Health and Exercise and Walking

Walking is good for you, good for you all over. I have osteoarthritis and have had for many years now. Walking is very important for my good health and well-being. Walking is fun and it is great mental and emotional therapy as well as for your physical good health. Take a hike, well at least a walk every day.

Take A Hike; Well At Least a Walk

I enjoy walking. It just makes me feel good. It makes me happy. I enjoy being outdoors. Walking is good for you and for me. It is just plain good exercise and it is fun. I’m not imagining that. Walking reduces stress and pent up energy that has had no place to go when it has been too cold and icy for me to venture out, too dangerous.

Oh I walk some in the winter too and I love a winter walk if it isn’t too bitter cold and it isn’t too icy. Falling and breaking a hip wouldn’t be a whole lot of fun and it would bring an end to the joy of walking in a hurry. I still walk when I can, even in winter, but now it is spring and I will walk a whole lot more and my spirits soar just thinking about it. I can hardly wait to get out there.

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I have osteoarthritis. Some days this condition can be very painful but if I give in to it and make no effort to keep my ability to move and be able to do things on my own, I will soon lose that ability altogether. Walking is good for me. Some days I can’t go as far as other days. I have to recognize my limitations but I still need to keep moving or I won’t move at all. Walking is one of the very best exercises I know for my arthritic condition and it came highly recommended by my doctor. He said he wanted me to walk at least fifteen minutes twice a day and more as I could tolerate it. I promised I would and I have tried to keep that promise. He said, walking is good for you and he was right. We all need exercise and walking is very good exercise for all of us.

Walking really does make me feel good all over and it is good to know I can still do it and now that it is spring I will do more because I want to and am determined to keep moving. I will begin slow so not to injure my joints more than they already are and build up to longer walks. I haven’t walked much all winter and it has taken a toll on my health. Now I will walk more again and I will benefit from it.

When I get out for my daily walk, sometimes more than one, I really do feel better.

I breathe deeper; my body seems to come alive again. I get to enjoy the world around me, become a part of it. It is amazing what is really out there for us to enjoy, appreciate and share with when we get out there and walk and really look around. And walking is good exercise. We all need exercise and walking is cheap, it doesn’t cost much other than a little time and a good pair of shoes and maybe a good walking stick and the rewards are plentiful.

You can walk just about anywhere and at most any time. Sometimes I just walk around town, along the streets, maybe chat a bit with folks I meet, or maybe I’ll just walk to the park and back but what I really enjoy is the river walk, walking along the river and enjoying its beauty and wonder. I love walking along mountain streams and even in them. I love walking along a beach and doing a little beach combing. I love walking in the woods and along country roads. It is great fun to go walking through fields and orchards just to see what there is to see and I usually see something along the way that makes me very glad I brought my camera with me. Photography is something else I really enjoy. You can get a lot of amazing pictures when you are just out walking, taking a hike and you can walk just about anywhere.

Walking helps prevent and in some cases reverses some types of arthritis and cardiovascular diseases. It improves your circulation and can help you lose weight and maintain a healthy weight. A fifteen minute walk is about equal to a ten minute one mile jog and doesn’t do nearly the damage to your joints that jogging may do. It improves breathing and respiratory ailments. It builds muscle and strengthens your bones. Walking helps you to be more alert. It helps prevent inflammation in your joints. You hurt less when you exercise regularly. It helps you to relax more, rest better and sleep better at night. Walking is very good for you. So, take a hike, well, at least take a good fifteen minute walk once or twice every day even if it is just around the block. You’ll be glad you did.