Walking For Health

Thirty years ago the average child walked to school. Twenty years ago the child was content to ride on a bus occasionally. Ten years ago he tried to talk dad into giving him the family car once in a while. Today he is extremely unhappy and often refuses to go to school unless he has his own automobile or is driven both ways. If you have had the opportunity to visit a foreign country, one difference strikes you almost immediately upon getting off the plane or ship. People walk, people bicycle, people participate in sports activities-especially children and teenagers.

Our high standard of living and our automated age seem to have made the United States’ population a riding and viewing one, rather than a participating one. Review your family’s living habits. If your family eats too much, rides too much, and exercises too little, this might be a good time to turn around and go back to some of the wholesome activities that were popular 30 to 40 years ago.

Walking is a great cardiovascular non-impact exercise. When people start exercising after being sedentary, they often experience “pains of mysterious origin” in their neck, back and or extremities. This is very common and should be expected in cases where activity increase has jumped up over a short span of time. Soaking in a hot bathtub with 2 cups of Epsom salts for 20 minutes could help tremendously. Stretching before and after exercise is also very beneficial, and could reduce conditioning soreness. Sometimes days or even months pass before pain appears, causing the walker to seek treatment for conditions other than the causative disorder. Keeping this in mind, could take the element of surprise out of the activity. From a cardiovascular standpoint remember to exercise at target heart rate, 185 minus your age, and like any exercise, remember to start slow and gradually increase your activity.

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