The results loom in
front of your eyes and you have to believe it.
Your body weight is a tad above when you compare your height with the
weight recorded in the medical report that is in front of you. You might have undergone
a master health check-up or consulted a doctor for some other ailment. You are in a dilemma now; how to reduce your
weight to the acceptable level for your height.
If you think that you should immediately take a membership in a fancy gymnasium
whose bills are fancier than you think of getting yourself some costly
equipment, then you should read this for sure.
I can save you a lot of money.
Yes! One exercise
which can save you a lot of money at the same time give you the desired result
is walking-yeah you hear me right w-a-l-k-i-n-g. In fact among medical profession it is known
as the ‘king of exercises’. One
activity that gives you immense benefits at the same time which doesn’t cost
you much is walking. Let us see how you
can make good strides in your journey to achieve your desired ‘goal-weight’.
Preparation: as it is mandatory with any form of exercise,
you should ensure that you can take up walking also only after a consultation
with your family doctor. If he/she (this
gender issues….my God) Okays then your job is half done. Then you will require a good alarm clock that
wakes up you in the morning and a strong will to get out of the bed and reach
for your sneakers. Yes, you will require
a good pair of sneakers. As for dress
code, don’t believe those characters orchestrating exercise wear in the
commercials you see in the television.
They are paid to say what they say.
All you require as dress for your morning walk is a good pair of shorts
and a cotton shirt/T-shirt.
Venture out: okay, the preparations are over, what next? You should decide where you should walk. The awareness of the benefits of walking (you
were not aware so far? …better late than never) have done wonders to those
parks in the cities. Most of them boast
a good walking track as an outer ring of the park. They roughly measures about
400 meters if you do one round. If you
are not fortunate enough of living nearby one, you can do a straight walk along
the roadside (road side, mind you)
How long or how much
to start with: Do not, repeat, Do not
walk for almost an hour and half because of the over enthusiasm on the first
day itself. Your body is not prepared
for that. You will have such a muscle
pain in the legs on that night, forcing you to abandon the idea of walking for
the whole week. That is not a good sign. Any exercise form you choose, you have to
start slowly, increase gradually and continue to do the same, unless something
unwarranted force you to stop it.
Experts suggest that it is ideal to do a fifteen minutes routine walk
with a five minute rest and another routine walk of fifteen minutes to start
with. Continue the pattern for that
whole week and increase the fifteen to twenty next week, or if you are not
feeling tired after the fifteen minutes you can change to twenty from the
fourth day. Thus towards thirtieth day
from the starting date you should be able to do a walk thirty-five minute
rest-walk thirty pattern. Then maintain
that level, because you have other things to do during the day.
Speed: Again, do not let the enthusiasm get the better
of you. Don’t walk with a break-neck
speed in the first day itself. But don’t
do it like as if you are in for an evening stroll as well. A Brisk walk, stretching your legs to the
best possible extend, with your hands swinging freely on your side should be
the ideal way to do it.
One or two tips before
you start walking will not be out of place.
Before you start, take a glass of water so that it takes care of the
body’s requirements till you are back at home.
An empty stomach is what doctors advice, but if you have a habit of
taking something with your early morning coffee, then limit it to two three
biscuits or a slice of bread. Do one or
two Stretch Exercises before you start walking.
Always walk on the right side of the road till you reach the park or if
you are walking on the road side. As a
safety measure please carry a stick of two to two and half feet long as
insurance from those stray dogs. Carry a
plastic coated (otherwise the sweat you generate will deform them by the second
day) ID card with your address in your shorts or shirt. If you can get a walking friend, very good
because, more than avoiding the boredom of walking alone, help can reach you at
times of distress. STOP repeat STOP the
moment you feel uncomfortable in your chest or arms and seek immediate medical
attention.
If you do these, down
the line after two months your readings definitely will not make you frown when
you have another check of your weight. I
wish you many more strides towards reaching your goal-weight.
