It is important to make exercise enjoyable and entertaining. Exercise does not have to be exhaustive, it can be as simple as talking a walk on a Saturday afternoon along the waterfront. Today, I spent a couple of hours walking along the Toronto Waterfront at an easy pace. I had a wonderful time, just enjoying the lake and the park. I thought to myself, but am I really getting any exercise without working up a sweat, or was this just for fun?
To get the aerobic exercise, walking should be brisk. But even walking at an easy pace works your muscles and joints and that way you can make exercise enjoyable. This is great for people who are overweight or at risk for arthritis. An interesting fact about walking below the aerobic threshold is that it reduces the loads on the knee joints by 25 percent while actually burning a few more calories per kilometer than walking faster. There is also evidence that normal pace walking has benefits for achieving better mental health and mood.
Walking at a Regular pace Breaks Up Sitting Time to Reduce Health Risks
Researchers are finding that sitting or simply standing for more than 30 minutes at a time can raise your health risks, even if you do a full bout of exercise at some point in the day. Walking around for one to three minutes every half hour or hour has been shown to be needed to reduce these health risks. It may be difficult in your workplace to have a full workout during the day, but most people will have able to have a place to walk for 5 to 15 minutes. One study found that these short, easy walking breaks improved glucose control and insulin response.
You Can Make Exercise Enjoyable by Walking as Real Exercise
Walking is physical activity at any speed you enjoy it, from a slow stroll through a fast racewalk pace. It is true that a brisk walk is a true exercise, with all of the aerobic cardiovascular fitness effects of other moderate-intensity exercises. If you are cycling, jogging on the treadmill, or using the elliptical trainer, your brisk walk is giving you the same benefits at the same heart rate or effort. According to Ann Green, M.S., past heptathlon world athlete, yoga teacher and fitness studio owner. “Walking improves fitness, cardiac health, alleviates depression and fatigue, improves mood, creates less stress on joints and reduces pain, can prevent weight gain, reduce risk for cancer and chronic disease, improve endurance, circulation, and posture, and the list goes on…”
The Research
National Walkers’ Health Study, researchers found that the “energy used for moderate-intensity walking and vigorous-intensity running resulted in similar reductions in risk for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease over the study’s six year period.”
A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that those who adhered to a walking program showed significant improvements in blood pressure, slowing of resting heart rate, reduction of body fat and body weight, reduced cholesterol, improved depression scores with better quality of life and increased measures of endurance.
So don’t disrespect the beneficial effects of walking. It may have some incredible health benefits as well as just breaking up our day and making activity that is enjoyable.
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