Reasons to Walk

Column #3 14th October 2006

In this, the third of your fortnightly columns with Exercise Coach Jack Walton of ‘Functional Trainer’, we will progress further with designing your program and discuss the ‘Reasons to Walk’ and all the benefits associated with this great way of increasing vitality.  There are more than you may think…..

If you caught the last column you will have hopefully begun to think about your health and fitness with more confidence.  From out of the confusion of all the advice, fads and gimmicks out there, we must begin to think of our training in a functional way.  What do you need to be able to do to function for daily activities and tasks?  Is your existing exercise programm functional?  What is functional training anyway? Is it just yet another fad?

Typically, as human beings, we need to be able to effectively walk, push, pull, bend, twist, squat, lunge and move in all planes (or directions).  When designing your program we start with function and develop from there.  If we develop without function then we are likely to get injured or never reach our potential physically or mentally.  It is surprising how many people cannot perform all these movement patterns pain free with sufficient strength, range and control.  Therefore you must train them.......it’s what we are designed to do.  The secret you will find out will ultimately be about building strength.

*For your safety, always seek advice from an exercise specialist before embarking on a new exercise program.

The aim of this column is not to target detailed programs for you to do.  Due to the specific nature of training and the approach at ‘Functional Trainer’, the aim is to provide another outlook and approach to health and fitness that educates the individual about their body, so that exercising becomes relevant to life and with that more enjoyable and sustainable.  The training you do should make sense and this is something that sometimes goes missing within the industry.

Whilst you are contemplating how this impacts on your life and training regimes, it is a good time to focus on a mode of exercising that is suitable for most of us and a great place to start from to increase vitality.

Excellent Reasons to Walk

• It’s a great starting point to steadily increase from.  Progression is key to improving your fitness, but it must be at the right level.
• Time to indulge in an exercise program can be hard to come by, but we all have time to walk.  Make small changes to your daily routine like parking further away from your destination and taking the stairs as opposed to the escalator/lift.
• Your metabolism and general health will improve as the circulation of your blood, lymph and joint fluid improves through walking.  You will transport more nutrients and oxygen to your muscles, skeleton and organs and vitalise your immune system.
• The integrated movement of your whole body will serve to burn a lot of calories and maintain your body in balance.
• The level of impact that occurs when walking promotes bone formation and strengthens the musculo-skeletal system, preventing conditions like osteoporosis.
• As we walk, there are greater demands on respiration.  The movement of the diaphragm serves to mobilize the internal organs and improve your digestion, detoxification and many other functions.
• The ability to walk is important in human development as it enabled us to survive by traveling, hunting and avoiding predators.  Other functions like digestion and even immune strength work effectively in tune with all these movements.

So start walking your way to optimal health and in two weeks time we’ll see why we must have a holistic approach to fitness.