Using the earth gym

Go For Long Walks
If like me you have got used to a sedentary lifestyle in the past and exercise feels like a grim prospect, think again. The earth gym, walking in the countryside provides many benefits :

• Promotes psychological well-being and reduces feelings of stress and depression
• Reduces tiredness and gives people more energy for everyday tasks
• Promotes better sleep
• Helps the muscles and ligaments in the feet to work more efficiently, and keep them supple and flexible
• Reduces depression and anxiety
• Helps people achieve and maintain a healthy body weight
• Helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints
• Helps to reduce the risks of many serious health problems in old age
• Helps to reduce the risk of developing non-insulin-dependent (type 2) diabetes mellitus
• Helps to reduce the risks of developing osteoporosis
• Helps to reduce the risk of developing coronary heart disease (CHD)
• Helps to lower the risk of developing high blood pressure
• Helps to reduce blood pressure in people who already have hypertension
• Helps to lower total blood cholesterol
• Helps to reduce the risk of stroke
• Helps to reduce the risk of developing colon and breast cancer

The average person walks 3000 steps per day and the recommended amount is 10,000 steps per day. I have been able to increase my steps very gradually over the last years and from 0 am now at about 4000 steps per day. The increases are small in my case I have to pace my activities severely but I am confident that in time I will reach 10,000 steps. It currently feels still like hard work and yet the above benefits speak for themselves.

The walking site provides a 12 week beginner schedule if you need that to get you started. A pedometer is also a useful tool to check how you are doing. You can simply buy one or check out the promotion for a free one (subject to purchasing cereals?)