There are a lot of activities that are under-rated regarding their benefit to health and fitness. Playing games is one such activity. Games help keep our brains supple and ready for action. There are some sites that advocate playing the more difficult logic games like Sudoku but it also helps to play online casino games, even if you play them for free.
For example, Grande Vegas online casino offers unlimited free play in all its games. The decision-oriented games like poker and blackjack have the same benefit as Sudoku and other logic games. However, even slots have benefit as they help people relax.
Relaxing is also one of the many benefits of simple walking. Walking is another activity that is usually rated as less beneficial than running, cycling, or swimming but it has many benefits that a lot of people should be aware of.
Relaxation and General Happiness
Walking has been shown to calm the mind. Many walkers do so in the evening or even after dark after the long day at work and taking care of their children. Walking is a better way to unwind than watching television as it involves the entire body from the musculature to the mind.
When we watch television we usually nibble on something while when we walk in the evening we normally just drink to stay hydrated but we don’t eat and we certainly don’t nibble on snack foods. Many health-conscious people do eat a single fruit when they walk in the morning. Diabetics are often advised to do so as otherwise, they might find it difficult to incorporate fruit into their relatively strict eating regimen.
Walkers say that walking puts them in a good mood. Even though walking is not a muscle building exercise, walkers say that if they miss a single day, they feel less well mentally. They also say that they don’t have to walk for the same length of time or for the same distance every day; the very act of getting up and out is enough to give them a feeling of repose that lasts for a very long time.
Walking at night is said to improve sleep whilst walking early in the morning is said to improve memory. Some people walk for a short time both in the morning and in the evening in order to take full advantage of the different benefits of walking at different times of the day.
Whether we walk in the evening or in the morning, the activity has a very desirable calming effect on us. People who are usually tense because of work or study requirements find that walking early in the morning helps them more than walking in the evening.
Walking is Slow
This is, of course, relative but if you are setting out to walk fast you may choose to jog slowly instead. Walking slowly has the benefit of giving us the chance to look around. Just looking around is one of the most under-rated of all healthy activities. First of all, people who spend their days in front of computer screens, and that involves a critical mass of people in economically developed countries, need some time just to look.
One of the most important activities that Robert Pirsig discussed in his great work, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, is simply looking. He spoke about looking at a problem in order to catch a sliver of insight into how to approach solving it. But he also spoke about how important it is to just look at things.
As we walk, we can look at the sky. In certain seasons, we’ll see flocks of birds flying overhead. The birds don’t just fly. They whirl and twirl in formations that are simply amazing. With our eyes on the computer screen or on the road most of the time, we would normally miss this natural phenomenon.
Running doesn’t allow our eyes to wander as we have to concentrate on the roadway or sidewalk we are running on. Bicycling is even less conducive to seeing birds far overhead because we have to be constantly aware of obstacles in our path that might send us capsizing. Swimming as exercise is done mostly indoors. That leaves walking.
We Can Walk Anywhere
Not on water, we agree! But when we go on holiday, we can walk as a major part of our time away from home. Americans especially who live in very new cities relatively speaking can enjoy centuries of architecture and urban development by walking.
What would a holiday in Venice be like if we didn’t walk for hours and hours? Would we enjoy Prague, Vienna, or Budapest as much if we weren’t walking? In almost every holiday destination, there are walking tours that we can take. A walking tour is a lot better than an on and off bus tour as we see the city slowly. This is the best way to absorb as much as we can from the newness and freshness of visiting a city for the first time.
People who take their holiday in the autumn in order to see the great color burst of autumn leaves say that walking is the only way to fully appreciate the great change that the season brings. Driving is necessary but it’s the walking in the countryside that perks up our memory. When we talk about our autumn trip during leaf season, we talk about walking in the forest not driving on the highway.
Walking is a Great Place to Start
Even though walking is a low impact exercise, it has enough physical benefits that it is the best way for many people to start an exercise routine. Many people who start walking never stop. Walking is good for the heart, arthritic joints, weight control, blood sugar control, and protects the immune system.
Many older people are afraid to walk because they are afraid of falling. They say that if they fall, they might break their hip. The fact is that most broken hips in older people happen and then they fall. So, walking can be tricky for older people. That’s why it’s best to start slowly. Brittle joints need to warm up and become better lubricated. This takes time so if you’re afraid of falling, go slow and don’t overdo the walking.
Walking is also good for the balance system in our inner ear.
Unlimited Benefits
As a low impact exercise, walking has many benefits. If you need high impact exercise, you could probably benefit from starting out walking before advancing to running, bicycling, or swimming. Even Zumba devotees can be helped by starting slowly with a walking program before going all in on Zumba!
