The benefits of walking | Walking rules | Conclusion
Physical activity is very important for any organism. And even more so with diabetes. One of the types of exercise is walking. This is the most popular and affordable way to improve your health.
Recently, the tremendous effect of walking has been promoted in the trend of a healthy lifestyle. There are even mobile apps that keep track of their owner’s steps and record their daily physical activity. You can walk anytime and anywhere. But walking is different. Correct walking is based on several rules. Walking and diabetes mellitus — what are the rules to follow? You will learn about this in this article.
The benefits of walking
During walking, the complex work of almost all muscles of the trunk and limbs takes place. The legs move in three planes at once: transverse, longitudinal and vertical. The faster you walk, the more active the work of the muscular apparatus and the more intense the energy consumption. Due to walking, metabolic processes are accelerated, blood flow is activated.
Fat burning occurs through walking. So, in 15 minutes of walking at a moderate pace, 100 kilocalories are burned.
Walking strengthens the heart, bones, and lowers blood sugar and blood pressure.
Along with this, walking improves mood, relieves anxiety, and improves sleep.
In some ways, walking is even healthier than running. Although they give the same effect, running requires more strength, stamina, and fitness. In addition, if you are very overweight, running can damage your joints and heart.
Walking rules
When practicing walking, people with type 2 diabetes must follow a few rules.
Rule one: 40 minutes a day at a comfortable pace. You don’t have to do it all at once. Can be split into several walks. For example, 20 minutes in the morning and 20 in the evening. The pace of walking should be increased gradually. For example, start with five minutes of slow walking, then move to a fast pace, then a slow pace. Alternate the pace.
To find the optimal walking time for yourself, you can use the “speaking test” technique. If while walking you can say without shortness of breath: “I am not tired at all and I can still keep going,” then it is a good pace for you.
Rule two: watch your breathing. During exercise, the most optimal breathing mode will be: three steps — inhale, three steps — exhale. Correct breathing and pulse are the main criteria for the sufficiency of the exercise.
Rule three: comfortable shoes. Pay attention to the shoes. They should not be tight and should not squeeze your feet. The heel of the shoe should be stable, and the sole should be flexible and thick enough. Remember that even a small wound or callus on the leg can have serious consequences.
Rule four: sugar control. After physical exertion, hypoglycemia may appear. Therefore, self-checks are necessary. Measure sugar before and after a walk.
For diabetes mellitus, daily walking or moderate exercise is recommended. Let it be just a 30-minute morning walk.
By the way, morning walking is very useful.
The total amount of exercise should not be less than 150 minutes per week. To increase the load, a doctor’s consultation is required.
Conclusion
To maintain health, you need to walk every day, not from time to time. Replace riding on public transport or car, if possible, for walking.
And do not count the kilometers spent on the way, but the time spent in the fresh air. Two hours of walking can easily replace a full cardio workout.
And yet, American scientists have concluded that 1 hour of walking prolongs life by 2 hours!