Walking - A Natural Therapy

Walking is a delectable madness, very good for sanity

COLIN FLETCHER

Walking helps you take control of your life and put some fun back in it. You start saying no to the things that get you down and you get out on the road and walk and smile at the world. Your body is not built for sitting around all day; built for movement, especially walking, your body functions best when it’s walking rhythmically at 3.5-4 miles per hour.

       A main theme of this book has been the idea of rhythm and is power to heal. The healing power of rhythm unlocks destructive emotions and creates harmony out of disorder. When you walk you rediscover a sense of rhythm – your sense of rhythm, a rhythm which moves through every fibre of your body energizing you.

   Walking recharges your physical and mental batteries, a good walk refreshes your body and mind, and is the best antidote to tension. Even a short, aerobic walk can drain away tensions before they turn into headaches, back aches, high blood pressure and insomnia.  Aerobic walking is a powerful therapeutic tool:

·        Aerobic walking can reduce tension, anxiety and mood swings

·        Aerobic walking can reduce headaches, back aches and muscle tension

·        Aerobic walking can reduce depression

·        Aerobic walking can reduce emotional fatigue

·        Aerobic walking can reduce boredom

·        Aerobic walking can reduce insomnia

And aerobic walking will improve or increase your

·        Self-confidence

·        Self-image

·        Feelings of independence

·        Optimism

·        Relaxation

·        Creative energy

·        Immune system

·        Control over your life

Walking uses up stress hormones which otherwise stay in the blood, keeping us tense. Aerobic  walking works by decreasing the stress hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) and increasing relaxation hormones in the brain (beta-endorphins) these hormones help to elevate your mood and give you a sense of well being – a sort of ‘walker’s high’.

    You will feel the tranquillising effect of walking not just in your mind, but in your body due to the improved oxygen supply and the reduction of carbon dioxide in the blood. Increased oxygen supply improves memory, thinking ability and concentration. Away from pressure and stress, you give your mind a holiday – a mini-vacation.

   It is the continuous, vigorous, rhythmic motion of aerobic walking which breaks down the pattern of stress and puts you in a new frame of mind. No other game, sport or activity can give you the benefits that aerobic walking can give you. Away from the television, telephone and nagging domestic and pro-fessional worries, your problems become a thing of the past.