According to the WHO, "walking is one of the best exercises in the world". As long as you do it right, walking a moderate amount of time every day is good for your health. Especially if you don't have enough time to exercise, you can try walking, which is a simple and easy way to exercise.
1. The benefits of walking
Walking can promote cardiopulmonary function, enhance the elasticity of blood vessels, improve exercise endurance, make the heart stronger, and reduce the risk of arteriosclerosis and myocardial infarction. Walking can strengthen the muscles and joints, especially the muscles of the legs and buttocks, which promote blood circulation in the lower limbs and feet, making the body stronger. Walking can promote metabolism, promote gastrointestinal motility, enhance digestive function, prevent constipation, prevent obesity, lipidemia, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. In addition, walking can also relieve stress, improve work and study efficiency, and prevent Alzheimer's disease.
2. How to walk to be healthy?
The "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents" is aimed at the physique of mainland citizens, and recommends that adults walk 6,000 steps a day. Walking 6,000 steps a day is equivalent to walking a distance of 3,000-4 kilometers and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise. It is best to walk quickly at one time, preferably for 30-40 minutes.
Walking is a good thing, but don't overdo it. For young people, people with good physical fitness or exercise habits, the heart rate can be controlled at 120-180 beats per minute when walking, and for the sick, middle-aged and elderly people, the heart rate is good at (170-age) beats/minute.
Correct walking posture can minimize the wear and tear on the joints and prevent joint diseases. When walking, the chin is protruding, the head is raised, and the attention is concentrated, the shoulders are naturally pulled back, so that the lungs can inhale more air, the upper body is slightly forward, the center of gravity is near the base of the thumb and toe of the back foot, the calf is driven by the thigh, the knee of the front leg should be straightened, the toes are moving forward, not taking the figure-eight step, the arms are naturally drooping, and when shaking the hands, the arms are driven, the palms are down, and the fingertips are forward. Make sure you move forward at a constant speed.
3. Walking mistakes that should be avoided
1. Don't warm up before walking. Many people think that walking is not a professional exercise, you don't need to do warm-up exercises, you can walk when you want, but this is actually a wrong view. As long as it is exercise, you should do warm-up exercises, such as side lunges, trotting on the spot, jumping jacks, etc., to fully move the joints to prevent muscle strain and joint wear and tear, and avoid injury.
2. Walk immediately after eating. This habit is not advisable, it will put a burden on the stomach and damage the health of the body. If you want to walk after eating, at least half an hour after eating.
3. Walk along the side of the road. There are many cars on the road, there is a lot of dust, and there is relatively more car exhaust, and the air quality is relatively poor. Walking along the road will inhale more dust and harmful gases, increase the burden on the respiratory system, and even induce lesions, so the way of walking along the road is unscientific. It is best to walk in a quiet and clean place away from the road, such as a park or stadium. And try to avoid hard ground such as cement floors and asphalt roads, and choose grass, land, and plastic sites.
4. Blind pursuit of speed. Walking too fast can cause physical injuries such as knee pain, ankle joints, hip joints, and lower back joints. The walking speed should be matched according to one's physical fitness, and the speed should be slowed down appropriately.
5. Walk greedily. Many people secretly compete on the number of steps on WeChat, but they don't know that overloading every day can easily cause wear and tear of the meniscus and cartilage of the legs, and then may form osteoarthritis of the hip and knee. Therefore, when walking, you should pay attention to what you can, step by step, and don't blindly worship numbers.
Author: Du Yu
Source: Shenyang Health Service Center
Editor: Chen Yameng
Proofreading: Li Han, Chen Zeming
Preliminary review: Tong Xia
Review: Xu Jiang