Human body is a construct of several parts, each different yet heavily interconnected and dependent on each other for proper functioning. Just like your car requires daily care and maintenance, so does your body. Irrespective of the cliche, it is very much important and the effects of negligence are often identified when its too late. It might be a last stage of a disease or just the start of a life long process of medication.
Everyone is taught and conditioned to take steps, each step one takes is a step for a better future, often a higher standard of living. But that’s where people go wrong, no amount of external changes can change the person you are, that is only your own decision, independent of any factors. Your life is only as good as your character, your existence as a being and as a responsible individual of the modern society.
As per the definition of standard of living, it is just ‘A level of material comfort as measured by the goods, services, and luxuries available to an individual, group, or nation.’ Now that doesn’t change who you are and how you act and think. That only changes what lies around you. A nation with high standard of living doesn’t define it’s worth, its people and their beliefs do.
“95% of deaths in the world are cause by cardiovascular disease, and all are lifestyle related i.e. they can be prevented in the first place. So in essence they are consequences of our own conscious decisions.”
Originally posted in The Huffington Post
The poll, conducted by YouGov on behalf of the World Heart Federation for World Heart Day on Sept. 29, included responses from 7,367 adults in the U.S., U.K., Brazil, China, India and Spain. They were asked questions online in August 2013 about the amount of time they estimated walking every day at a casual pace, and the amount of time they walked every day at a faster than normal or brisk pace.
The poll showed that about one in three U.S. and U.K. adults aren’t aware of how much they walk every day. Meanwhile, only one in six people in India say they don’t know how much they walk each day. People in the U.S. and U.K. also reported less brisk walking than people in India and Brazil.
Here is an expert insight. Dr. Kathryn Taubert, Chief Science Officer for the World Heart Federation, said, “Awareness is the first step to a healthy heart. Paying attention to how much we walk should be as simple as watching what we eat. On World Heart Day, we are urging people to take action to protect their hearts. By reaching the recommended guideline of minimum 30 minutes of moderate exercise, which includes brisk walking at least five days a week, many premature deaths can be prevented.”
According to government guidelines, adults should get at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity exercise each week. This means you require less than 30mins of simple workout daily to stay fit and healthy. That is obviously a general guideline, as everyone might not have the same body condition, be it their weight, height, basal metabolic rate(the number of calories you would burn each day without moving a bit) etc, but at least it is a good start to get better.
Running is always better, but walking does the job too, and is a great way to not only shut off from the daily ups and downs but also to connect with nature, or sidewalks and hordes of people in the case of a bustling city. Nonetheless, it is something that should be cultivated and spread, as you are more worth than the things around you, so start paying more attention to your body.
So a simple walk can promise a better future, why not take it?
[Here are some great ways you can be more active by doing the simplest of tasks Source]