Walk Fights Away

What’s best, you get added health benefits if you work out to stay young. In a study conducted by a group of international researchers in the UK it was found that half an hour of exercise every day can help you look younger by almost a decade. And walking is one of the easiest and most effective exercises.


Drink water before, during and after a walk
Our metabolic and musculoskeletal performance slows down with age. The slow-down results in weight gain that in turn leads to health disorders such as hypothyroidism, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, heart ailments, hypertension and diabetes. Cardiovascular exercise, especially walking, is a good way to keep the body healthy inside out and to keep weight under control. Cardiovascular exercises involve a rhythmic movement of the larger and smaller muscle groups that improve blood circulation, increase oxygen uptake and improve cardiovascular function. They also help in mobilizing joints and keeping muscles strong and healthy. This is achieved by preventing age-related loss of mobility and by arresting, to an extent, the loss of muscle mass with advancing years. So, walk away and see how it works!

Maximize the benefits
• Keep up the intensity until you feel slightly hot and sweaty and a little tired. Stop at once if you feel extreme fatigue, palpitations, or are unable to speak.
• Walk at least 5 days a week with a day of rest in the middle and another in the end.
• Rest and recover in case of muscle or joint pain as it hinders the pace.
• Resume the exercise only after the body has healed.
• Avoid exercising when you are ill.
Walk fights away

Facts about weight gain
Utilizing calories is a major issue with advancing years. There is a tendency for weight gain due to a reduced metabolic rate and lower activity levels. Lean, youthful figures turn heavy and pudgy. Walking will help you keep the weight off and make you slim and youthful. Walking is a good way to keep healthy inside out.
• If you cannot walk for a full hour at a time, three 20-minute segments are equally beneficial. If you have less time, do with less. But do it.
• Stay active through the day.
• Eat right, preferably a low-calorie diet. Avoid excessive intake of caffeine, fat, sugar, alcohol and refined food.


Drink water before, during and after a walk. Your daily requirement: for women 3 liters and 4 liters for men. Hydration is the key to an agile and youthful body and younger-looking skin. As we exercise, we lose water from our body through sweat. This water loss affects the volume of blood thus making it thicker and affecting blood circulation. As a result, the heart is unable to pump blood efficiently. Dehydration can also lead to dry-looking skin and inefficient thermo-regulation. Habitual dehydration can also lead to formation of kidney stones.
Always keep walking
Maintain intensity
A lot of walkers do not reach their optimum intensity because they walk slowly or talk to their buddies while walking. The higher the intensity, the more agile you get. The joints, muscles, heart and lungs work more efficiently if we focus on intensity. However, there are chances of injury if you are over-zealous. So, follow a few walking guidelines.
• To avoid musculoskeletal stress, increase the intensity of your walk by moving the arms by the side of your body and keeping the stride short and quick.
• Warm up by maintaining a slow pace for the first 10 minutes.
• Build up the pace gradually and feel the body break into a sweat. It's alright if you are slightly out of breath.
• Stay at this stage at least for 20 to 40 minutes (depending on your age and medical status).
• Slow down in the last 10 minutes. This is the cool-down stage.
• Finish the session with stretching the lower body muscles. Flexibility reduces with advancing years but regular stretches will help you maintain the range of movements around a joint. Never over-exert, though. Get proper rest if you are too tired or injured.

Good luck with your walk!