“There are some good things to be said about walking. Not
many, but some. Walking takes longer, for example, than any other known form of
locomotion except crawling. Thus it stretches time and prolongs life. Life is
already too short to waste on speed. I have a friend who's always in a hurry;
he never gets anywhere. Walking makes the world much bigger and thus more
interesting. You have time to observe the details. The utopian technologists
foresee a future for us in which distance is annihilated. … To be everywhere at
once is to be nowhere forever, if you ask me.”
― Edward Abbey
Walking is one of the most basic forms of
movement, yet its benefits are often widely forgotten in the frantic pace of
today. According to the American Heart Association, walking is the “simplest
positive change you can make to effectively improve your heart health.”
Numerous studies show that walking for at least 30 minutes a day can help
reduce the risk for osteoporosis, breast or colon cancer, coronary heart
disease, and type 2 diabetes. Not only does it reduce all of those, but it also
helps you maintain your body weight (and lower the risk for obesity) and
improve your blood lipid profiles, blood pressure, and your blood sugar levels.
Even just taking a walk before or after lunch has been shown to enhance your mood, increase your level of
aerobic fitness, and help you become more enthusiastic, less tense, more
relaxed, and able to cope, as compared to not taking that lunchtime stroll. So
rise up! Go forth and embrace the elixir of fresh air and movement!
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