classical, Scandinavian walking - they are all movement. And movement, we repeat, is life!
