Here is a little gem from nearly 100 years ago in the Jefferson County Record, dated Jan. 4, 1917. Then, as now, the new year inspired people to begin self improvement activities, and back then, just like today, walking was a great way to improve your health.
Maybe, if we had read this article in 1917, we’d still be alive today. Or, maybe if we read this article today, we will still be alive in 2117. Imagine that!
Walking Best Health Aid In The Winter: Cold Increases the Appetite and Necessitates the Taking of More Exercise.
“With the coming of cold weather, exercise should not be forgotten. It is needed more than ever. With the advent of winter the appetite for sweet and greasy things increases and most people overeat. To utilize this amount of food, plenty of exercise in the bracing fresh air is required.
Among the best exercises and the one which is within the range of (almost) everyone is walking. Five miles a day is not too much for the average person, and seldom have such weather conditions occurred as to make this impossible. It is not well to walk so rapidly or so far as to induce excessive fatigue. It is not advisable to walk in the face of a strong wind if it can be avoided. Those who are not accustomed to walking should begin by going a short distance each day, preferably on fairly level ground, gradually increasing the distance and the speed.
The President of the American Walker’s Association gives this advice on the proper method of walking:
Walk upright, shoulders back, chest expanded, allows arms to swing freely, step out with a snap. Walk with the hips, not with the knees. The slow, haphazard, often slouchy gain of the ordinary citizen is not walking. It is a poor imitation that gets him nowhere and is of little or no value as a health builder. How different is the walk of the practiced pedestrian gliding along with long, even stride, head erect, freely in perfect rhythm to each thrust of the opposite leg. Covering distances with little effort that to the average person would be quite impossible at the gait that surprises the casual observer, he finds his walking a pleasure second to none.
He visits places of interest impossible to reach by trolley or train, traverses roads through the most beautiful scenery, climbs up hills and down dales, and roams through fields and woods inaccessible even to the automobilist and the cyclist. In addition, he fills his lungs with pure invigorating air, sends his blood pulsing through his veins, carrying fresh life and vitality to every part of his body.”
And from today
According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2010, more than 145 million adults in the U.S. included walking as part of their lifestyle to keep them healthy.
“Physical activity such as walking can help improve health even without weight loss. People who are physically active live longer and have a lower risk for heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, depression, and some cancers,” the CDC reported.
The scenery along the way is just a bonus.
