Walk it Out!

Walking is the natural means of transportation for most every living thing - except those that crawl on their bellies because they have no legs, lol. However, with today’s society full of vehicles, walking has become the thing you do for exercise, not because you have to get somewhere. Whenever I put on my shoes to go walking, my kids ask me - are you working out? Well, what if I was actually going to the store? Is that so unheard of? Not only would we save oodles of money on gas if we walked more, but the inches would drop off so quickly and easily that you wouldn't FEEL like you'd been trying.

Walking has numerous other benefits in our lives. Besides being cheap, almost free, save for the cost of good walking shoes, but really, you can get started walking with just about any pair of comfortable shoes. The hardest part is getting started, if you've been the type that would rather not go anywhere if you had to walk. The weird thing though is that once you start, you won't want to stop!

Health Benefits
Walking is a cardio vascular workout that can help reduce your risk of heart disease; aids in alleviation of depression and lower back pain; increase your muscular strength; improve coronary condition; reduce risks of infection and hypertension; aids in maintaining a healthy weight; and curbs the decrease in bone density. Likewise, it also helps in maintaining flexibility and coordination hence, reducing the risk of falls. Like almost all forms of exercise, it adds better health, zest and longevity to your life.

If its not too hot outside and you can walk to work, you'd feel better at the end of the day. Hard to believe because you're thinking of how exhausted you'll be - but the opposite is actually true. The first few days might wear you out, but after you get into the groove of it, you'll have MORE energy at the end of the day.

Social and Economic Benefits
Aside from the obvious health benefits, walking can also have a very large social and economic impact in today’s society.

In comparison to the cost of operating a car, which is approximately 5,170 dollars a year, walking will cost you little or nothing.

In addition to this, walking alone will also give you more time to spend some time with self and THINK, ponder what's going on in your life and come up with solutions - without the distraction of a car radio or other people in the car talking to you, or worrying about traffic jams. Walking has been shown to improve self-esteem, relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety, and improve mood. Walking, particularly in pleasant surroundings, and also with other people, offers many opportunities for relaxation and social contact.

Environmental Benefits
Moreover, walking is the only form of transportation that will not contribute to air pollution and oil consumption.

Motor vehicle emissions represent 31% of total carbon dioxide, 81% of carbon monoxide, and 49% of nitrogen oxides released in the United States alone, and thus create 60 percent of air pollution. Although individual cars are much cleaner today than they were in the past, now our focus has turned to ways to reduce oil consumption, and less driving is one of the best - if not THE best way - to contribute to this reduction worldwide. Cars and trucks burn millions of barrels of oil, a non-renewable energy source, everyday. If total traffic continues to grow, overall air quality will also continue to deteriorate.

Transportation Benefits
Walking will not contribute to traffic and requires less space than automobiles. Moreover, it reduces the risk of vehicular accidents on the road. Walking can help to reduce roadway congestion. Many streets and highways carry more traffic than they were designed to handle, resulting in wasted time and energy, pollution, driver frustration, and gridlock. Not to mention deterioration of the roads themselves, leading to more damage to the cars, and more county resources to repair the roads - and THEN you get a rate increase in your taxes to pay for the roads that we've destroyed by driving so much! See how its a vicious cycle???

But now I'm thinking - what if half of the people in my city start walking tomorrow? Will the sidewalks be able to handle all of the traffic? Will we start bumping into each other and develop a new sort of "sidewalk rage"? Because I know when I'm walking, I usually have to move over for others, especially people on bikes (which I'll write about later, the benefits of biking, lol), so I can imagine what it would be like if there was actually TRAFFIC on the sidewalks!! I guess that's normal in some cities like NY, but in smaller cities, it would be a totally new experience!

Oh well, either way, walking could only enhance our lives, we just need to find where and when we can fit it into our lifestyles.

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