Walking your way to Youth!

Article by Anna Letitia Cook

So easy – just go out the door and get going!

Get in shape, gain in energy, lift your spirits (even boost your sex life) to say nothing of the healthy, youthful glow and happy frame of mind… it’s a positive miracle worker!

What are the negatives? None that spring to mind, it doesn’t take any great effort, no monthly fee for doing it, no scheduled timetable to fit into, not even a specific place you have to go to do it. It really is the ultimate in energising, fit-making, mind-boosting, freedom!

Why not take a break now this minute? LEAVE the computer and take a quick 5 minutes down the road to see how easy it is (even if you are reading this discreetly at work, I am sure you can find a reason to creep out for five minutes :-))) You will love the spontaneity, the liberating feeling, the movement, the physical exercise – uplifting on so many fronts! Speaking of which…

Uplifting

Physically and Healthily
Emotionally and mentally

Walking – As Maggie Spilner says, it’s the “miracle drug of the 21st century, the near-perfect antidote to the sedentary lifestyle of the computer age” …

Benefits of walking

So physically we become fitter, often losing weight, we tone muscles, help the heart, develop a more attractive, leaner, athletic shape – AND – it helps combat osteoporosis, we sleep better, our digestion improves, our blood is better oxygenated (that also means more youthful looking skin!), our flexibility and balance improve, we become more supple (particularly if we do those important stretching exercises before and after!). It makes us more upright so less likelihood of understudying for Quasimodo, the hunchback of Notre Dame later on in life :-). It alleviates aching neck, shoulders, back to due to bad posture from leaning over a computer screen (not that you are sitting like that right now – lol).

There you have it – a brief canter around the excellent physical and health benefits you gain from such an easy, pleasant activity – Tempted already? You should be – Walk tall, head up, swing your arms, contract your stomach muscles, imagine touching your tummy button to your back bone, and stride out!

Now imagine yourself after a few weeks – really visualise, see yourself in your mind’s eye – how you look, leaner, fitter, better skin, clear eyes, walking tall, a spring in your step from your new found energy – and now see yourself with a big, happy, laughing smile on your face, glowing with the pleasure of life, activity and enjoyment! Really concentrate on how well you look and how good you feel… Hold that image, keep that feeling – imprint it on your brain, feel it in your body…

That is just the start of the emotional and mental uplifting that comes from walking – it reduces stress, relaxes you, makes you feel happier, gives you a more positive outlook, lets your imagination fly away with you, encourages enthusiasm and an optimistic attitude (optimists tend to lead longer, happier, more interesting lives). It helps you develop an inner sense of confidence and control over your life, improves emotional stability and the ability to bounce back from the unexpected problems that life occasionally throws out to trip you up. It improves your resilience (both physical and mental), you feel better about yourself and your life…

You laugh longer, more often and more easily!

Happy, healthy and active are signs of YOUTH, whatever your actual year count! So get your walking head on, get out there and reap the benefits – reward yourself with all the admiring glances you receive, the lift in your heart and the spring in your step.

Start gently, 10 or 15 minutes building up to at least 30 minutes a day, split it into 3 walks if you prefer it, 10 minutes each time is fine… don’t forget to stretch (yoga and tai chi classes are always a great addition to any lifestyle if you have the opportunity and the inclination)

Don’t want to walk alone? Be inspired…

Walk with a friend – great for keeping up with all the news, keeping contact and bringing health and happiness into someone else’s life too.
Walk with your partner, children, grandchildren – gives some extra quality time together, to enjoy, be yourselves, take pleasure from just doing something together.
Walk the dog – maybe even help out dog-walking at your local animal shelter? What a wonderful bonus for all concerned!
Historic landmarks and buildings – Go discover – there are so many wonderful places to visit and learn about. Increase your knowledge, soak up some culture and exercise while doing it!
Explore gardens, parks and beauty spots…. again, so many of them all around us and what a lovely way to spend a couple of hours out and about.
Birdwatching – this can become a great hobby and so lovely to see wildlife in their natural habitat – the other afternoon I came face to face with a fox down a little country path – beautiful creature – I don’t know which one of us was more surprised!
Walking holidays – a great way to explore a new area, region or country – see places that normally aren’t accessible by car and improve fitness while doing it – best of both worlds!

WALK – ACTIVE means YOUNGER! “If a manufacturer could package all the benefits of walking into a single pill, they’d make billions of dollars”

Bio :

Anna Cook is particularly passionate about mentoring women executives and boomers in finding clarity in their career choices in order to achieve freedom, fulfilment and leadership success. She created and became CEO of her first company in the entertainment industry at age 32. Midlife approaching, hungry for a dynamic change, she refocused her experience, founding WomenUP Ltd, a specialist consultancy focusing on the challenges of corporate gender balance strategy. Creator of the process SCOPE for career fulfilment. She is currently working on her first book ‘Liberate Your Career: The Women’s Guide to Freedom and Fulfilment’, with plans for a second, ‘Glass Ceiling Grans’, early next year.