Why is it good to walk in the fresh air? Walking in the fresh air - what is the benefit of them? Makes a person more attractive


Hiking is the simplest and most accessible form of physical activity, and, moreover, suitable for almost everyone. When walking, not only muscles work, but the body is also saturated with oxygen if the walk takes place on fresh air, which is doubly useful.

You can choose any route, be it a city sidewalk, forest or park paths. For people who do not have enough time for sports, it is enough to replace part of the distance they traveled by transport with walking.

Every person walks in one way or another, some cover hundreds of meters a day, others walk long distances. Of course, short walks from home to transport or from the car to work can hardly be called sufficient physical activity. However, you can do this if you wish.

It has been noticed that during walks a person becomes more relaxed, emotionally balanced, focusing his attention on his surroundings and his own sensations in the muscles. It is good for vision, as the eyes finally take a break from the monitor. A walk gives you the opportunity to be alone with yourself, thanks to which the nervous system becomes stronger and more stable.

For example, jogging, which many choose to keep their body in good shape, lose weight, or just exercise in the morning, is not suitable for every person due to health conditions and age restrictions. But walking activities have much fewer restrictions. If you organize your walks correctly, you can achieve good results.

The essence of walking is the work of several muscle groups at once, with the legs moving in the transverse, longitudinal and vertical planes. Thanks to the activation of neurochemical processes, walking has a beneficial effect on the body as a whole.

Walking has the following positive effects on the body:

  • the lungs begin to work at full capacity;
  • blood circulation improves;
  • the heart and vascular system are strengthened;
  • oxygen delivery to all cells of the body is activated;
  • The respiratory system works better;
  • thanks to increased blood flow, varicose veins are prevented;
  • the fat burning process is activated;
  • has a beneficial effect on psychosomatics;
  • immunity increases;
  • endurance improves;
  • is the prevention of joint diseases, osteoporosis.

With regular walks, pelvic congestion also disappears in men, and this leads to a reduction in the risk of such an unpleasant disease as prostatitis.

If the purpose of walking is to improve health, then it is suitable for any age and gender. Your well-being should serve as a guide to whether the load is sufficient for you personally. It will tell you whether the route is correct, the complexity of the route, the duration of the walk, and its speed. Walking is especially recommended for:

  • decreased immunity;
  • lethargy;
  • prostration;
  • general weakness of the body.

However, walking is contraindicated for some people, namely if they have the following symptoms:

  • increased arterial pressure;
  • arrhythmia;
  • pulmonary failure;
  • previous stroke or heart attack;
  • diseases of the cardiovascular system;
  • chronic kidney disease;
  • glaucoma;
  • threat of retinal detachment;
  • diabetes;
  • ARVI, acute respiratory infections, influenza.

It is also worth noting that it cannot be said that walking is better than running or vice versa. It’s just that running requires a more serious level of physical strength and endurance. But regular walking can sufficiently prepare the body and be preparatory stage to run. In addition, people who have overweight, since you can harm your joints, so it is better for them to give preference to walking. However, according to doctors, an hour-long walk is healthier for the body than a half-hour jog.

How to walk correctly

In order to receive good result, you need to walk according to some rules. For walking to be beneficial, observe the following conditions:

  • moderation. After all, the level of intensity and duration of walking should directly depend on your well-being. You need to listen to what your body says, don’t overexert yourself, don’t let pain, do not go through force;
  • gradualism. You don’t need to immediately set yourself insurmountable goals regarding the duration, speed or mileage of your walk. Increase both gradually, without sudden jumps;
  • regularity. Perhaps this is the basic rule for all types of physical activity. Only with regular exercise can you count on the expected result.

Make it a habit to walk for at least half an hour three to four times a week. To keep your walks regular, take every opportunity to take them.

For example, get off a couple of stops earlier, especially if the route to work is not close. You need to accustom yourself to walking, but to do this you will have to change your daily routine, going to work earlier. Replace taking the elevator with walking up the stairs.

Of course, the ideal option would be long walks in the fresh air without any rush, when walking is the goal. By choosing to walk in the morning, you get an extra boost of energy. And by walking in the evenings, you will be guaranteed a good and sound sleep.

In summer, on hot days, choose morning or evening hours for walking, so that the body does not have negative influence heat, elevated temperature air, because of which the effect of the walk will be clearly undesirable. In winter, make sure that the temperature does not approach a critically low level; in other cases, walking is useful. In addition, cold weather encourages you to walk at a faster pace, which increases the load on your muscles.


The duration of the walk depends on the individual abilities of the body.

Low-intensity walking at a speed of 4 kilometers per hour is good for people with low level physical training. Monitor your pulse, it should reach 80 beats per minute. Over time, the intensity can be increased, but this must be done gradually.

In the beginning, walk for twenty minutes a day, increasing to thirty to forty minutes. Based on the abilities of your body, the process of increasing the duration of a walk can last several weeks or even months.

If the purpose of walking is to improve the health of the body, the duration of the walk should be at least half an hour, taking into account a speed of seven kilometers per minute with a pulse rate of 65-80 beats.

Walking up to 10 kilometers at a fast pace will be tiring at first, but this will subside over time, usually within a few months to a year. When you stop getting very tired from walking quickly over fairly long distances, this will mean that the goal has been achieved. In this case, walking should be continued, but another load should be added to it.

Thanks to walking at increased speed:

  • the likelihood of cardiovascular diseases is reduced;
  • accelerates the process of weight loss;
  • blood pressure returns to normal;
  • overall physical endurance increases;
  • the body accepts aerobic exercise better.

You can take walks around the city, in the park, on a treadmill, on the spot, on the stairs. Even using special poles similar to ski poles. This type of walking is called Nordic walking.

On the spot

If you don't have the opportunity to walk outside, you can walk at home in one place. The load exerted on the body by this method of walking is similar to an ordinary walk, except for the movement of the body forward. To start, walk in place for about ten minutes, then increase to an hour and a half. Watch your speed; when walking in place for half an hour, you should take from fifty to seventy steps per minute. To monitor their number, just install a pedometer on your phone or get a special bracelet. And to avoid getting bored, you can turn on a movie, then time will fly by.

On the simulator

When walking on a moving track, that is, on a special simulator, the effect of walking is also preserved, except that the load will be slightly less due to the fact that no additional obstacles are created for walking. For example, in natural conditions The walking trail may have inclines, uneven surfaces, etc., which slightly increases the impact on the muscles. You can install the path at a slight angle to achieve a better effect.

On the stairs

A type of walking accessible to everyone. You don’t need to get a special simulator for it. A simple staircase, which is found in every home, is enough. You should start by replacing the elevator with taking the stairs. This is the simplest option. Next, you should complicate it a little, going two floors above the desired one, then going down to your own. The next level is to reach the top, then go down to ground floor.
At the beginning you need to walk, stepping on each step. Calf muscles will react painfully, since the load will be unusual for them, plus shortness of breath and rapid heartbeat will be added. Once these symptoms disappear and your calves become accustomed to working in this mode, make the walking more difficult.

Now stand on the steps not with your feet, but with your toes. Then start walking one, and then two steps. As soon as you feel that your muscles are not working enough, combine walking options, increase your speed, and sometimes start running. You can even pick up some weighting material.

Walking up the stairs develops and strengthens the muscles of the legs and hips, stabilizes blood pressure, and allows you to successfully fight excess weight. In order for such an activity to give best effect, it should last at least half an hour. Moreover, climbing flights of stairs burns much more calories than even running on a flat surface! This means that the fat burning process is much more active. Of course, you won’t be able to walk up and down the stairs for so long right away. It all depends on the personal abilities, patience and endurance of each person.

Nordic walking

A type of walking with poles, somewhat similar to ski poles. A distinctive feature from a regular walk is that it involves not only the muscles of the legs and hips, but also the upper body. That is, the load is distributed across almost all muscle groups.

You can increase the load without increasing the pace. This kind of walking is in a great way lose weight, because it allows you to burn almost twice as many calories as a regular walk.

We wrote in more detail about Nordic walking in a separate article, which we recommend reading:

Walking is good because it does not require any additional effort or expense, and does not have strict requirements. For people with certain joint problems, who are prohibited from running, but need exercise, this is an ideal option. To make your walk enjoyable, pay attention to the following details:

  • Shoes should be comfortable, athletic, preferably for walking. The foot and especially the heels must absorb well when in contact with the surface, otherwise too much load will be placed on the spine, and this can lead to a number of problems with it;
  • clothes should also be comfortable, give up jeans in favor of comfortable sports trousers, do not forget about a hat in the cold season, gloves, because health comes first;
  • choose places and roads that are convenient for walking, preferably with a familiar route, in order to correctly calculate the load and duration;
  • do not forget to monitor your walking speed, heart rate and your own well-being;
  • If you experience discomfort or persistent pain, it is best to stop walking and consult a doctor.

Walking in the fresh air is beneficial for both young and old people. This The best way keep fit, lose weight excess weight, strengthen your immune system, calm your nerves and just have a good time.

Get up and walk, then your health will be fine!

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Modern rhythmic life contributes to the constant acceleration of all processes in society. People are in a hurry somewhere, worry, waste their nerves on solving problems and all sorts of little things, forgetting about this important factor like fresh air. When we accidentally find ourselves in the natural environment, we begin to inhale oxygen purified by trees and understand all the delights of life.

Most people do not understand that fresh air is essential for the normal functioning of the body from the very first minutes of life until death. Young mothers regularly take walks with their children along the park alleys. Usually this takes at least 2-3 hours. Adults should spend the same amount of time outdoors. But do we always adhere to the rules of behavior and allocate precious hours for a walk?

In most cases, our walks are limited to short walks from home to the garage, to a nearby store for shopping, or from the parking lot to the entrance to the office. IN at a young age people still visit entertainment venues and sometimes go out in the company of peers. If there are children in the family, then parents sometimes devote a day off to them to visit the park or go on a trip out of town. As a result, rarely can anyone boast of a three-hour walk.

Due to lack of oxygen, people become weak and can become victims of various diseases such as pneumonia or heart failure. Fatigue increases, the person becomes lethargic and irritable. Inhaling clean air is extremely necessary, but for some reason the process of understanding is postponed to the last years of life and manifests itself in old age.

Inhaling fresh air can normalize the functioning of systems human body. Most of all, oxygen is required for the reliable functioning of the brain and nervous system. The deficiency causes memory impairment, a state of absent-mindedness and depression. A sufficient amount of air improves lung ventilation, heart function, vascular permeability, and the condition of the digestive system. Strengthens general state the body, the likelihood of disease decreases, life expectancy increases.

To fully satisfy your body in oxygen, you need to take walks every day. It is best for them to choose areas covered with green spaces: trees, shrubs, grass. City dwellers can visit the nearest park or nearby forest. As a result, the lungs will receive the necessary amount of oxygen, the body’s tone will rise, and strength will be restored for further successful activities.

Walk outdoors

Research healthy image scientists are engaged in life different countries. The Americans have confirmed their high returns through practical experiments. hiking. To do this, they decided to compare the results of physical exercise different types. A group of people of different ages was divided into two equal halves. One was doing muscle stretching exercises in inpatient conditions, the other took walks in the air from half an hour to 45 minutes three times a week.

A year later, scientists conducted surveys of both groups. The brain volume of “walkers” turned out to be 2% larger than that of exercisers. physical exercise. Moreover, the increase occurred due to the areas responsible for memory and planning. Those who stretched had a 1.5% reduction in brain size.

A long-term experiment showed that exposure to air promotes the rejuvenation of brain cells. The results were enhanced when walks were combined with activities for memory training, mental arithmetic, logical thinking and fast reading.

How to take walks correctly?

Moving along the alleys of a park or square not only helps the body get required quantity oxygen, but also helps strengthen the muscles of the legs and back, introduces you to nature, and helps you enjoy green foliage.

In order to allocate a little time every day for walks, you can get acquainted with the following recommendations:

  • Take every opportunity for a walk. When going to work or home, walk part of the way. At lunchtime, take half an hour and walk around the nearest square or park area. Walk to the store;
  • Organize meetings with friends or loved ones in nature. On weekends, go outdoors with the whole group;
  • Occasionally allocate time and finances to travel. A trip to another city can add oxygen to the body and a lot of new impressions to the brain;
  • To fill your walk with impressions, get yourself a hobby or a dog. You can take photographs or collect herbariums;
  • Loads should be increased gradually. To get started, 15 minutes is enough. Then gradually increase to an hour. Over time, walks will increase to 2-3 hours.

Many people spend their workdays under fluorescent lights, sitting in front of a screen, and then they go home and watch TV there. Constant presence in indoors does not provide health benefits. Nature is much more beneficial for humans. Psychologists and researchers in other fields are constantly finding new reasons to spend more time in outdoor spaces. If you want to find motivation to walk more often, you should get acquainted with all these facts.

Being in nature improves short-term memory

A variety of studies show that being in nature strengthens memory. An ordinary walk down the street does not give such an effect. An experiment was conducted in which students were given a short memory test and then divided into two groups. One went for a walk in the botanical garden, and the other walked along an ordinary street. When the participants returned and repeated the test, those in nature improved their scores by almost twenty percent. Those who were outside showed no improvement. A similar study was conducted on people suffering from depression. It turned out that a walk outside improves memory, even if a person is depressed.

Nature has a relaxing effect

Being in the lap of nature reduces the intensity of the physical manifestation of stress in the body. According to the experiment, people who spent two nights in the forest had reduced levels of cortisol, a hormone that is used as a marker for stress. In addition, the researchers found that heart rate and cortisol levels were lower in people living outdoors rather than in cities. For office workers, a window view of nature also leads to reduced stress and greater job satisfaction.

Spending time in nature reduces the intensity of inflammatory processes

When inflammatory processes are too active, it leads to various diseases, including autoimmune, as well as depression, syndrome inflamed bowel and even cancer. Spending time in nature can help control inflammation. According to research, students who spent time in the forest had lower levels of inflammation in the body when compared to those who spent time in the city. In another study, older adults were sent on a week-long vacation in the forest. They not only decreased the intensity of the flow inflammatory processes, but the severity of hypertension also weakened.

Nature will help you get rid of fatigue

You know that feeling when your brain seems to refuse to function? Researchers call this psychological fatigue. Fresh air will help you restore normal brain function. Studies have shown that even viewing pictures of nature has a therapeutic effect. The beauty of nature evokes a feeling of admiration, which immediately adds strength.

Fresh air helps fight depression and anxiety

Anxiety, depression and others psychological problems can be resolved with time spent in nature, especially if combined with exercise. According to scientists, walks in the forest help reduce anxiety and improve your mood. In addition, it can even be used as an adjunct to treatment depressive disorder. Any corner of green nature improves self-esteem and improves mood. If there is a body of water nearby, positive effect turns out to be the most powerful.

Time in nature improves vision

At least for children. This is confirmed by research. Spending time in a forest or park is an easy way to prevent the development of eye diseases in children and adolescents.

Nature improves your ability to focus

So, you already know that nature helps you recover. A walk in the park can improve your ability to concentrate. The effect is so strong that it helps even children with attention deficit disorder.

You may be more imaginative after a walk.

Time spent outdoors allows a person to think more creatively. Research reports a fifty percent increase in imagination levels.

Spending time in nature lowers blood pressure

Walking can help lower your blood pressure. This by-effect from reducing the level of stress hormones in the body. On average, heart rate decreases by four percent, and blood pressure by two.

Walking may even prevent cancer

Research is still early, but preliminary evidence suggests that time spent in nature may stimulate the production of cancer-protective substances.

Forest can strengthen the immune system

Cellular activity in the body after a walk in the forest also reflects strengthening immune system, which will help you forget about problems such as colds and similar infections.

Time spent outdoors reduces risk of premature death

Staying near a park or forest has a positive effect on health. Researchers have found that this allows a person to live longer and reduces the risk of death from cancer, lung or kidney disease.

We all know that being outdoors is beneficial. This is especially true for those who spend most of the day in a stuffy office space. But, if you ask a question “What is the actual benefit of such walks?“, most of us will still experience some difficulty with the answer. We are simply accustomed to the fact that this is just another life cliché that is not subject to discussion. So, today we’ll just talk about what happens in our body during such air exercise and such walks... The walks that you and I take in the clean air ( clean air is the key to the benefits of such walks) have a very beneficial effect on our body. In addition to the fact that we inhale oxygen deeply, our breathing quickens, our heart begins to beat more often, and, circulatory system begins to function as it should. As a result of all this, our body improves metabolic processes, beads of sweat appear on the skin, along with which waste and toxins are removed from our body. In addition, when we walk, all the muscles of our body are strengthened, every ligament and every joint, and our musculoskeletal system both rests and moves... Walking itself helps us develop correct posture, and we stop slouching and clamp your internal organs. It is especially important to walk for people who are overweight - with every step you take, you burn extra calories and become slimmer. And, even while you walk, there is a natural shaking of all the fluids in your body, which prevents elementary stagnation of blood. Your walking is movement. And, without movement, our body simply atrophies. In this way, while walking in the fresh air, step by step, you charge it with energy and strength, and in gratitude, your body begins to fight viruses and diseases more intensively, because its immunity, thanks to your walks, has become stronger and more resilient. During such walks, you saturate your brain cells with the oxygen it needs, you begin to think better and no longer complain of headaches, fatigue or insomnia. Even if after such a walk you feel tired, it will be a pleasant feeling that will give you strong and healthy sleep. From a psychological point of view, such walks are also very, very useful for our psychological state and nervous system. So, for example, if after a busy day at work you feel simply empty and exhausted, but the most stupid thoughts creep into your head, a short walk will help you take your mind off your thoughts. The main thing is not to think about what happened or what will happen. Enjoy what you have now - fresh air and your rhythmic walking, which restores the strength of your body.

If at least twice a day, morning and evening, on the way to and from work, instead of trying to win a seat on public transport, you choose a route away from the roadway and walk to your destination - a few weeks after Once such walks become your useful and healthy habit, you will notice that you not only feel better, but also look at the world more positively, your appetite has improved and you no longer suffer from insomnia.

It is noteworthy that such walks are useful at any time of the year. And, even in winter, so you can start applying what you learned today... today! True, depending on weather conditions, as well as on your age, and on the level of your hardiness and physical fitness, the duration of your walks varies. Therefore, you should not immediately, without first hardening your body, walk for several hours in a row at low sub-zero temperatures. By doing this you will only harm your body, upset its thermal balance, and this, in turn, will cause hypothermia, then, for several days, when you lie with a runny nose and fever, you obviously will not have time for walks... If in your opinion , just walking and breathing fresh air is not enough, you can combine your walks with active species outdoor sports. So, in winter it could be skating or skiing, in the rest of the year it could be playing ball, badminton, tennis... And finally, one more interesting fact, confirming the benefits of walking in the fresh air.

British researchers from the University of Bristol conducted a study of a group of children. It turned out that those children who regularly spend time in the fresh air are less likely to suffer from such an ophthalmological problem as myopia. This is explained by the fact that sunlight has a positive effect on the retina of the eye.

When making a schedule for the coming day, do not forget to allocate time for walks in the fresh air. Find time for yourself and your health! Shevtsova Olga

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2 comments to the article “Walking in the fresh air will strengthen your body” - see below

Many parents underestimate the benefits of walking for a child, but walking is very important for a person, especially for children.

Walking in the air is the best way to improve health, and therefore prevent colds in children and adults. In addition, a walk helps increase a child's appetite. Metabolism improves nutrients are better absorbed. Thanks to walks in the fresh air, the body is naturally cleansed, the upper muscles function better. Airways. Walking is the easiest and the right remedy hardening the child.

It is necessary to walk with your child at any time of the year and in any weather, and the duration of the walk should be adjusted in accordance with weather conditions.

In the summer, a child can be outdoors all day. The ideal condition would be to relax in a country house, where there is an opportunity to hide from the rain and scorching sun. It’s even better if there is a body of water nearby, and if not, you can always replace it with a children’s pool, in which kids love to splash. Here you will have entertainment, exercise, and hardening.

Staying outdoors is especially beneficial for young children, because thanks to sunlight, the body is saturated with ultraviolet radiation, which is responsible for the production of vitamin D in the body. This the best remedy in children.

Also, the walk is an excellent remedy prevention of visual impairment in children. Indeed, on the street, where there is so much space, the child constantly has to move his gaze from nearby objects to objects distant from him - this is a wonderful exercise for the prevention and treatment of myopia, as the eye muscles are trained, and as a result, vision is strengthened. A very useful relaxation exercise is when you can just calmly look into the distance.

Winter walks are no less useful. Frosty winter air is best saturated with oxygen; when it enters the body, it stimulates brain activity. Thanks to winter walks, it increases physical activity body, sleep improves. Walking at temperatures below ten degrees is especially useful. This air is especially clean and the likelihood of contracting an infection is much lower. You probably noticed that the splash viral diseases most often happens when frosty weather gives way to thaw.

And for the walk to be fun and useful, parents should know...

Of course, adults should regulate the duration of winter walks and make sure that the child does not get too cold or overheat. Touch the baby's neck from the back. If it is dry and warm, everything is fine; if it is wet and hot, the child is hot and sweaty, then you need to go home. If the neck is cool, the baby is freezing and should be warmed. It is necessary to dress your baby correctly for a walk.

Improvement thanks to walking physical development child. Each walk is accompanied by physical activity of the baby. During outdoor games, various muscle groups are trained, coordination of movements is developed, as well as reaction speed, strength, endurance, and the will to win.

Learning various types movements, the child actively engages in mental operations, which contributes to his mental development. Research recent years prove that the higher the child’s motor activity, the faster his speech develops.

Also, in nature, a child has the opportunity to observe the world around him, natural phenomena, and learns to establish cause-and-effect relationships, for example, why a snowflake melts on his hand. It is very important to teach a child to see the beauty of the surrounding nature and natural phenomena. All this also contributes to the development mental processes: perception, attention, memory, imagination.

While walking with your children, play educational games to learn about the seasons, natural phenomena, animals, and plants.

Remember, a properly organized and conducted walk will ensure your baby’s health and harmonious development.

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