Health for All, Smiles for All
On an average, every individual walks 2,500 steps a day. He/She takes 125 steps in a minute, which makes it 7500 steps an hour. An individual can be regarded as physically fit if he walks 10,000 steps every day. If a person walks at a consistent speed (preferably fast), he/she can take atleast 15000 steps a day. And that person can be claimed as highly fit. Walking daily for 60-100 minutes is one of the best and easiest exercises one can take. Walking regularly not only keeps us physically fit, but also increases our creative ability. It also helps to control high blood pressure and diabetes. Apart from that, walking regularly is a great help to reduce cholesterol in our blood.
Researches show that people who walk regularly are less prone to have cancers of various types. Chances of having stroke and other heart diseases are also reduced. Old age issues, like –memory loss, inability to move and walk properly –are considerably less among people who walk regularly. Researches also made it clear that people who walk regularly outlives them who do not by at least 5 years. Moreover, walking also helps burning calories. Nearly one calorie is burnt with every thirty steps. With 15,000 steps a day one can burn nearly 500 calories of unwanted fats in a single day. Therefore, if a person walks 100 minutes regularly following a consistent high pace, he/she can get rid of 4 kg. of fats in a month.
Our body weight depends on three aspects –our calorie intake, daily work, and the amount of calories we burn in our day-to-day work. If our calorie intake exceeds the amount we burn, the excess calories turns into fat; resulting to obesity. Our body weight will neither increase nor decrease if we burn the exact amount of calories attained from the food we eat; on a daily basis through daily work or exercises.
Today, I would like to share a memory of mine related to walking. Two years ago, I got a couple of opportunities to visit the reputed Harvard University located in the city of Boston, USA. The famous Charles river flows right through the middle of this exceptionally health conscious city. On one side of the river is the Harvard University, and on the other side is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I was amazed seeing the huge number of people walking and jogging on the foot paths built on either side of the river.
One February, I witnessed a situation in Boston, which I ardently appreciated. The footpaths on either side of river Charles were filled with snow as thick as 6-7 feet. Surprisingly, that didn’t stop people from taking their walks.
It once happened that, for the purpose of Trade and Commerce, Government of U.S was planning to construct buildings on either side of Charles river. The planning, if implemented, could result in restricted usage of the footpaths, commercialize the place, and intervene the charming milieu the river and its surroundings have. These were the concerns that prevailed amongst the people of Boston. It was their aim to stay healthy that led the people of Boston protest against their Government, persuading the authority to discard the plan. Play, run and walk around in the greenery, enjoying the cool breeze of river Charles was achieved for forever now.