Walking in the fresh air - what is the benefit of them? Fresh air: the benefits of walks in the forest and mountains for adults and children

For a long time, people have used walking as more than just a way to lose weight. excess weight.

Walking is an effective way to protect your body from various diseases that are inherent in every body as it grows older and increases in fat mass.

The human body works in such a way that in order to maintain its proper functioning it is necessary to be in motion all the time.

Therefore, this fact has become the reason that people who spend most of their lives in a stationary position are much more prone to many diseases, including heart failure or disorders of the digestive tract.

Researchers who work with the prerequisites for obesity argue that excess weight is influenced not by the calorie content of food, but by an immobile, sedentary lifestyle.

Walking is a beneficial physical exercise that can help people maintain their health and look good in old age. Walking is a great way to manage your excess weight.

Slim figure

Systematic walking is in an effective way to get rid of extra pounds. People who have problems with weight in the gluteal and thigh areas begin to lose volume within a few weeks of starting training.

This means that walking promotes rapid metabolism, which, in turn, does not allow excess fat to accumulate in the body.

Full sleep

Walking helps reduce the level of the hormone cortisol, thereby improving sleep. Walking is best done in evening time, After dinner.

This will allow you to digest food efficiently and full stomach will not cause discomfort during sleep. Also, if a person is in a state of strong anxiety, then walking is a great way to get rid of stress.

Strong immunity

It has been scientifically proven that walking allows blood to circulate actively, delivering oxygen to all parts of the body. There are several elements in the blood that help the body fight various infections.

Blood circulation allows protective elements to circulate in the human body, destroying everything harmful bacteria threatening health.

Durable Skeleton

The most famous age-related problem associated with bone tissue, is osteoporosis. Natural wear and tear on the skeleton can be delayed by walking.

Hiking are considered moderate exercise, which, together with the calcium consumed, will have a positive effect on bone health.

Correct functioning of the heart

Cardio training combined with walking will help improve the quality of the heart and blood vessels. Walking helps train the heart muscles, allowing them to work harder and better.

Protection against hypertension

Suffer from hypertension a large number of people leading a largely sedentary lifestyle. However, morning and evening walks can protect the body from this disease.

Thanks to walking, the deposition of excess fatty tissue is prevented, the walls of blood vessels are strengthened, so an abundance of blood passes through them with normal division. Additional adipose tissue constricts blood vessels, which causes high blood pressure.

Always in a good mood

Walking, like any physical activity, helps produce joy hormones, giving a person positive emotions and a feeling of happiness. Walking stimulates mental abilities as the brain receives more oxygen.

For this reason, a person begins to look at everyday things more logically and judiciously, understanding things much better. possible problems and the reasons for their decision.

Healthy lungs

Fresh air, which a person breathes while walking, improves the functioning of the lungs and respiratory muscles. The air that a person consumes indoors contains a much lower concentration of oxygen.

Therefore, walking is much healthier than exercise in enclosed spaces.

No to diabetes

Diabetes, as is known, can be transmitted along hereditary lines. But systematic walking in the fresh air will help break this painful chain. Thanks to walking, metabolism improves, so blood sugar and insulin levels are much better regulated.

New acquaintances

While walking, you can easily meet like-minded people with whom you can later organize joint recreational walks.

Live communication along with physical activity - best medicine from all problems.

Walking: where to start?

In order to start walking, you need to set specific goals for yourself. If your desire is to simply strengthen your muscles, then taking daily walks for half an hour will be enough.

If a person wants to get rid of extra pounds, then to regular walks you need to add brisk walking lasting 40-45 minutes several times a week.

Walking can replace traveling by transport over short distances. You can also refuse to use the elevator in favor of walking up the stairs - this is also a great way to burn calories.

You should start walking with a warm-up. The first five minutes the pace is slow, gradually developing into a brisk one. You should not ignore correct posture; you need to keep your back straight, your stomach should be pulled in a little, and your shoulders should be straightened.

The foot is placed on the heel, rolling onto the toe. The front of the foot helps push off the ground. In order to speed up, you don’t have to take a wider step, you just need to make it faster.

Keep your arms correctly bent elbow joint, moving them in the direction from the waist to the chest and back. The speed is also reduced gradually. The last minutes of walking pass at the same slow pace, while you need to breathe deeply and smoothly.

You can go hiking in any area, in any weather. Of course, it is best to do this in parks, since the air there is cleaner.

You should only walk on level paths, for example, on soft ground. This will ensure your feet have proper cushioning. Shoes should be of high quality, with soles that are not too thin and hard.

For this activity, a specialized sport shoes, which is designed specifically for this type of activity.

• The championship in all Olympic distances in race walking is occupied by Russian athletes - Olympiada Ivanova, Sergei Morozov and Denis Nizhnegorodov.
• The characteristic hip swings of walkers, which look a little unusual from the outside, help athletes increase their speed of movement.
• The standard speed of a top-class walker is 15 km per hour. This is half the speed of a sprinter, however, 2 times the speed of a breaststroke swimmer and 3 times faster than ordinary walking.
• Professional athletes can walk more than 30 km per day, and the weekly norm is almost 200 km.

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People seeking to improve their health by any means understand the constant importance of intense walking. Correct balanced diet nutrition, eradication bad habits play an important role in healthy way life. But inactivity minimizes all the titanic efforts aimed at achieving the necessary results.

The benefits of walking are so great that many doctors believe that an hour-long walk is much healthier than running for 30 minutes. When planning your activities, you must take into account the time for daily walks. Moreover, in this matter, regularity is important, calculating the walk in a time interval, taking into account the number physical activity. The right walk is not at all as simple as it might seem at first glance. The benefit of walking is the opportunity to relax, look at an existing problem from a completely different angle, and find new solutions. Walking is a kind of meditation, a break from the problems that await a person at home or at work.

When walking properly, try to keep your body straight, don’t tense up, straighten your shoulders, try to notice all the nuances of the world around you. Perhaps at first it will seem difficult and strange to you, but later everything will fall into place. There is absolutely no need to walk very slowly; there is little benefit from slow walking. By the end of the walk, you may even sweat; toxins and waste come out along with sweat. Doctors note that the benefits of walking are precisely in physical activity. They believe that every day a person should walk at an average pace of at least five kilometers. The route must run through rough terrain. If you still have strength, try climbing additional stairs up and down.

During a walk, a number of interesting reactions occur in the human body. They proceed completely differently metabolic processes, the muscles of the arms and legs work. With intense movement, blood rushes directly to the heart, food quickly moves through digestive tract, it is processed much better gastric juice. Accordingly, you avoid stagnation of bile, it moves. Walking at an intense pace has a beneficial effect on all human organs, without exception. At sedentary life internal organs become covered with a coating of waste, and blood circulation in them decreases. Often organs atrophy and become much smaller in size.

The benefit of walking is a more intense movement of blood through the vessels, the liver, spleen, and pancreas are enriched with oxygen. Intense walks have a positive effect on the spine and joints. When driving intervertebral discs alternately experience compression or relaxation, their blood supply improves, which can be considered a kind of massage.

Besides great benefit to the human body, the benefits of walks are in developing discipline and organization. You will have to plan your day correctly and, if possible, find time to go for a walk. It has been noticed that a walk even in a metropolis under rather unfavorable environmental conditions is much more beneficial than being in a room watching TV or computer. Also don't forget about important factor- hardening during a walk. Walking should be done regularly, regardless of the air temperature or time of year. Regular walks help optic nerves relax, take a break from hard work.

Even if at first you force yourself to engage in intense walks, after a short period of time you will notice a craving to go for a walk. This will be the starting point, then you will want to practice walking in the fresh air regularly. You will become indifferent to the direction, weather conditions, company. The main thing is to move forward, enjoy the movement, notice the world, learn new and interesting things. A walk heals not only the body, but also the soul. This is the simplest way to improve your health, which brings undoubted benefits!

After a good, many-hour walk, you will benefit from a relaxing massage in a special massage chair (http://www.all-massage-chairs.ru) Five to ten minutes of relaxation, your body is relaxed and you are again ready for useful physical exercise.

We all know that being outdoors is beneficial. This is especially true for those who spend most of the day in a stuffy office space. But, if you ask a question “What is the actual benefit of such walks?“, most of us will still experience some difficulty with the answer. We are simply accustomed to the fact that this is just another life cliché that is not subject to discussion. So, today we’ll just talk about what happens in our body during such air exercise and such walks... The walks that you and I take in the clean air ( clean air is the key to the benefits of such walks) have a very strong impact on our bodies beneficial effect. Besides what we are on full breasts we inhale oxygen, our breathing quickens, our heart begins to beat faster, and, circulatory system begins to function as it should. As a result of all this, metabolic processes in our body improve, beads of sweat appear on the skin, along with which impurities and toxins are removed from our body. In addition, when we walk, all the muscles of our body are strengthened, every ligament and every joint, and our musculoskeletal system both rests and moves... Walking itself helps us develop correct posture, and we stop slouching and squeeze your internal organs. It is especially important to walk for people who are overweight - with every step you take, you burn extra calories and become slimmer. And, even while you walk, there is a natural shaking of all the fluids in your body, which prevents elementary stagnation of blood. Your walking is movement. And, without movement, our body simply atrophies. In this way, while walking in the fresh air, step by step, you charge it with energy and strength, and in gratitude, your body begins to fight viruses and diseases more intensively, because its immunity, thanks to your walks, has become stronger and more resilient. During such walks, you saturate your brain cells with the oxygen it needs, you begin to think better and no longer complain of headaches, fatigue or insomnia. Even if after such a walk you feel tired, it will be a pleasant feeling that will give you strong and healthy sleep. WITH psychological point sight such walks are also very, very useful for our psychological state And nervous system. So, for example, if after a saturated working day, you feel simply empty and exhausted, but, however, the most stupid thoughts creep into your head, a short walk will help you take your mind off your thoughts. The main thing is not to think about what happened or what will happen. Enjoy what you have now - fresh air and your rhythmic walking, which restores the strength of your body.

If at least twice a day, morning and evening, on the way to and from work, instead of winning your place in public transport, choose a route away from the roadway and walk to your destination - a few weeks after such walks become useful and healthy habit, you will notice that you not only feel better, but also have a more positive outlook on the world, your appetite has improved and you no longer suffer from insomnia.

It is noteworthy that such walks are useful at any time of the year. And, even in winter, so you can start applying what you learned today... today! True, depending on weather conditions, as well as on your age, and on the level of your hardiness and physical fitness, the duration of your walks varies. Therefore, you should not immediately, without first hardening your body, walk for several hours in a row at low sub-zero temperatures. By doing this you will only harm your body, upset its thermal balance, and this, in turn, will cause hypothermia, then, for several days, when you lie with a runny nose and fever, you obviously will not have time for walks... If in your opinion , just walking and breathing fresh air is not enough, you can combine your walks with active species outdoor sports. So, in winter it could be skating or skiing, in the rest of the year it could be playing ball, badminton, tennis... And finally, one more interesting fact, confirming the benefits of walking in the fresh air.

British researchers from the University of Bristol conducted a study of a group of children. It turned out that those children who regularly spend time in the fresh air are less likely to suffer from such an ophthalmological problem as myopia. This is explained by the fact that sunlight has a positive effect on the retina of the eye.

When making a schedule for the coming day, do not forget to allocate time for walks in the fresh air. Find time for yourself and your health! Shevtsova Olga

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Tatyana Zamaraeva
About the benefits of walking with children. Consultation for parents

Consultation for parents

ABOUT benefits of walking with children

Prepared by T. A. Zamaraeva

Walk occupies an important place in a child's life. During walks knowledge of the surrounding world occurs, the child learns to communicate with peers, and walk has health benefits.

Parents understand that the child needs to walk as much as possible. However, not everyone knows about the meaning walks for children. Walks outdoor activities are important for every person, and especially for children. They have a positive effect on health and emotional condition crumbs. With their help, you can improve the condition of the body as a whole. First of all, while staying in the fresh air, the lungs are cleared of allergens and dust, thereby improving the functions of the upper respiratory tract and nasal mucosa.

Walk is a reliable means of promoting health and preventing fatigue. Staying in the fresh air has a positive effect on metabolism, increases appetite and digestibility nutrients, especially the protein component of food. Children's stay in the fresh air has great importance For physical development. Walk is the first and most accessible means hardening child's body. It helps to increase its endurance and resistance to adverse effects. external environment, especially to colds.

Finally, walk- this is an element of the regime that gives children the opportunity to satisfy their needs for movement in outdoor games, work processes, and various physical exercises. If walk well and correctly organized, if it is of sufficient duration, children realize about 50% of it daily requirement V active movements. Reducing the time spent in the air creates a lack of movement.

The duration of stay in the fresh air varies significantly in different seasons of the year, but even in cold times and inclement weather it should not be canceled. The daily routine in day care groups includes 2 walks, lasting about 4-4.5 hours.

in winter walks with younger preschoolers it is allowed to carry out at an air temperature of no lower than -15°, with older children - no lower than -22°. At the same temperatures, but strong wind it is recommended to shorten the duration walks, if it is not possible to protect children from the wind with a specially constructed canopy.

Also walk promotes mental education. While staying on the site or on the street, children gain a lot of new impressions and knowledge about surrounding: about the work of adults, about transport, about traffic rules, etc. From observations, they learn about the features of seasonal changes in nature, notice connections between various phenomena, and establish elementary dependencies. Observations arouse their interest and a number of questions to which they strive to find an answer. All this develops observation, expands ideas about the environment, awakens the thoughts and imagination of children.

Walks solve not only educational, but also health-improving problems. The teacher conducts them individual work on the development of movements, outdoor activities, sports games, entertainment and physical exercises. Special time is allocated for labor and independent activity children. Reasonable alternation and combination of these various activities makes interesting walk, attractive. Such walk provides good vacation, creates a joyful mood in children.

It seems to most that in winter walk the child will freeze and will certainly get sick. And tied up colds children with walks in winter.

Walks You should be with your child every day and in any weather. You should not be afraid of wind, rain, cold or heat. The child must face all this so that in the future it does not arise. "surprises" in the form of a cold at the first wind and other things.

How to dress a child walk?

To walk brought only joy, you need to know how to dress a child according to the weather. Otherwise, overheating or hypothermia may lead to various diseases, and the child’s immunity will be constantly tested.

In summer, clothing should be made of light fabrics that absorb moisture well and easily release moisture.

A child easily overheats and becomes hypothermic, so he needs to create a state of thermal balance, which is achieved by properly selected clothing. The latter is especially important if the child moves a lot while walking.

Don't forget that physical activity children for walk much higher than in adults. Therefore, dress your child so that if it’s hot, you can take something off, or if, on the contrary, it’s cool, take some kind of blouse with you.

When choosing children's clothing, be guided by the fact that the child walk his movements were not restricted so that he could run, jump, get up after falling, and turn his head comfortably. Children's clothing should not only be beautiful, but also comfortable and practical! How to dress a child in summer, autumn, winter? There is a very simple system, but not many people know about it. It's called "one two Three". It deciphers enough Just: walks with children in summer they are accompanied by one layer of clothing, in spring and autumn by two, and in winter they wear three layers of clothing. Walking with children In summer, try to arrange it not when it’s too hot, but it’s also quite hot when going outside in the morning and evening. Therefore, choose breathable fabrics, preferably cotton. Do not pull up your T-shirt; a thin T-shirt or sundress will suffice. Wear thin linen socks under your sandals. Without socks, the child may chafe his feet.

Isn't the child cold?

First, you need to pay attention to the behavior of the child himself. The child reacts very violently to the cold - screams loudly, moves. The skin becomes pale.

Secondly, along the neck, bridge of the nose and arm above the hand.

Third, icy feet(check to see if your shoes are too small or too tight, this will contribute to hypothermia).

Fourthly, a child will not remain silent if he is cold. If he "does not notice"- this means that he feels good.

Signs of a child overheating.

The first sign of overheating is thirst, that is, the child asks for a drink;

On walk a constantly warm face, and it’s below -8° outside;

Too warm, almost hot back and neck;

Very warm hands (arms and legs, these are special parts of the body that should be, due to the characteristics of blood circulation, "room" temperature).

You can't walk!

You can't go for a walk when your child is sick ( heat, weakness, pain, especially if the disease is contagious, so as not to infect other people.

But during the recovery period, you can and should go for a walk. Fresh cool air promotes recovery. Especially for respiratory diseases. Since it helps to liquefy mucus. On the street, the child will cough effectively, expectorating sputum. This is good and is not a sign of a deterioration in his condition!

pros walks:

Increases the adaptability and performance of organisms and systems of a growing organism;

Helps harden the body and prevent colds;

Forms health-saving and health-enhancing motor behavior;

Forms correct skills for performing basic movements, important elements complex movements;

There is an accelerated development of speech through movement;

Fosters a positive attitude towards nature, a sense of responsibility for the condition environment and nature in general;

Develops the ability to note and make a primary analysis of seasonal changes in environmental life.

Every child should be in the fresh air as much as possible - this is absolutely necessary for his health. Walk- this is a wonderful time when an adult can gradually introduce a child to the secrets of nature - living and inanimate, and talk about the life of a wide variety of plants and animals. This can be done anywhere and at any time of the year - in the courtyard of a city or country house, in a park, in a forest or clearing, near a river, lake or sea. Take more walks with your friends children and gain from walks as much fun as possible.

We can say that walking is deeply woven into our essence and activity pattern, which has been written in our genes for thousands of millennia. We walk more than any other species. Even cars can't compare with us. In this context, it is not difficult to understand why walking is good for us.

Hippocrates, Greek physician who was called the father modern medicine, back in the 5th century BC. e. said: “Walking is man’s best medicine” - and it is still relevant.

Although Hippocrates made his proclamation about walking for health more than 2,400 years ago, many people today scientific research prove that walking really does have benefits.

What are the benefits of walking?

1) Walking promotes overall health

An analysis of several studies involving a total of 459,833 participants found that the simple act of walking reduced the risk of cardiovascular diseases by 31% and the risk of death by 32%.

The benefits are clear even for people who walk only 8 km per week and for those who walk at a leisurely pace of 3 km per hour. But the people who saw the greatest protection from disease were those who walked long distances at a fast pace.

Walking strengthens bones, improves balance, regulates arterial pressure, lower cholesterol, tone muscles and. Walking reduces the risk of breast cancer, treats chronic pain in the lower back, and may prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.

2) Walking is also a sport

Walking has a low impact on achieving a moderate level of physical activity. Every step you take causes a release of energy, an increase in hormones and wellness thanks to action chemical substances in the brain. Heart beats increase from about 70 beats to 100 - 150 beats per minute.

Wherein more blood and oxygen is pumped to the muscles. When you walk, you start burning 5 calories per minute (as opposed to one calorie per minute when sitting), and these calories continue to be burned up to one hour after the walk, even while you're resting.

Most adults gain about 1 kg of weight per year by the time they reach 20 years of age. To study the effect of walking on age-related weight gain, a study was conducted in 2009. After tracking 4,995 men and women for 15 years, it was found that hikers gained very little weight compared to other participants.

The number of calories burned depends on the person's weight. The more weight, the more burned per kilometer. For example, a 72 kg person will burn about 105 calories in 1.5 km, and a 100 kg person will burn about 135 calories in 1.5 km.

3) Walking prolongs youth

Aging and inflammation are closely intertwined, and many scientists believe that we can slightly slow down, or even stop, the aging process (and age-related diseases).

Any activity that increases your heart rate and reduces inflammation associated with aging.

A study of middle-aged men and women over 10 years found that those who exercised at least 20 minutes of moderate exercise physical exercise every day (or 2.5 hours a week) have more than low level proteins in the body that cause inflammation compared to those who rarely walk.

Therefore, walking can lengthen our lifespan. According to the American Heart Association, every hour of brisk walking adds two hours to our life expectancy.

4) Walking lifts your spirits

Walking 30 minutes every day provides a variety of benefits, increased energy, reduced stress and improved self-esteem, according to a study published in 2015. In addition, daily walks have a double function of relief bad mood and prevent the return of depressive symptoms.

Although it is not entirely clear why physical activity has such positive influence on emotional well-being, but we know that the rush of adrenaline in the blood releases neurotransmitters and endorphins that make us feel better.

We get possibility of easy communication with other people, we can take our minds off our troubles, gain confidence and a sense of accomplishment. Walking in nature, rather than in the city, provides an even greater boost in mood.

5) Walking is also good for brain function

If you would like to improve your mental abilities, then walking every day can accomplish this feat. Better than resistance training and lifting weights, walking increases the size of the hippocampus, the part of the brain that affects memory and learning.

It improves brain structure and function, strengthening connections between neural networks that influence planning, strategizing and multitasking.

Walking not only benefits the analytical type of the left hemisphere of the brain, but also provides an advantage for creative tasks. Whether you walk indoors or outdoors, you will come up with 60% more ideas than those who sit still.

6) Walking is practically free

Besides willpower and a good pair of running shoes, walking every day won't cost you a lot of stuff or money. There is no need to purchase special equipment or a gym membership. In fact, getting into a few minutes of routine walking can even save you money on expensive prescriptions and doctor visits.

How to force yourself to walk every day?

Now that we have figured out the benefits of walking, the question arises: how long should you walk?

It's important to note that 10,000 steps per day (equivalent to about 5 miles) is not a magic number, and most health advocates believe that any amount physical activity beyond your normal activity is better than nothing.

Therefore, this round number is not absolute and rigid. If you get 8,000 steps a day, great! If you can walk 18,000 steps, even better!

1) Invest in a pedometer

The first step in tracking your daily movements is to invest good quality pedometer or activity tracker. Wear it for a few days to evaluate how many steps you take. Once you've set a goal, a pedometer can be a great incentive by giving you accurate readings and pushing you to go through extra steps.

2) Set realistic goals

The average adult walks 5,117 steps per day, which is characterized as a sedentary lifestyle. Increase the number of steps gradually and don't get discouraged. At first, 500 more steps every week. If you start walking with 5,000 steps a day, adding up to 500 each week, it won't be long before you reach the full 10,000 steps in 10 weeks.

3) You need to walk correctly!

No matter your age, walking is the safest form of physical activity and still carries a very low risk of injury. Therefore, you must be somewhat careful.

Here are some tips:

• Keep your head looking forward with your chin parallel to the ground.
• Gently tighten your abdominal muscles at the same time as you take each step.
• Swing your arms freely, keeping your elbows slightly bent.
• Support vertical position: Back straight, but not hunched forward or tilted back.
• Roll your leg from heel to toe.
• Try to relax your shoulders and neck.

4) Break up your walking into several bouts throughout the day.

So 10,000 steps is about 8 km, and generally you can walk 1.5 km in about 20 minutes, which means you need to walk in about 1 hour and 40 minutes. Quite a long walk at one time. But you can break it up into 20-30 minute chunks.

For example, walk to work, take a walk during lunch break and after lunch.

5) How to get more benefits from walking?

Here are some ideas to make your walks more effective:

• Always take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Carry bags in different hands, but don’t overload the packages, it’s better to make several passes.
• Take a walk in a park away from where you live.
• Why not walk around while you think and solve a problem?
• When watching TV, remove the batteries from the remote control so you can stand up and manually change channels.
• When you go home, get off the bus one stop early.
• Walk around the house while you're on the phone.

6) Take a walk with a buddy

Walking with a friend or canine companion will provide encouragement and motivation, which will definitely help you work towards 10,000 steps. You'll connect with your loved one, perhaps add a little friendly competition to your daily walks and a whole lot more fun.

7) Hiking in the wilderness

Walking along the same route is very boring. Add a little adventure and switch things up with race walking. Look for new places, explore them as if in your own backyard.

8) Don't overdo it

Drink water. Buy comfortable shoes with flexible soles and always wear bright or reflective clothing if you like to walk at night.

You don't necessarily need to toughen up your hikes in cold and rainy weather. Try doing a few laps around the mall.

9) Challenge yourself!

Once you get used to a daily walking routine, you will find that it is not as difficult as it used to be. You can increase the load gradually: walk on hilly terrain, increase speed, walk in sand or snow.

10) Encourage yourself

While walking is theoretically a reward in itself, it never hurts. Go ahead and have fun: watch a movie, drink a glass of good wine, take a salt bath or just sleep.