Presbyterians, like many of
our colleagues and neighbors, tend to live rather sedentary
lives. We often sit behind desks or around committee tables
exercising our minds, but not our bodies. This life-style,
combined with a life-long opportunity to eat as often and as
much as we like, can contribute to our individual "girth" and
place us at increased risk for cardiovascular events and diabetes.
Walking programs are an ideal way for congregations to focus
on an opportunity for individual Presbyterians to practice
good stewardship of our own bodies and health, collectively.
Many congregations are already using walking as an activity
and some have formal walking programs in place. Let's
Get Moving is an option for those who wish to have a more formalized
program.
According to some sources, the rate of walking
has dropped by 42 percent over the past 20 years. Over that
same period, the number of overweight people in the US has
increased by 40 percent.
Please check with your physician or see a health professional
for evaluation before you begin any strenuous exercise
program.
The health benefits of walking are astonishing. Not only
does walking help reduce stress, it also reduces the risk of
developing heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, stroke, and
breast or colon cancer.
Walking stimulates the brain
to release endorphins, the body's natural opiates, which
can make you feel better about life right away. It also stimulates
the brain to increase production of the neurotransmitter serotonin,
another potent mood elevater.
Walking requires neither club
membership nor pre-certification/approval from your healthcare
insurance provider. The weather is warming, green is re-emerging
and there is no better time to take a deep breath, clear the
winter fog from our lungs and move!
Download
Let's Get Moving program in the printable Adobe Acrobat
format.
Download walking
logs and a poster in the
printable Adobe Acrobat format. |
- Files marked with this icon can be downloaded in printable Adobe Acrobat format. This file requires the free Acrobat Reader. For best results, right-click the link (or click and hold for Macintosh), select " save target as" and save the document to your desktop for viewing and printing.
