Free sample essay on walking as an exercise

Walking is the lightest form of exercise. It is suited to all old and young. It costs nothing but pays much. It prolongs life. The postmen who walks up and down the streets and roads from morning till evening live the longest. Mahatma Gandhi had a thin and frail body but he could work harder than most of us can ever dream of.

What was the secret of his inexhaustible energy and sound health? He owed it to his long morning and evening walks in the open air, in the lap of Nature, which he never missed. These long walks in the air gave him a new life and fresh energy every-day.

There are charms and pleasures of walking which none but pedestrians know. “To any person who has all his senses about him a quiet walk along not more than ten or twelve miles of a road a day, is the most amusing of all travellings,” says Ruskin.

Young men walk briskly. Old men keep an easy pace. With them time is no consideration. Rather they kill two birds with one stone-a long walk induces a proper circulation of blood and also helps them to while away time.

The crisp morning air has a tonic invigorating quality. It is fragrant with blossoming flowers cool with the over-night dew-fall. It is equally pleasing in winter when the air has a sharp bite in it. It is enjoyable before sunrise in summer and after sunrise in winter.

We enjoy the natural scenery, the music of birds, the lovely play of colour-from the blue sky above us down to the green earth beneath! A poet loves to ramble alone so that his enjoyment may not be disturbed by the comments of the unpoetical. A worldly man enjoys walking with a band of congenial companions.

I am very fond of morning and evening walks. They are a part and parcel of my daily programme. I daily go for a long walk in the open air along the canal both in the morning and evening. I may miss a meal but I never miss my walk.

During the summer vacation, I go every year to a hill station. I take long walks over the forest covered hill sides. The ascents and descents of mountains are both enjoyable and life giving. I feel as if a new life were springing up within me.

I escape from the turmoil and bustle of life. I enjoy the outdoor life which has pleasures of its own. The pure air that blows over the hills and dales, the pleasing sights and sounds of Nature and the delicious smells and sweet fragrances of flowers fill me with exhilaration and joy.

There is all the joy in climbing up a steep hill, in getting heated with the labour of the ascent, in facing a cold wind, and in going to the breakfast table with an appetite.

These long daily walks have done me a world of good. I refuse to ill. I never feel the necessity of consulting a doctor. I never take medicines. I eat with appetite. I enjoy a sound sleep. I am a stranger to constipation, stomach disorder or headache.

I am never troubled by bad throat or bad cold. I feel life and elasticity in every limb. I am postponing old age. I am sixty but I look ten years younger. However long and hard I may work, I don’t feel tired. I feel smart and active. I feel happy, gay, lively and optimistic. I always feel inclined to work. I can concentrate on anything I like. My brain is always clear. Success attends my footsteps wherever I go.

I am not strong and hefty like wrestlers but I enjoy sound health. I can live in all kinds of climates. I can digest all kinds of food. I have a good appetite. I can endure all kinds of hardships. I am immune from all kinds of ailments. I get a new life, a new hope and a fresh initiative every-day. I keep as fit as a fiddle.

In short, a man who misses long walks misses most of the joys of life.