Wednesday, February 22, 2012

WALKING TO BETTER HEALTH AND LONGEVITY

It's been a while since I last stepped on the scales. So it came as a shock to me the other day when I decided to weigh myself. 57 kg! I had vowed never to exceed my ideal weight of 52 kg. What happened? How did I pile on the extra kilos?

I don't drive, so of course I walk - A LOT. I am very active - my calendar is chock-full of events and appointments. Ah, I know the culprit. It must be the hours I spend at my computer handling emails, doing research and writing articles. I have also been slack about exercising. I used to do road running, yoga, and aerobics quite religiously. After my second major operation in 2008, my exercise regime has dwindled to just weekly dance class. I definitely need to step up and shape up.

My work station. Walking the talk, and staying committed to exercising for good health.

Immediate Solution: I've put up reminders in front of my desk-top computer to get moving after an hour. To make sure I do just that, I've placed a clock right at my keyboard, and set the alarm to ring at hourly intervals. I vow to restart my daily 30-minute stretching and strength-training exercise. I shall continue to do this till I regain my ideal weight of 52 kg by my birthday in June.

When you are retired, it's easy to spend the days doing nothing except eat, sleep, and watch TV. Even if you don't watch TV, but spend hours reading or at the computer, it's still pretty much a sedentary lifestyle for many retirees. This is especially so for men. While the wives utilize the free time to sign up for classes, go on group tours or take up voluntary work, the husbands prefer to stay at home. Guys, is this true?



Research has shown that being physically active can add years to your life while a sedentary lifestyle actually speeds up the ageing process, and contributes to a host of health problems like obesity, heart diseases and diabetes.

The choice is ours to make. Walking is free and easy, and flexible too in terms of when and where you want to it, and with whom. Just 30 minutes will do.

So invest in a comfortable pair of walking shoes and start walking round the block or in the neighbourhood park. I'll be doing so this very evening.

1 comment:

SFGEMS said...

Just 30 minutes is my mantra. It helps me believe that I can do it. Now anything above this time is a bonus.

:)