Can Walking Help Improve Health?

It's time to log off from the computer, put on your comfortable shoes pack a light lunch and take a well needed break in the fresh air.

Being active is so important for the human body's well being all through life. The body has to be used regularly for all the parts to function well and home business people who use a lot of time at the computer - need to keep fit too.

Taking a brisk walk in the fresh air for just an hour a day does wonders for building up your energy, blowing away the coffee cobwebs of the morning, or the irritating conversation with the customer or postman. Walking may not burn all the fat - but as well as getting some exercise you'll be surprised at the fresh ideas and inspiration you'll get while on your walking trips.

Walking is one of the easiest, most enjoyable, and less expensive forms of exercise. A good pair of comfortable walking shoes, and weather suitable clothing, and the will to get out there are all the 'equipment' that's needed.

Today's computer and internet environment is wonderful - how did we ever manage without it. It's one of the best developments of the modern world in many different ways and doesn't show any signs of stopping any time soon - on the contrary the internet is booming in all sorts of ways. However, there are people for which this same environment has brought them into an undesirable situation - sometimes without them realising it.

Anyone that has any form of internet business knows, that time goes so fast when working at the computer. Suddenly that hour you promised yourself working on your website has turned into five hours - but without moving any of your limbs. It's easily done, you get carried away in your cyberspace project and before you know it - you have no stamina, your behind is getting square from all the sitting and you're beginning to bulge - all in the wrong places.

It's great to have a home business, complete with website, products, services and working from the convenience of home and having paying customers too. Nevertheless, many people sit hour after hour, every day at the computer without moving anything but their fingers over the keyboard and the occasional trip to the kitchen to top up the coffee cup. Now more than ever we need to think seriously about how much time and exercise we're offering ourselves.

It's time for computer fitness - and this doesn't mean the well being of your computer. Some small, yet very relevant suggestions.

Coffee is a great beverage, one that many people often drink too much of throughout the day. Too much caffeine stimulating your central nerve system, will put your body in a permanent state of unnaturally being on alert, though you'll probably be in a state of exhaustion in reality. There are research studies that suggest drinking coffee with caffeine can cause an increase in arterial walls becoming stiff - you don't want to go there.

Best to exchange most of the coffee for drinking water, or how about fixing up home made juice, which will flush out the impurities in your body. Once you're body starts to flush out toxins and get used to water instead of coffee, you'll start to feel refreshed, your eyes will become brighter and you'll begin to regain some natural energy.

Your sleep will become less stressed and you'll gain more natural energy instead of the fake kind that caffeine often brings. Whether you need to purchase bottled water will depend on where you are located. Keep a bottle of fresh, cooled drinking water beside you. Drink water frequently, even though you don't feel thirsty, after drinking coffee constantly - you could be dehydrated. If you're unsure about your home tap water, you can get it analysed to make sure. At all costs, make sure the water you're drinking is fresh.

Now you're thinking that you don't have time for a ten minute break every hour - but after sitting at your computer for so many hours, if you don't get down to some serious exercise time away from the computer now, you could be in for a devastating health shock later on in your life. To help remind you to take your break and give a little alert each hour - there are various scheduling programs to choose from - if you use Microsoft Windows, then you can set this up within Windows, alternatively Shutter which you can find at snapfiles dotcom shutter html is a popular scheduling freeware program that is user friendly and easy to setup. Alternatively use a kitchen timer or set your clock to help you remember to take your break. On your break - move about, try to relax - but keep on the move, stretch your body and let it know that you're alive.

Of course you had a good breakfast to start your day - with lots of fibre and fruit to get the cogs of your body turning. If you didn't then you missed the best and most important meal of the day. Although this hub is not about dieting, if you have been burning the candle at both ends i.e. computer, no exercise, tons of coffee etc., then your body may crave a good old fashioned cleaning out. There are many ways of doing this - one that works wonders and combined with some exercise - especially if you have put on a few pounds is the cabbage soup diet. It sounds worse than it is - a good all round recipe for Cabbage soup which you can find at cabbage-soup-diet dotcom recipe html.

Of course you need to take care of your internet business, and if you take care of yourself - you'll have double the energy, focus and ability to take care of your online business and sit less at the computer. There are plenty of inexpensive ways to keep your limbs busy and fit while working at the keyboard at the same time. Try to avoid crossing your legs while you sit still as this can lead to cutting off the blood circulation which can lead to a stroke.

If you don't have a 'foot weight' to help keep your leg muscles strong - find two pillowcases. Put a stone weighing approximately one kilogram into each pillowcase, then tie them together - if you don't have a stone, then use a bag of sugar or rice.

Now you can cross your legs and place the tied together pillowcases over the bridge of your foot - with a stone on either side of your foot. Now slowly swing the leg with the pillowcases and stones up until your leg is straight out in front of you - hold it while you count to 10 and then down again. Do this fifty or so times or set your kitchen timer to ten or fifteen minutes - then change to the other leg and do the same.

It's lunch time. You've had a good morning taking care of your online business but now it's time to take a breath of fresh air and a brisk walk and take care of you. Remember to take water with you on your walk and a bite to eat - an apple, piece of cheese and chunk of bread will do nicely. Before you leave on your walk - you need to use a few minutes to warm up even though you're not going for a run, if you're not used to walking any distance, warming up will help you avoid aching muscles afterwards.

While walking, stretch your neck by tilting your head first to one side down to the shoulder and then repeat to the other side - do this several times. Then push your shoulders up as far to your ears as you can and then lower them slowly - repeat several times.

Bend your arms at the elbow and push them back, pushing your breast forward - repeat. Make sure your arms go back and forth while walking and remember to breath in through the nose and out from the mouth. You can do all of this without looking strange. Perhaps you have a pedometer, this will track the distance you walk and some track your pulse too.

A good brisk walk for about half an hour, then sit with a good view and eat your lunch washed down with a good helping of fresh water and then a good walk for half an hour or so back again - perhaps take a different route.

Remember to take in the view - stop to smell the roses on your walking trip. You’ll find that getting away from the computer for just an hour each day out into the fresh air will be exhilarating, inspiring and energizing.