Health benefits of morning walk
Regular brisk morning walk, when the air pollution is low, has multiple health benefits. It is good for the youngsters as well as for the senior citizens
Getting up in the morning is a tough one for us, and if the morning is cold, it is still tougher. Regular morning walk needs motivation and commitment. No matter, morning walk is difficult when your are a worker and have no extra time for such out-door activities. But, it will certainly be useful health wise over a period of time and you will gain a robust life. As the adage goes ‘’health is wealth’’, with good health you can achieve any thing. Morning walks are unquestionably and perfectly safe and harmless for everyone, irrespective of his / her age. Unlike the gym, it does not cost you any thing, all you need is a firm determination to go for a walk regardless of your state of mind. In the morning, the air pollution level is normally low, there is more oxygen in the air and you inhale fresh and clean air. You get vitamin D from the sunlight. Feeling afresh, you start the day on a positive note.
The following are the important gains if you go for a walk regularly:
01. Reduce the risk of heart diseases:
Morning walk reduces the risk of heart diseases manifold and improves heart muscles. It burns extra and undesirable fats in the body, which in turns, maintain the cholesterol level in the blood. It improves your stamina and intake of oxygen and endurance power. It reduces your body weight if you walk briskly and unlike jogging, this physical activity is soft on knee-joints In the later years there won’t be any wear and tear of ligaments.
02. Hypertension:
Hypertension, one of the leading causes of heart diseases, can be controlled to some extent by regular morning walks that improve blood circulation and maintain the blood pressure of your body, Brisk walking is very useful. Arteries and veins become strong enough to resist the flow of blood.
03. Proper sleep:
Thousands of people have sleep disorder — insomnia for various reasons. One being the stress you face daily at work — completing the project right before the due date. As for sales people, they have to chase the required targets, etc. Morning walk promotes better sleep as it improves your overall health. The best way to fight this is to take a walk every day. It calms your mind, and at the end of the day, you can get a good night’s sleep and feel relaxed and composed when you wake up in the following morning. In fact, if your lifestyle is not that active, and you find it difficult to fall asleep, you must walk in the mornings
04. Reduces Fatigue:
A brisk morning walk can make you feel refreshed, boosting energy levels and reducing fatigue. You feel afresh and energetic throughout the day. In the case of cancer patients, walking can also reduce their fatigue. You drive enough energy to get going whole day with better energy level. Part of the reason is better circulation of blood and the supply of oxygen to the brain.
05. Control of sugar:
In almost all SE Asian countries, the incidence of diabetes is on the increase because of sedentary nature of work and intake of carbohydrate rich food like rice. It is more so in India where the rice is the staple food. A good morning walk reduces the risk of increasing your body’s sugar level to a great extent. Morning walk is a must for sugar patients. Positively, it controls the blood sugar level.
06. promotion of positive thoughts:
Walking in the morning promotes a positive mindset and positive approach to your other ritualistic important activities. Free flow of blood to the brain will add positivism to our mindset. Morning walking gives you a sort of rejuvenation, leading to the promotion of positive attitude. The advantage is it improves your power of discretion when handling sensitive matters.
07. Promote energy level:
Because of improvement of overall blood circulation in the body, efficient oxygen intake in the brain and better endurance, consequently a person can feel energetic and be active whole day.
08. Immunity booster:
Your resistance to other ailments is very important and regular walking will take your resistance power to a higher level. on the increase. Walking boosts your energy level, improves heart function and strengthen the heart, leg muscles and other body functions. As it promotes good blood circulation in your body, it also improves the supply of oxygen throughout the body and, in particular, to the brain. Just 30 minutes walking a day strengthens the immune system and keeps you away from from various illnesses and serious diseases. It is good for the elderly people whose power of immunity is far less than those below 50 years of age.
09. Protects Against Atherosclerosis:
Atherosclerosis is a condition that is the result of blockage in the arteries due to plaque or LDL cholesterol depositions on the arterial walls. The block occurs in the inner walls of arteries in organs such as the brain, kidneys, heart, and legs. Ageing and diet are the main reasons . When arteries are blocked, consequently the blood flow is retarded, leading to poor blood circulation. Regular morning walks can safeguard you from this condition and will promote proper blood circulation. It means, the brain gets oxygen without any restrictions.
10. Relieving Depression:
Being depressive is not good, but millions of people world over are affected by depression for a variety of reasons. This mood swing will personally affects your family as well as your professional life. This condition is common among youngsters. To keep your healthy mind in good nick, make it a habit and go for a morning walk regularly. It will get the devil out of your head where it does the tango. The advantage is if you walk in a serene environment with fresh air, it will calm down your stressed body and mind by way of producing the natural pain-killing endorphins that flow properly throughout the body.
11. Improvement in brain function:
Certain medical studies point out that women over the age of 65 who walk on a regular basis are less prone to memory degeneration that is age-related when compared to those who do not walk or walk less. You can control memory degeneration to some extent by way of keeping yourself fit physically. It will help you keep away from age-related mental illnesses and memory loss. The risk of chronic ailments like vascular dementia can be brought down to 70% with regular walking and staying active
12. Minimize the risk of Miscarriages:
For the pregnant women, regular walking is highly beneficial. It will normalize the erratic hormone level changes in the body. Of late, many Indian women have this problem of erratic hormonal changes in the body. Walking can help moderate it and it is good bet for them. Gestational diabetes that is quite common among pregnant women, can be controlled if a pregnant woman walks regularly. Yet another benefit is it provides protection against uterine contractions, which often result in spontaneous abortion, which may be due to hormonal changes in the body
13. Reduce Aging:
Every body has to go through the aging process. When aging, the ends or tails of the chromosomes (telomeres), get shorter. And since chromosome is actually DNA, which codes for various proteins, shorter DNA would mean lesser protein. This ultimately leads to loss of function and aging. Low-intensity activities or walking can help keep all your cell functions active -better heart health, brain function and blood circulation. Your body being active, the shortening of the ends of the telomeres slows down the aging process.
14. Healthy hair growth:
Walking lowers blood pressure and stress,and this improves the healthy hair growth and prevents hair loss. For both men and women good growth of hair on the head gives them better appearance boosts their confidence.
15. Planning the day:
When you take a 30- minute walk, while concentrating on you physical activity, you can also plan the things that need to be done that day or at work. You can also focus on urgent things that need to be accomplished.
So, if this simple physical activity in the morning is continued on a regular basis, it has several health advantages, the most important one being your overall health. Incidentally, if you take to regular walking exercise, you have to follow certain tips which you can get from your buddies. Here are some: While walking, your posture is important, keep your body straight; Wear a good pair of shoes and avoid walking on the rough terrain; Never go for long walk after a meal and this will slow down the action of digestive juices, which prevents the proper breaking down of food; Keeping a bottle of water handy is a good bet to prevent fatigue. Avoid hot days, and go for a walk in the early morning; It is nice, if you avoid secluded places for reasons of personal safety. As joggers do, light stretching exercise is good before and after the physical activity. If you have safe sandy beaches nearby, waking on the sand is more effective than ordinary ground.
https://www.developgoodhabits.com/morning-walk-benefits
https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/health-benefits-of-morning-walk
Originally published at http://navrangindia.blogspot.com.(Revised: 22 June 2020)
