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.