|
From
a health point of view what is the best New Year resolution we can
make. As a diet counselor and a nutritionist, I would say the biggest
and most important thing would be to make a commitment to WALK EVERYDAY
in the year 2004.
Today we see an enormous
breakdown in the health system all over the world and I believe
that the biggest contributing factor to this is the great reduction
in walking in our day-to-day lives. Even people in the low economic
stratas can afford some form of transport and therefore walk less.
Secondly houses are smaller, flats are very small, compound spaces
don’t exist and people don’t walk over to markets or
neighbours homes. Even in offices people hardly move from their
seats and working hours are much longer. So they are sitting longer.
This problem starts very early in life today. Right from 5 year
olds are sitting more. They spend 2-3 hrs daily in bus journeys
to far away schools, then they are sitting in tuitions in the evenings,
and later most time is spent at the computer or T.V instead of playing
on the roadside.
 I
would say let us as families make a resolution to go out and walk
and play more. I work 9.30 – 5.30 daily but after work I take
my 3 children aged 5, 10 and 13 and spend 30 minutes walking and
jogging in a park. My husband who is a doctor drops, the children
at school at 8 am, walks in Cubbon Park for 20 minutes and then
drives to work at 9 am. Where there is a will there is a way!!
The great thing
is that even if you can’t make 45-minutes or an hour it does
not matter, even 20-30 minutes can do wonders. The secret is the
regularity. In 5 years we have counselled over 2000 people, aged
5-75, with not only obesity problems but even with weight gain problems,
heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, gastro- intestinal
problems, etc. and in all cases, of all ages, we see that walking
has the biggest influence in improving people’s lives and
health.
Walking is a
basic necessity for the human body. All the glands, organs and systems
are keyed into action when you walk and the Basal Metabolic Rate
is kept high if a regular 20-30 minutes, continuous walk is done
daily. In the old days this happened naturally everyday as people
went to their work and fields or even to a market but today it’s
a rarity. Even busy housewives need a 20 minutes continuous walk.
It may even be done in a big hall, terrace or compound, up and down,
but it must be done daily.
The biggest
problem I see is that people start off very enthusiastically and
keep it going for 2-3 months. Then suddenly they say, ‘oh!
I am shifting my house so I will give the walk a break for 10 days’.
They may start it again or may not for the next 3 months. Please
note the BMR goes up when you have walked regularly for 3-4 weeks.
One week of no walk and it drops very low. To get it up again you
have to walk regularly for another 3-4 weeks. What a terrible waste
and we see rapid weight gain and very harmful effects in lipid levels
and blood sugar levels rising when you stop walking for even a week.
If pressed for
time just do 20 minutes daily like you just brush your teeth &
bath no matter how busy you are. Compromise on other things but
never on your walk. I had a weight problem for 28 years and have
won the battle in these last 5 years and the biggest secret of my
success is regular Walking for at least 20-30 minutes daily. Even
if you are slim, fit and healthy the secret of upholding & maintaining
this is to walk daily!!! |
