The Benefits of Walking
A few months ago, I was riding in a van in Rwanda. We were driving 2 hours to our hotel in the mountains to do a Gorilla Trek. As we drove along the countryside, we saw many people walking to town, going to school, or going to work at their farms. Most of the people we saw were thin and healthy with very little obesity. A few weeks later, upon returning to the US we had a layover in Chicago for a few hours. As we got our tea and coffee at 7am on a Saturday I watched people arriving and departing and noticed most of them were overweight and very few were “in shape”. I watched families and others eating doughnuts, drinking sugary drinks, and looking at their phones. I thought to myself, where are we going as a country? Our citizenry is on a fast march to illness and eventually death simply because we do not move and eat right.
As walking is a way of life for Rwandans our society has replaced feet for wheels and wings in almost every facet of life. We have replaced children’s scooters with e-scooters. Bicycles for e-bikes. Skateboards, for e-boards. If we can afford it, we can simply buy a scooter, stand on it, hold on to the steering bars and simply go. In essence we no longer are moving. As a result, our bodies are exploding and with it comes chronic disease and eventually a shorter life.
By the grace of God, our bodies were designed to cover long distances and respond to fright or flight. We weren’t designed to be stationary. In addition, we weren’t designed to consume large portions of processed foods loaded with sugars, chemically enhanced flavors, and preservatives. Put those 2 together and you have a national health crisis in our country where no one is trying to fix it other than offering medication for weight loss, diabetes, etc. What happened to the President’s Physical Fitness Test for our students?
As September is fitness month at 50Cups, I encourage you to journal how much time you spend simply moving daily. The average American takes a little over 5,000 steps per day, which is significantly less than other countries. 5,000 steps are approximately 45 minutes of walking per day. That means that the average American spends over 23 hours a day either stationary or sleeping! Although I am not a proponent of a device telling you to move and take 10,000 steps per day, it is better than nothing. I would encourage you to walk whenever you can. If you have a choice of stairs over an elevator or escalator, then take the stairs. If in a parking lot, park further away to get some steps in. If you’re golfing, walk instead of riding. In essence, in every aspect of your life, try and walk. By walking for 30-45 minutes a day all at once can reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, shrink your waistline, boost immunity, and improve your mood.
To sum up, only you can take control of your body. It’s the only one you have. Care for it, love it and always strive to make it better. At 50Cups we want everyone to be great. So, if you’re local, walk over to see us and if you’re not, order online, take your walks and enjoy our tea before and after.