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I’m passionate about walking. I know that may sound odd to some but I’ve never really enjoyed running long distances or the crazy dance routines they make you do at health clubs.
I walk because it makes me feel alive, energized and ready to take on the day, regardless of what the day has in store for me. I have a group of friends that share my passion for walking, and we call ourselves the Iverson Mall Walkers.
Our group began in Hillcrest Heights, Maryland, in 1989 by our beloved founder Gwen Fields. She saw a need for the seniors in our community to get out of their houses and apartments and move their bodies in a safe and nurturing environment that, best of all, also happened to be free.
Our doctors were pressing us, our kids were pestering us, and well, we knew that exercise was vital for our health... not to mention that it would help in losing weight to fit into our pants around the holidays.
Gwen reached out to AARP members in the local chapter and got the Iverson Mall on board and away we went.
Now, 22 years later, we have over 450 active members and we’re adding more each day.
Any form of exercise we do I think is good. It makes us look better as well as feel better. It is especially helpful the older we get.
15 minutes' practice of Maha Meditation per day can definitely increase life expectancy by more than 3 years. This is the technique designed by Holy Ziguang Shang Shi to meet the needs of people in modern life, fast effect, significant result, and expedient means.
The aerobic benefits of walking are the best kept secret of modern life. I saw this article a few weeks ago, http://blog.wannabuddy.com/2011/02/aerobic-benefits-of-walking.html, and realized how easy it is to get back into shape. I am already noticing a difference in how I feel. Good weather or bad, I'm walking the mall!
I worked at a mall while I was in college, and we had a group of mall walkers who came in every morning before the crowds. Those folks were fantastic. They were friendly, enthusiastic, and seemed to be a great social network. Some of them told us how much more alive they felt, getting out of the house, socializing, feeling healthier than they had in years. They came in to exercise, rain or shine outdoors. If it was blisteringly hot, the mall was nice and cool. If it was rainy, the mall was dry. Some of them were great-grandparents. Some of them had been seriously obese when they started, and we watched them lose weight and get healthier by the day.
Even though I have a nice sized yard for her to play in, I still get up and take my dog for a walk every morning. It does us both good and is a nice way to start the day. I am fortunate to live with year round nice climate where I can walk outdoors year round but if a mall is what works for you, that's great.
I'm 59 and have walked 1 marathon and getting ready to walk my fourth half marathon. I am blessed with really good health and I believe it's partially due to walking. As one who fights the weight battle, it helps for that as well as truly being a cure for depression. I strongly hope this article will help spark a desire for walking in people.
One summer at college I worked as a host for summer camps… My job required plenty of walking around an entire campus. I lost 80lbs in 2 months.
Cool! I like the positive message in this article. I'm definitely an advocate of walking. The author is right- running and other activities aren't for everyone. Walking is something that any person of any age can do as the article demonstrates. Keep it up!