Step Towards Good Health
Written By: Dr. Jan McBarren, Duke and The Doctor
Print
Email
Published - Nov 5, 2011
It is universally recognized that walking is one of the best ways to reduce the incidence of many diseases as well as improve quality of life. Walking is arguably the easiest of all exercises. Walking doesn’t require a membership, special equipment, special clothing, or a coach. Basically since the time we were 1 years old, we know how to walk. Unfortunately, however, often times we find every excuse not to walk.
Technology has allowed us to become lazier and lazier and simply avoid walking. Escalators, elevators, drive- thru’s, remote controls and cell phones all contribute to a decreased amount of walking. This sedentary lifestyle has led to the wide spread problem of obesity as well as Heart Disease which remains our number one killer.
Most people admit they fail to exercise enough. For many individuals exercise is synonymous with any four letter word; in other words it’s unpleasant. So given that most people recognize the need to exercise, why don’t we do it? There are many excuses, including it’s boring.
There are two types of exercise, active and passive. Active exercise involves a conscious decision to move your body to increase heart rate for an extended period of time. Most people feel they need to walk 30 or 40 minutes every day to achieve any benefits; however this is simply not the truth. It is consistent non intense exercise that appears to offer the most benefit. Passive exercise on the other hand is the accumulation of steps taken every day without feeling your exercising. It’s taking a flight of steps instead of the escalator, parking farther away from the mall entrance, its going into a business rather than using the drive thru. In other words it’s our daily activities performed on an almost unconscious level that if we become conscious of it, we can increase it and therefore increase passive exercise.