Lower Your Heart Attack Risk By Walking Just 30 Minutes a Day

Salam,

Mashallah a great article from the Reader’s Digest

One Step at a Time

To get your heart pumping hard enough to provide cardiac benefits, all you need is a decent pair of walking shoes.

According to the Harvard Nurses’ Health Study, which followed 80,000 women for more than 20 years, just a half hour of brisk walking a day — that’s 30 minutes, or the time it takes to watch one sitcom — can slash your risk of a heart attack by 30 to 40 percent.

There are many reasons why walking is ideal for the core of your exercise plan. Among them:

Walking is safer than jogging. Because a walker lands with just one-fifth the force of a runner, walking is much easier on your joints and ligaments.

Anyone can walk. It’s a good option even for people who are pregnant, have arthritis, have heart disease, or are just recovering from a heart attack.

It’s inexpensive. A pair of shoes and socks are all you need. (Well, you should wear clothes.)

You’ll stick with it. Only 25 percent of people who walk for exercise quit, compared to 50 or 60 percent of those who start other exercises.

You can do it anywhere, anytime. Bad weather? Walk in the mall. On vacation? Walking is a great way to see the sites. Overdue for an outing with friends? Schedule a scenic hike.

It’s easy to vary the intensity. To work harder, walk faster or walk up and down stairs or hills. Feeling tired or recovering from an illness? Slow it down.

In order to lower your risk of heart attack, gradually start walking at least 30 minutes a day (60 if you need to lose weight) on most days. On top of that you’ll look for opportunities to fit walking into the rest of your day.

What are you waiting for? Cut the Chicken Biryani and hamburgers out of your diet and start walking to the Masjid. =)

Oh and I wanted to share one Ayah from the Quran that talks about how we should walk, a little random but it’s all good.

“the servants of God the Most Gracious”. These are the people “who walk gently on earth, and who, whenever the ignorant address them, say: Peace ( Chapter 25, verses 63)

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