The benefits of walking. Healthy walking - boring and ineffective

Do you suffer from joint pain, heart problems, stress, depression or obesity? Because according to the Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise, walking helps reduce the risk of all chronic diseases. In fact, most health professionals will choose a brisk walk over running, as it is a low-stress exercise that is gentle on the heart and joints. Read on, and you will learn 20 properties of how walking affects your health if you do it daily - and go ahead, no matter whether you are 8 or 80!

1) 45 minutes of walking can help strengthen and tone the muscles of the legs and back and prevent loss muscle mass 2) 30 minutes of daily walking can help you lose weight, improve your metabolism and gain lean muscle mass 3) 30 minutes of interval cardio can help lower your blood pressure and relieve shortness of breath

1. Boosts Heart Health

Walking helps improve heart health. Irish scientists report that walking - best exercises for individuals leading a sedentary lifestyle, especially adults, to reduce the risk of heart and vascular diseases. In another study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, researchers confirmed that men and women 65 years of age and older who walked at least 4 hours a week had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. So don’t forget to walk at least 4 hours a week so that stroke and other heart troubles avoid you.

2. Promotes weight loss

Walking is a great exercise to lose weight and is so effective it's hard to imagine. American scientists conducted an experiment in which obese patients walked with each other (a concept called the “walking bus”) to where they usually went in the city public transport. After 8 weeks, weight measurements were taken and it was found that more than 50% of participants had lost an average of 5 pounds. You might also think it's a good idea to walk there and back instead of getting in the car.

3. Regulates blood pressure

Walking can also lower blood pressure. Researchers from medical university Wakayama, Japan, conducted an experiment involving individuals with moderate hypertension, in which 83 patients walked 10,000 steps every day for 12 weeks. By the end of 12 weeks they had a significant reduction blood pressure, as well as improving endurance. Even if 10,000 steps a day is beyond your ability, walking for at least 60 minutes every day will certainly benefit your blood pressure.

Find out more without using pharmaceutical drugs.

4. Fights cancer

Cancer has taken more than a million lives. One of the causes of cancer is a sedentary lifestyle, and this is where walking can help you. Scientists have found that by going for a walk every day, you can reduce body weight and remove several kg of fat, thereby reducing the risk of cancer. It turned out that there is no need to doubt whether walking is beneficial for those undergoing cancer treatment, since it softens side effects chemotherapy. It may also reduce the risk of breast cancer.

5. Improves blood circulation

Believe it or not, walking can make you smarter by providing your brain with the necessary amount of oxygen and glucose, which helps it function better. It also lowers levels of LDL cholesterol, which clogs arteries, increasing the risk of stroke. Thus, blood circulation, brain and cell functioning are improved.

6. Reduces the risk of diabetes

A sedentary lifestyle leads to an exponential increase in one of the most common diseases - diabetes. For people with type 2 diabetes, scientists recommend taking 3,000 to 7,500 steps a day, sitting less, and being more active overall. Walking every day can help control your blood sugar levels, which in turn can help prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.

7. Strengthens bones

With age, bones become more fragile. However, there is good news: daily walks can help you strengthen them. This low-stress exercise prevents loss of density bone tissue, thus reducing the risk of osteoporosis, fractures and injuries. Since bones are the foundation of the body, stronger and healthier bones mean good posture, endurance and balance. Walking can also prevent arthritis and relieve associated pain.

8. Strengthens muscles

With age, a person loses not only bone mass, but also muscle mass. And here, too, walking can help you, because it strengthens and tones the muscles, and also prevents the loss of muscle mass. Regular walking can strengthen the muscles in your legs and back.

Poor digestion can lead to intestinal discomfort, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and even colon cancer. Thus, it is very important to keep your digestive system in order. To do this, you need not only to develop healthy gastronomic habits, drink more water, but also walk regularly. Walking after eating is wonderful. It will help you lose weight and also help digest food.

10. Strengthens immunity

The body's immune system must always function properly to fight infection, disease and death. Walking is a great way to strengthen your immune system. Walking for at least 30 minutes a day can help activate immune cells such as B cells, T cells and natural killer cells. This stimulates faster production of white blood cells, which allows the body to heal faster.

Dementia or dementia is a neurological condition characterized by the gradual loss of memory and cognitive functions. Over time, it can deprive you of the opportunity to do household chores and make you completely dependent on others. Walking at a moderate pace every day can help prevent dementia, improve memory and make older adults more confident.

12. Increases lung capacity

Walking can also increase lung capacity. When you walk, you inhale more oxygen compared to when you are at rest. This increased exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide can affect lung capacity, which also contributes to endurance and exercise ability. The best thing about all of this is that you don't even have to run to do it. All you need to do is walk at an average pace for 60 minutes (with breaks, of course!).

13. Slows down aging

A study of 17,000 Harvard graduates found that students who walked for at least 30 minutes every day lived longer than those who were sedentary. Walking is sometimes associated with the activation of the enzyme telomerase, which is responsible for maintaining DNA integrity and is important factor in the course of aging, but walking in any case has a beneficial effect on all problems associated with age-related changes in organism.

14. Helps produce vitamin D

Walking in the morning is a great opportunity for the body to produce vitamin D. It is very important for strong bones, prevents cancer, multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes. So The best way Charge yourself with it - go out and walk for 10-15 minutes in the morning sun, without worrying that your body will be harmed.

Learn more about and how to get it in sufficient quantities.

15. Relieves stress

Walking can help reduce stress levels by improving blood circulation, which in turn provides cells with oxygen and nutrients. It also stimulates the receptors nervous system and reduces the production of stress hormones. Regular breathing while walking will also help you cope with anxiety.

16. Uplifts your mood

In several scientific research Scientists have argued in favor of the idea that physical activity can help prevent depression. Walking is highly recommended by doctors and psychiatrists as a way to improve your mood. So, if you're feeling down or sad, take a walk, get some fresh air, realize how beneficial it is - and you'll feel better.

17. Improves memory

Japanese scientists have found that walking has a beneficial effect on the memory of elderly patients. Physical exercise help increase the size of the hippocampus, while a sedentary lifestyle reduces it, leading to memory loss. Try to walk every day, this will significantly improve your memory.

18. Increases productivity

Regular walking can also make you more active and energetic. This, in turn, can increase your productivity. Walking is good for everything, be it school, work, memory, flexibility or response to various stimuli - all of this will change for the better.

19. Gives a creative boost

Walking can help you when you feel stuck creatively. They will calm your nerves and relax your brain. When you walk, you are not pressured by deadlines or the need to satisfy someone else's expectations. This helps you start thinking strategically and sorting everything out. So if you are stuck with any problem, take a walk!

20. Helps you make new acquaintances

Walking can help you find new acquaintances and, perhaps, new friends who will inspire you to walk every day, because you will want to meet them again. You can also go to social events. By the end of the day you will be charged with positive energy and peace.

This list makes it clear that walking is beneficial and can improve your health in many ways, but what preparations do you need to make to start walking daily? Let's find out what might be useful to you.

What do you need to start walking?

To start walking, you need a few basic things. Here is the list:

• Walking shoes
• Comfortable clothes
• Bottle of water and energy bar for long walks
• If you decide to walk to the office, wear office clothes and a pair of comfortable shoes that you can change into while at work.
• Raincoat
• Motivation is absolutely necessary at least in the first 5 days.

Below you'll learn how to stay motivated to walk every day.

This kind active work how walking represents the result of work various groups muscles. Their activation helps to maintain the tone of the whole body. While walking, not only muscles and limbs are involved, but also neurophysiological and biomechanical processes are activated, which have a positive complex effect on the body.

The legs move while walking in the vertical, transverse, and longitudinal planes. As the tempo increases, the amplitude of vertical movements, the activity of the ligamentous-muscular system, and the intensity of energy consumption increase.

Engaging the leg muscles leads to increased blood flow. This promotes more intense oxygen enrichment internal organs and acceleration of metabolic processes occurring in the body.

Performing regular hiking Being in the fresh air promotes health, having the following positive effects:

• strengthens the cardiovascular, muscular, respiratory systems;
• promotes the removal of toxins;
• gets rid of fat deposits: at an average speed of 1.5 km, up to 100 kcal is burned in a quarter of an hour;
• is the prevention of hypokinesia (hypodynamia), somatic diseases, varicose veins veins, diseases of the musculoskeletal system;
• relieves sleep problems;
• has a beneficial effect on the psyche;
• increases immunity and endurance.

The benefit of walking for men is to relieve congestion in the pelvis. This significantly reduces the risk of developing prostatitis and other ailments.

Race walking or running - which is healthier?

Both walking and running have almost the same effect. Both types of vigorous activity involve similar muscles and parts of the musculoskeletal system. The difference is that running requires a greater degree of physical fitness and endurance.

You should start running only after strengthening your body by walking on a regular basis. Jogging is recommended for people who are not overweight. Otherwise, high loads can harm the heart and joints.

Walking does not require good physical fitness. An intense one-hour walk, according to doctors, can not only replace a half-hour jog, but is also more beneficial for health.

What are the contraindications and indications for walking?

Hiking, which aims to improve health, is suitable for both men and women, regardless of age. The pace and duration, route and time are selected individually. The guideline is your own well-being. Walking, despite its versatility, has a number of indications and contraindications.

• reduced immunity;
• depressed - lethargic state;
• loss of strength;
• general feeling of weakness.

Walking is contraindicated for people suffering from:

• arterial high blood pressure;
• chronic kidney diseases;
• diabetes;
• arrhythmia and cardiovascular disorders;
• glaucoma;
• violation of the retina of the eye, when there is a threat of its detachment;
• colds and other acute diseases.

Walking should not be practiced after a heart attack or stroke.

Three principles of walking

The usefulness of walking lies in observing three clear principles:

1. Moderation

The choice of intensity and duration of walks should be based on the well-being and condition of the body. No sudden surges.

1. Graduality

The duration and pace of walking should increase without any sharp jumps and transitions.

1. Regularity

You need to take walks every day. If daily walking is not possible, it is acceptable to walk for at least 30 minutes three to four times a week.

What time should you choose to walk?

Your daily walk should include the route to and from work. If you have a long walk to work, you need to train yourself to walk several stops. Morning walks invigorate, and evening ones contribute to good and sound sleep.

Walk on hot days better in the morning or in the evening. Frosty weather in the winter season, with the exception of extreme low temperatures, stimulates to build up a fast pace and a good load on the body.

How and how long should you walk?

Depends on individual physical features body. A good exercise for an untrained person can be obtained by low-intensity walking, at a pace of 4 km per hour, at which the pulse reaches 80 beats per minute.

The duration of the walk at first should be 20 minutes. In the future, the walking time is increased to 30-40 minutes. Depending on the individual characteristics, this can take from several weeks to months.

The duration of walks in order to achieve a healing effect should be at least 35 minutes, subject to a walking speed of 7 km/h and a heart rate of 65-80 beats per minute. Accelerated health walking has a beneficial effect on health, which is manifested by:

• reducing the risk of developing heart and vascular diseases;
• weight loss;
• normalization of blood pressure;
• improving physical endurance;
• increasing the aerobic performance of the body.

The duration of “training” with accelerated walking ranges from several months to a year, until walking a distance of 6-10 km stops tiring. When the goal is achieved, physical fitness is maintained various loads without stopping regular walks at an accelerated pace.

Walking in one place

It puts stress on all the main systems of the body, strengthens and increases its endurance. The difference from normal walking is that there is no advancement, and the effectiveness remains similar.

Walking up the stairs

Effectively corrects well-being. You should start climbing the stairs by refusing to use the elevator. If physical state allows you to not limit yourself to going up to the desired floor, but to reach the last one. When vertical movements stop bringing painful sensations in the calf muscles, shortness of breath and rapid heartbeat will go away; the climbs are made more difficult by first standing on your toes, stepping on each step, and then stepping over one.

Climbing stairs develops and strengthens leg muscles, stabilizes blood pressure, and burns several times more calories than running. Achieve positive effect when climbing stairs, it is possible when the walking duration is at least 20-35 minutes. The time to reach this duration is individual for each person.

The usefulness of walking on horizontal and vertical plane for the human body is multifaceted. You can start walking at absolutely any time. The main thing is to refuse to use the elevator and transport, getting to work and home, if the distance allows, on foot.

Nordic walking - the path to health

The most accessible type of fitness is. To walk, you do not need to buy special equipment, a gym membership, or obtain permission from your doctor. Walking is the most natural, and therefore the most beneficial type of physical activity for humans.

Benefits of walking

ABOUT benefits of walking A lot has already been written and said. The British Department of Health made a statement according to which every person needs to take 10 thousand steps a day to maintain health. The World Health Organization fully agreed with the British, and issued this figure as recommendations for the health care systems of all countries.

The Japanese did not need orders from health officials. People traditionally walk a lot here, and perhaps this is the reason why the Japanese live on average 82 years, and Russians, who for the most part do not bother themselves with physical exercise, even something as basic as walking, live on average up to 67 years .

To assess whether 10 thousand steps is a lot or a little, you can buy a pedometer and use the device readings to track whether you are doing it. physiological norm. But even without devices, it is clear that the average city resident who does not engage in physical education and sports does not do even a third of what he should. A visit to a store, a short walk from home to a car or bus stop and back, sluggish movements around the office - this is an average of 3 thousand steps a day. The rest needs to be “picked up” on purpose, and it is advisable to speed up the pace. As a result, after an hour of additional walking, you “reach” the physiological norm.

The benefits of walking are obvious: walking – necessary condition For normal functioning body. There is evidence that the risk of disease of cardio-vascular system decreases significantly in people who walk at least three kilometers a day. Rhythmic walking helps lower blood cholesterol levels, and for women walking becomes a prevention of age-related osteoporosis.

Walking helps maintain muscle mass, and if you engage in race walking or walking with weights, muscle mass can be increased. Even those who have problems with walking can practice walking. kneecap: Walking is less traumatic than running. Lovers of walking are usually more positive people: regular exercise in the fresh air helps keep not only your body in good shape, but also your mood, fight stress, and improves your complexion.

Walking for weight loss

People by various reasons start walking. The most common is health benefits, a “set” of those 10 thousand steps necessary to maintain health. Another common reason is the desire to lose excess weight.

Walking in this sense is no worse than visiting the gym, training with an instructor, or following a strict diet. Moreover, walking is probably the healthiest and natural way get rid of extra pounds and centimeters. There is no violence done to the body, there is practically no risk of getting sports injury or feel psychological discomfort when doing fitness in the company of young, athletic girls.

At what speed should you walk? Doctors say that you need to correlate your desires with yours. physical capabilities, and maintain a speed that is comfortable for the body. But if you have not exercised before and have a lot of weight, then slow walking will not have a weight loss effect. Mental comfort will appear, your well-being and mood will improve, but it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to shift your weight downward with snail’s walks.

Fitness instructors are more categorical: to lose weight, your walking speed should be as fast as you can withstand. While walking, sweat should literally flow in three streams: along with the sweat, the very kilograms that you went out to fight will gradually flow out. If the walking speed is slower, the person will simply get tired, will not see the effect and will quit the activity. The last argument in favor of intense walking: professional walkers lose up to 5 kg of weight for every 50 km of fast walking.

To start getting rid of excess weight, the average walking speed should be 6 km/h. You need to maintain this pace for at least 45-60 minutes. Intensive walking for weight loss is a full-fledged physical activity, it must be distinguished from walking “for health”. With this regimen, in a month of daily walks you can lose up to three to four kilograms without changing your usual diet. And if you also adjust your diet, eliminating harmful, high-calorie foods, the effect will be even more pronounced. And this is without gyms and expensive fitness instructors.

Rules for healthy walking

Physical activity must be correlated with your physical capabilities. Especially at the initial stage. You need to start walking gradually. There is no need to immediately chase high speeds. Experts advise that in order to avoid the burnout effect, initial stages walking exercises should not be aimed at high speeds, but to long duration of walking exercises. That is, it is better to walk for an hour and a half at an average pace than for half an hour, sweating. This will give you endurance.

Then, gradually, you need to increase your speed by reducing the duration of your walk. After 2-3 months of regular walking you can achieve average speed up to 110-120 steps per minute (and the ideal speed is 130-140 steps per minute).

You need to walk for an hour every day. However, it is clear that not everyone can afford such a luxury: busy work, household chores, and the weather does not always allow walking outside. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain at least the minimum: three times a week for 45 minutes. If the break in walking was more than three days, then lower the speed limit by increasing the duration of walking. And then increase the speed again. You can't go to full stomach, after eating, at least an hour and a half should pass.

Types of walking

Over time, you may get bored with regular walking exercises and want to diversify them. Then it’s time to master race walking. It gives shape to the buttocks and abdominal muscles, and in addition, race walking burns more calories than usual at the same speed. Race walking technique requires certain rules, in particular, you need to walk quickly and swiftly, your steps should be frequent and short. Main principle race walking: move as if you are stepping on an imaginary line, and your arms move by analogy with the movement of a pendulum back and forth.

In addition to race walking, you can use uphill walking. It doesn’t matter what it will be: overcoming a real mountain or simply climbing steps. Walking uphill is great for strengthening calf muscle and thigh muscles.

Another type of walking is with tension in the muscles of the buttocks. This type of walking trains the gluteal muscles. The principle is this: when walking, when you push off with your toes from the surface, you need to strongly strain the muscles of your buttocks, but you do not need to strain your lower back at this moment.

Walking forward with your back helps strengthen the muscles of your back and buttocks. When walking this way, you need to keep your back straight, without bending forward, put your hands on your belt and pull in your stomach. Walking can be difficult or even dangerous if there are potholes and bumps in the surface. Make sure the path is absolutely level.

So that walking brings only benefits

To get the benefits of walking, you need to hold your body correctly: your back is straight, your shoulders are slightly back, your stomach is pulled in, your head is kept straight. When walking, you need to “roll” your leg from heel to toe; this movement of the leg, firstly, promotes maximum calorie burning, and secondly, absorbs the load on the spine. You need to look not at your feet, but straight ahead a couple of meters.

Great attention should be paid to breathing. During intense walking, there is no need to talk - breathing should coincide with the rhythm of movement. You need to breathe through your nose. If you have any problems with nasal breathing, then inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth every 3-4 steps. Breathe in the same way in winter, when the air is frosty, or when walking on polluted city streets. But it is better to choose parks and squares for exercise - such walking will only bring benefits.

It is necessary to control the heart rate, especially for older people and those with any health problems. Minor shortness of breath is acceptable - this indicates high degree physical activity, but if you start to feel out of breath or feel a tingling sensation in your side, then you need to reduce the intensity of the exercise; you shouldn’t stop moving completely.

Berestova Svetlana

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The availability of cars, the ubiquity of elevators, the development of transport infrastructure - all this leads to the fact that walking becomes a relic of the past for people.

Meanwhile, this is the most affordable way healing the body and getting rid of extra pounds.

Benefits of walking

Walking, when chosen as the main source of activity, has several benefits:

• has a healing effect on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems of the body, as well as skeletal muscles (back, legs, abs, buttocks);
• speeds up metabolism, promotes calorie burning and weight loss;
• improves hormonal levels;
• saturates the brain with oxygen, stimulates mental activity;
• improves the functioning of the digestive system;
• prevents the appearance diabetes mellitus, diseases of the heart and blood vessels, problems associated with the functioning of the musculoskeletal system;
• increases life expectancy.

Walking is equally beneficial for women and men. However, representatives of the stronger sex receive additional benefits from it. The fact is that the functioning of the male genital organs depends on the activity of the pelvic organs. The result of a sedentary lifestyle is deterioration of blood circulation, decreased production of sperm and sex hormones, development pathological processes in the small pelvis. The benefits of walking for men are obvious: moderate exercise improves the production and distribution of testosterone, the number and activity of sperm, prevents congestion in the pelvic area, and is an excellent prevention of prostatitis.

How to train correctly?

For walking to bring health benefits, the load must be:

• Moderate. The duration and intensity of classes depends on general condition health, the presence of acute and chronic diseases. Exercise at a comfortable pace and do not overload your body.
• Gradual. As your endurance increases, you can increase your speed, time, and distance.
• Regular. Exercise as often as possible and do not miss workouts without a good reason.

When choosing the intensity and duration of your workouts, take into account not only your physical data (health, weight and age), but also your goals. If you want to lose weight for the beach season, exercise for 30 minutes daily at an accelerated pace. Remember that fat burning begins only after 20 minutes of continuous cardio.

Brisk walking is a cardio workout, so it is important to monitor your heart rate while doing it. The maximum allowable heart rate is 150 beats per minute. More rapid heartbeat indicates that the body cannot cope with the given load.

If your goal is to improve your well-being and strengthen your muscles, opt for slow walking up the stairs. For those who are practicing this type of training for the first time, it will be enough to go down 2-3 floors and go up in the same way. The optimal number of repetitions for the first time is three to five approaches. As the body becomes more resilient, the load can be increased. Important: do not start by running up the stairs - such zeal can harm unprepared joints.

Walking on a treadmill also requires compliance with a number of rules:

• Ventilate the room before starting your workout.
• Exercise for at least 30-60 minutes.
• Keep your back straight and your shoulders back.
• Maintain a speed of 5-7 km per hour.
• Breathe correctly: inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. If shortness of breath occurs, slow down, wait for breathing to return, and increase the speed again.
• Drink enough water during training - exactly as much as your body requires.
• Start exercising no earlier than one and a half to two hours after eating.
• Avoid physical activity for two hours before bedtime.

Contraindications

Even though walking may seem like an innocent activity, it is not as harmless as is commonly believed. For example, it is not recommended to walk a lot for people with:

• severe varicose veins;
• serious cardiovascular diseases;
• damaged joints (hip, knee, ankle);
• advanced scoliosis;
• high blood pressure;
• BMI indicators exceeding 33.

In the presence of venous insufficiency You can do it, but without fanaticism. Measured walking on a treadmill improves the condition of the veins and eliminates congestion in the legs. Important: in order not to cause harm to health, you must wear compression garments or wrap your limbs with an elastic bandage.

Walking during pregnancy

Many women wonder whether it is possible to walk during pregnancy. Doctors answer this question in the affirmative, but only if the patients have no contraindications to physical activity. Also, a lot depends on the level of training. If a woman played sports before pregnancy, then moderate exercise will not become an obstacle to bearing a fetus.

Walking on stairs, the benefits of which are obvious to female body, is not prohibited during pregnancy. However, in this case, you should follow several rules:

• Hold the railing firmly during ascents and descents. If you feel unwell (dizziness, pain in the heart or lower back), stop and ask your neighbors for help.
• Forget about intense workouts. Move slowly and calmly, carefully monitoring how you feel.

To get the most out of walking, check out these guidelines:

1. Start each workout with exercise and stretching. This way you can prepare your muscles for a more serious load and avoid accidental injuries.
2. The health benefits of walking will increase as you gradually increase the challenge. This can be done using dumbbells and weights.
3. Give preference to comfortable and breathable shoes. It is advisable if these are sneakers with thick soles and shock absorbers.
4. If you have to choose between running on a treadmill or going for a walk outside, choose the latter option. Fast walking provides much more benefits than indoor training.
5. If you enjoy walking stairs, take short breaks between each set. It is advisable to rest after the descent, and not after the ascent.

Thus, the health benefits of walking are difficult to overestimate. Regular exercise has a beneficial effect on the body’s condition, well-being and mood. If you have certain health problems, walking is almost the only exercise available, since other types physical activity(the same running) can aggravate the patient’s condition. If you doubt that you can exercise walking, take the time to go to the clinic and discuss this issue with your doctor.

Health 1678

Paradox! People spend thousands of dollars on exercise equipment sports supplements and personal trainers. They try various “fashionable” training trends, follow stupid advice from “toilet” magazines and indulge in other nonsense. But still, 95% have no results! Maybe it's worth thinking about? In spring and summer, everyone has access to such super effective method workouts like... walking. Yes! Yes! Yes! It's simple and incredibly effective. Write an advertisement in the newspaper about the sale of your exercise equipment and go outside to the meeting fresh air, beautiful figure and health.

It is important to know!

• When walking with a heart rate of 50-70% of the maximum, FAT begins to burn after 15 minutes
• Control your heart rate! If your heart rate is over 70%, your muscles may start to burn.
• It is most effective to do cardio (walking) in the morning on an empty stomach or after strength training.
• You can and should walk every day!
• The effect of walking depends only on the regularity of training
• Try to walk in parks and squares, and not along polluted streets

The load during walking is affected by its pace and duration. Walking will be considered strenuous if you increase its pace and choose uneven terrain, thus creating a training effect. Movements made when walking help improve blood flow in the muscles of the limbs, pelvic area and abdominal cavity, they also increase the blood supply to the lungs, brain and myocardium. If you are driving fast or on sandy, gravel or any other uneven road, energy costs will increase from 3 to 12 times . For example, if a person weighing 70 kilograms walks at a speed of 110 steps per minute, he will spend 290 kcal/hour, and when walking on a snowy road, energy consumption will increase up to 384 kcal/hour. When walking at a sufficiently high pace on a relief terrain, the whole body shakes, as a result of which blood flow increases, increases vascular tone, outflow occurs venous blood from lower limbs.

Walking has no contraindications, it can be a means to restore former harmony or be used as therapy after illnesses; walking also helps develop endurance, improve physical fitness, preventing various diseases and the ability to remain active for many years.

Walking is good for you regardless of weather conditions and different time days, but this should be done either 1.5-2 hours before meals, or the same time after meals. For those who are overweight, it is recommended to take walks on an empty stomach; you can also walk after a meal, while starting with a slow step, after an hour switch to a fast pace, maintaining it for 30-60 minutes. It must be remembered that the effect will only be observed from fast walking . Walking at a slow pace is practically of no benefit, since there is no load on the body; at this pace, the work of the cardiovascular system, metabolic and other processes occurring in the body occur almost the same as when at rest. When walking slowly, a person gets more tired than when walking quickly. That's why It's healthier to walk a shorter distance at a faster pace and take a break. than walking slowly for a long time. For walking, it is better to choose places located away from transport and roadways, with clean air, on the outskirts, outside the city.

Slow (2.5-3 km/h, which is approximately 60-70 steps per minute). Indicated for patients who have suffered a myocardial infarction and those who are susceptible to angina attacks.

Medium (3-4 km/h, which is approximately 70-90 steps per minute). It will be useful for people suffering from heart and vascular diseases.

Fast (4-5 km/h, which is approximately 90-11 steps per minute). Useful for all people who do not have health problems. Capable of providing a training effect.

Very fast (5-6 km/h or approximately 110-130 steps per minute). Has a pronounced training effect. It is difficult for an untrained person to maintain such a walking pace for a long time. Well then, train! Fucking...

It is difficult for the body to adapt to walking speeds above 130 steps per minute.

Walking at a medium and fast pace is suitable for people with good training; walking at a slow pace (speed 2.5-3 km/h) is for people with mental work as a means of maintaining health and creative activity. A slow walking pace is recommended for people with diseases of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, and they need to take into account the characteristics of their body. For an adult who does not have serious problems with health, the work of which is not related to regular physical activity, it makes sense to walk daily at a speed of 4-5 km/h for 1.5-2 hours. For a trained person, it is optimal to walk at a fast pace for 2 hours 3 times a week.

The main principles of healthy walking are the same as in any other type of physical activity - systematic and gradual . If you have problems with your health, it is necessary to reduce the frequency and time of walks. At the beginning of spring, as well as during periods of particularly stressful work activities or when there is a lack of sleep, it is recommended to reduce the time or slow down the walking speed. It is necessary to take breaks for a while periodically, especially after past illness. For greater effectiveness of healthy walking you need to watch your breathing : It is recommended to breathe only through the nose, the rhythms of walking and breathing must match. When increasing the pace of movement, you need to ensure that there is no shortness of breath and, if possible, do not stop breathing through your nose. If you choose to walk at a fast pace, you are allowed to breathe through your nose and mouth at the same time, if the air outside is not polluted. During severe cold and windy conditions, as well as if there is a lot of dust in the air, the breathing rule is as follows: inhale through the nose - exhale through the mouth (after 3-4 steps). After a healthy walking session, you need to take a shower, then lubricate your feet with cream and massage them.

People without special problems those with health should focus on the pace of walking, and older people and people recovering from illness should focus on its duration. You can monitor the body's reaction to walking by the heart rate after walking and how quickly it recovers to its usual level. For walking, you must use only comfortable shoes: these can be sports shoes - sneakers, sneakers, half-sneakers, as well as worn-out boots, closed, worn-out shoes with low or small (3-4 centimeters) heels. You should definitely wear socks, regular or wool (but not synthetic). Sport shoes must be with an insole or, as prescribed by an orthopedist, with an instep support. Comfortable, properly fitting walking shoes will help prevent foot injuries and allow you to walk for long periods of time without feeling tired. For walks in hot weather, you need to wear a hat.