Walking an inexpensive way to good health

1.1704224-1273724984 — Dubai Health Authority’s ‘Do More’ campaign encourages residents to walk their way to fitness Image Credit: Pankaj Sharma/Gulf News

Dubai: The good weather is still holding, punching away every excuse to not take to a walk.

With over 30km aggregate of rubberised jogging/walking tracks around Dubai’s parks and beaches, the most inexpensive and efficient way to get healthy is simply a step away.

According to the UK Stroke Association, a 30-minute walk at moderate intensity can help regulate blood pressure and bring down the incidence of stroke in hypertensive patients by nearly 27 per cent.

Keeping this is mind, the Dubai Health Authority’s (DHA’s) Angiz Akhar (Do more) programme encourages Dubai residents to walk in the right manner and combine this easy exercise with the right nutrition for optimum health results.

Residents can make use of the continuing good weather and participate in the campaign in the third instalment of the Do More campaign that was launched in 2014. This year, the campaign was launched in February and will conclude by the end of this month.

DHA is carrying out body fat analysis, blood sugar and blood pressure checks free of charge at the jogging venues in Zabeel, Al Khawaneej and Al Mamzar walking tracks.

Wafa Ayesh (left), clinical nutritionist at DHA and heading this campaign, told Gulf News: “Walking is an excellent low-impact exercise that can have long-term health gains as it is very doable. We started this campaign in 2014 as we noticed people enthused about walking on rubberised jogging tracks but many of them either walked too slow or very little, were dehydrated soon and dropped out. In order to make walking a sustainable exercise for people of all age groups, we launched this campaign to educate people about correct walking techniques. We also wanted to combine it with right nutritional advice so that people could adopt a total lifestyle change.

“Last year’s records show nearly 2,800 people were covered in the programme, of which 200 people were found to meet targets of walking 30-45 minutes per day, and we noticed that many people were able to considerably drop their body fat. To incentivise, we award the shortlisted candidates and, last year, among the ten winners there was a 60-year old gentleman who was able to reduce his body fat and was certified to have body fat fit for a 40 year old!”

Ayesh added, “We also give them nutrition advice and guide them on the kind of food groups to include in their diet and the foods to specially avoid. We teach them correct breathing techniques, importance of hydration, the amount and category of energy drinks that they should have, the importance of physical activity and, in short, make a complete lifestyle change.”

Dr Suad Trebinjac (left), consultant, Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine at DHA, pointed out that walking on the rubberised tracks has great health benefits. “Lack of proper walking gear along with walking for long hours on hard surfaces can put great mechanical pressure on an individual’s body and lead to stress on the knee and ankle joints. [Also] people in this region are overweight in general. Walking on asphalt tracks can injure the plantar fascia [flat band of tissue or ligament in the sole that connects the heel bone to the toes]. Injuring this part of the sole results in a very painful condition called Plantar Fascitis which usually discourages an individual from walking as putting weight on the affected heel results in sharp pain. If one wants to adopt walking as a long-term and regular exercise, it is advisable to choose rubberised tracks for minimum negative impact on joints.”

Dr G.Y. Naroo, DHA consultant in Emergency Medicine at Rashid Hospital, leads by example by running 42km every year since 2012 in the Dubai Marathon. Running is a passion and he initiated the setting up of the DHA marathon team where doctors and nurses from DHA hospitals have been participating in the event, with the number of participants increasing each year. This year, the DHA marathon team broke the Guinness World Record of maximum number of people running in medical uniform with 1,840 team members.

“Walking can be an intrinsic part of every resident’s life, no matter what the age, nationality or gender. It is low-impact and has the best health gains. I think it enjoys a gold standard in the world of sports,” said Dr Naroo.

DHA volunteers at the tracks advise people on the right walking techniques.

Gold standard in fitness

Prem Ramachandran, 42, a public relations director, has integrated walking with daily routine. "I walk for an hour, 6am-7 am, on the rubberised track at Zabeel Park. A complete body workout, walking clears my mind and lowers my stress levels,” Ramachandran said.

Parth Chaudhary, 24, a sales coordinator, makes sure to clock in 10,000 steps a day.

“I have become a great fan of walking since I downloaded an app that tracks the steps taken per day and inspired me to do 10,000 steps a day. I prefer walking on the rubberised track at Jumeirah Beach,” Chaudhary said.

Tips

Drink more water while walking to keep yourself hydrated.

Start slow and build up capacity. Beginners who walk only for 10 minutes per day can increase it by a few minutes every day and build up to 30 or 45 minutes per day.

Start with keeping a pace as if you are walking a pet or walking with a child. Then, break into a jog to quicken the pace. Alternating between a brisk and slow pace gives a cardio workout too.

Pick comfortable, breathable clothes to walk in.

Wear comfortable shoes that are meant for walking.