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Amman -
During the month of Ramadan, many people wonder about the best time to practice walking, what are its benefits, and what are the guidelines for healthy and safe walking, especially for patients with chronic diseases.
Fitness trainer and qualified athlete Zeina Ahmed said that there is no specific time to practice walking or any physical activity in the month of Ramadan, but rather it depends on the person’s physical ability, endurance, energy and time, so that the best time for walking is the time when the person’s energy is high. With this in mind, it is recommended that walking be done either an hour before breakfast, or after breakfast time, to reduce the risk of dehydration or heat shock.
Trainer Zeina explained - in statements to Al Jazeera Net - that during the hours of fasting, the body begins to consume fat stores as a source of energy, thus burning enough calories to lose weight, taking into account the amount of calories in the meals consumed during the breakfast hours per day.
Zeina considered that weight loss depends mainly on the amount of calories consumed during the day, which should be less than the daily calorie requirement, and not on the time of walking.
The trainer explained that walking is one of the most popular and widespread sports, and one of the most popular sports among most segments of society. It is an aerobic physical activity, in which the body’s joints and muscles are moved.
She warned of the necessity of consulting a doctor before practicing walking activity, especially during fasting hours, in order to avoid any injuries and health problems, especially when practiced by people who suffer from diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, cardiovascular disease, arthritis and osteoporosis, or by the elderly. And children, to ensure that there is no medical impediment to practicing this activity.
Benefits of walking
Walking has many benefits, as Zeina mentioned. It works to improve cardiorespiratory fitness, develop physical fitness and endurance, increase physiological activity and burn calories, and thus lose excess weight and maintain a healthy weight, in addition to improving balance in the body, strengthening the immune system and improving the ability to exercise. The body resists diseases.
She pointed out the role of walking in reducing anxiety, stress, and depression, improving mood, and maintaining joint flexibility and muscle strength, in addition to its clear effect in preventing chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and osteoporosis.
Walking levels
Zeina confirmed that there are several levels of walking, namely moderate walking, fast walking, jogging and running, as all of these levels are similar in their benefits and vary according to speeds.
She added that the approximate speed for moderate walking is 3.2-4.8 kilometers per hour, while for fast walking it is 4.8-6.4 kilometers per hour, while for jogging it is 6.4-9.7 kilometers per hour, and for running it is more than 10 kilometers per hour.
She focused on the fact that there is a difference in the effort expended, muscular endurance, and calorie burning between one person and another, and the faster the walking speed increases, the greater the effort expended and oxygen consumption.
Forms of walking exercise
Zeina pointed out that walking has many forms: Including walking outdoors, or indoor places such as sports clubs using treadmills.
She considered that there are no major differences between them, as they have almost the same benefits, in terms of burning calories and improving physical fitness.
Zeina emphasized that walking outdoors has several advantages; The most important of which is enhancing physical fitness and energy, and reducing stress, depression, and negative feelings when viewing nature and breathing fresh air, as the person feels enjoyment without getting bored.
On the other hand, one of the advantages of the treadmill is that it is possible to control the speed and the height of the walking floor during it, which leads to an increase in the effort expended, and thus a high burning of calories. Heartbeats can also be measured and monitored with modern devices, which helps reduce injuries resulting from severe heartbeats, such as cardiac arrest.
Guidelines for walking in Ramadan
Zeina pointed out several measures that must be taken into consideration when practicing walking during Ramadan, in order to obtain the best results and avoid any possible injuries, which are:
Determine the appropriate time.
Choose appropriate and comfortable sports shoes for walking, which help absorb ground shocks, and should not be too wide or narrow.
Choose a safe place for walking outdoors, far from car traffic, and not bumpy.
Stop walking if you are extremely thirsty so as not to cause dehydration, or if you are extremely tired and feel dizzy or short of breath.
Maintain drinking sufficient amounts of water in batches during breakfast hours, to avoid any disturbances in the digestive process, compensate for fluid loss and avoid dehydration.
A diabetic patient should check his blood sugar level before and after walking, regulate the time of taking treatment (insulin needles or medications), avoid walking when he notices an abnormal rise or fall in blood sugar levels, and regulate the time of eating a meal before or after exercise, to avoid... Low blood sugar.
An asthma patient must make sure to take an inhaler when walking or engaging in any sporting activity for emergency situations, and avoid walking in areas with polluted air.
Source: Al Jazeera