Walk, Just Do It

The coffee club may have created an “annoyance” out of Uncle Bud. He has really bought into the need we all have for exercise. Seems our discussion last week has him really excited about feeling better and improving his health. The problem is, and it may be a good thing, he wants all of us to buy into his excitement. Seems he has done his homework. This morning Uncle Bud shared some interesting things about walking with us. We learned that walking is one form of exercise most of us can do. Sounds too simple to be as good for us as it is doesn’t it? Walking is the most popular form of activity in the United States. It is also the most recommended by Health Care Workers. Walking, while can be done on a machine can be so much more enjoyable if you let it help get you out of the house. Yep, walking can get you out of the house, out of a mental rut, and help get you into terrific physical shape.

One of the ladies asked, “Why walk”? You guessed it; Uncle Bud had the answers and was more than willing to share them. He always is. But you’ve got to love him.

There is no excuse not to walk. You can set your own pace, it does not cost much, (just make sure you have some good shoes and socks) and it is so good for you. There are many forms of exercises and just as many excuses. Running? We may get cramps. Swimming? We do not want to get wet and have to shower, dry our hair, etc. Pilates? The ones who knew what that is said it can become expensive. Spin class? Oh my knees. Spin class is for those already in pretty good shape.

So why walk? No one could come up with a downside to walking. Walking can be a simple way to add exercise to your day. It helps with weight lose. According to a study done by the National Weight Control Registry walking was the primary form of exercise for folk who have lost weight and kept it off. Your walking does not have to be done all at one time. Health benefits can be achieved by the walking you do over the course of the day. If you don’t have an extra thirty minutes to walk you can walk just ten minutes three times a day. Walking done often and properly can have an array of benefits. Walking may not be an impressive form of exercise but we can have some of the same results as we can from so called sportier regimens.

Paul T. Williams, Ph.D., a staff scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, in Berkeley, California, goes so far as to call walking “a wonder drug, except that you don’t need a prescription and you don’t have to pay for it.”

Most of us left this morning with a resolve to walk. Hopefully our doing so will encourage the rest of the group to do the same.