[HN Gopher] Benefits of Walking [for Anyone]
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Benefits of Walking [for Anyone]
Author : KlimYadrintsev
Score : 41 points
Date : 2020-12-05 17:28 UTC (5 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (klimy.co)
(TXT) w3m dump (klimy.co)
| euthymiclabs wrote:
| I love this. I run (a little), but have never enjoyed it. I've
| never once experienced a "runner's high"--even when I ran 5-6x
| per week for years. I still do it a couple times a week because
| it's a quick way to get my heart beating, and I do feel better
| afterwards.
|
| Walking is different. It's almost always pleasant, and the
| feeling I get after a good walk is similar to the one I get after
| a run (though I usually have to walk about twice as far as I
| would have run.) During the walk, I experience a calm, meditative
| peace that I really enjoy. I don't even need to have headphones
| on to enjoy walking!
|
| If you find yourself in the position where you feel like you have
| to run to stay healthy, it might be worth mixing it up with
| walking. And if running is overwhelming, don't underestimate the
| benefits of a good walk. It's still the most underrated way to
| exercise.
| 01100011 wrote:
| I loved running when my weight bottomed out(168 for a 5'10"
| frame). As a former fat kid who never ran a mile and always
| found a health reason to escape PE class it was amazing. It
| didn't last long though. I met my wife and started gaining
| weight, and soon I was back to where running hurt like hell.
|
| Now I hike, and I love that. I don't think I'll ever lose
| enough muscle and fat to get down to where running feels good
| again.
| KlimYadrintsev wrote:
| Yes, that is exactly what I tried to explain. You don't have to
| run in order to feel healthy. You can improve your wellbeing
| and focus by taking a quick walk.
|
| The benefits of it are too immense to ignore.
| nicbou wrote:
| If that doesn't work, try riding a bicycle. You can adjust the
| pace depending on how you feel, and see a lot more than you
| would on a regular walk.
| bane wrote:
| I hate hate hate running. I used to work out quite a bit but
| could never get into running and sought other cardio exercises
| - literally anything that wasn't running.
|
| Over time school, then work, then life simply got in the way
| and my exercise lapsed. Now in middle age I worked up a minor
| health issue and my doctor strongly encouraged me to start up
| on cardio again -- this coincided with both the start of COVID
| lockdowns and wasn't long after a move to an area with lots of
| trails nearby.
|
| So I started walking about an hour 3 times a week as weather
| permitted. Health condition went away, blood pressure dropped,
| mood improved, sleep improved. I also started enjoying the
| changing of the seasons more, enjoying nature, being outdoors
| and all that. I started feeling like eating crap wasn't "right"
| and started eating better. It's like an entire cascade of
| wellness.
|
| Not once have I gone for a walk and thought "I'd rather not be
| doing this" like with running. In fact I usually look forward
| to my walk and look for excuses to go on one.
|
| Turns out I should have just gone walking all the time instead.
| dcolkitt wrote:
| I disagree, running and walking are not really substitutes from
| a health standpoint. Walking has a lot of health benefits but
| they're largely orthogonal to traditional vigorous exercise.
|
| Modern research has identified that the major mediator of
| exercise's physiological benefits is the down-regulation of the
| adrenal axis.[1] In other words, activating the fight-or-flight
| sensation is a key component of an exercise program. It's also
| why very high-intensity exercise seems to produce the most
| rapid improvement in key biomarkers.[2]
|
| Many people don't like vigorous exercise because they feel like
| they're dying from the strain. However that painful stressful
| feeling is largely essential to the process.
|
| [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3010733/ [2]
| https://www.sciencealert.com/just-12-minutes-of-intense-exer...
| randcraw wrote:
| One more benefit of walking in the age of covid: It's one of the
| few ways to visit with a friend safely. Socialization this winter
| is going to be tough. Walking outdoors with a friend may be the
| best way to share your life until Spring or vaccination,
| whichever comes first.
| NothingIsReal wrote:
| > _Improving self esteem by 45%._
|
| > _Improving mood by 54%._
|
| > _the research has shown_
|
| How uncannilly mordant -- that one needs statistics and
| scientific studies to know how to be human.
|
| I hope the history of academia's roots don't escape anyone; we've
| traded one omnipotent figurehead for another.
|
| Apologies, author. I know you had to pump this up so Google et
| al. would even consider indexing this piece at any useful level
| -- or that anyone would read or discuss a piece with just:
|
| > _Put any shoes that you have on. Put any clothes that you have
| on. Just simply, walk outside and move one leg after another._
|
| > _The motion is simple. The results are profound._
|
| In the body.
|
| I'm imaging a Twitter; where instead of writing out meaningless
| twaddle, there are pithy and brief "learnings" -- like fortune
| cookies for the soul.
|
| Life would be simpler, if we condensed it all down to only the
| most basic principles.
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(page generated 2020-12-05 23:00 UTC)