Walking to boost your immune system
Take a daily walk and boost your immune system
While in this lock-down period, we are taking advice from our leaders, washing hands, staying at home, social distancing and just leaving the house for essential travel. Guess what? We are allowed to go for a walk in the park/bush once a day. My message is still on the notion that though we cannot control the pandemic going on at the moment but in our little corner we can make it difficult for the virus to find refuge and host in our bodies, by creating healthy bodies. So come on let us do some walking.
WALKING
Gyms and swimming pools are all closed at the moment. This should not be a stumbling block to our physical fitness, but a stepping stone to a healthier body by paying nothing like our ancestors used to do hunting animals and walking miles on end. Walking is in our genes and one major milestone we get initiated into intuitively in the first year of our lives.
BENEFITS OF WALKING
1. It stimulates blood flow to your skin giving your face more vibrancy and glow
2. You look and feel young
3. Walking helps build strong legs, calves and hamstrings
4. Tones muscles and gives muscle definition
5. Improves your mood
6. Your great lymphatic system unlike the blood circulatory system does not have a pump, it relies on gravity and movement. So when you walk, your plumbing system loves it. There is movement of waste and toxins and this helps clear your immune system. Remember the immune system is responsible to fight and ward off infections, viruses COVID 19 included.
7. Sweating - HOORAY! As this happens the skin pores are opened and again another way of getting rid of waste and toxins
FIT FOR PURPOSE WALK
Walking is something simple, easy and we do it all the time everyday without thinking about, unless one is suffering from some chronic medical condition that makes it difficult to walk. Here are a few steps to effective walking:
Check the weather first to determine what to wear
Comfortable clothing preferably loose fitting T shirt, tracksuit, leggins etc
Comfortable shoes
Map your journey (no surprises dead end road)
Well hydrated before leaving house
Use the toilet facilities as all public places are closed
Carry light keys, 250-500mls water, pocket tissues
Take wide strides and make sure you feel a comfortable stretch in the area of your groin. This is the area your inguinal lymph nodes are situated and they play an important role in your body’s immune system. Remember your great lymphatic system? Do not overstretch just a nice comfortable stretch does it.
Your arms should be relaxed, move them front and back as you walk. Again the armpit houses some lymph nodes vital in your body’s defense system.
Look straight ahead where you are going. Looking down at your feet might give you a sore neck and you will not enjoy the walk.
Start with short distances first maybe a mile then increase gradually to at least 5miles in an hour.
Once back home have a shower to get rid of all the sweat that is no longer serving you. Love and pamper your body. Apply a healthy nourishing cream. Remember your skin has a membrane to absorb. Try not to add harmful chemicals, which your body will struggle to deal with. Reduce the amount of toxins going into your body through the skin and lessen the workload on your immune system. This time around your immune system has bigger challenges to deal with fighting and warding off infections and viruses like COVID 19.
Make walking part of your daily practice and do it with your partner/ family, members of your household. How beautiful to be able to exercise and at the same time nurture relationships with our loved ones.
KEEP WELL, SAFE AND HEALTHY.
Daina
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