Worth a Second Look - Evening Strolls

Photo by Jacklyn Waronek

Our bodies have a natural rhythm.

It keeps us healthy and happy.  It's called FAR - food, activity and rest - in that order.

Nowadays, we seem to get it all wrong.  Food, rest, more food, rest and maybe a little activity is more like how we live now.  Stress, jobs and kids can easily take a toll on our desire to have a healthy body and mind. According to Psychology Today and When To Walk? Try After Meals by Mathew J. Edlund M.D., the best time to take a walk is immediately after dinner.

According to Dr. Edlund, studies show that walking after dinner my help prevent diabetes by improving glucose tolerance.

"Because they agree with a trend coming out of recent research—that even brief high glucose levels are bad for you—and can be prevented by rather minimal exercise.

High glucose levels may be bad for arteries, hearts and brains. They may set you up for Alzheimer’s disease plus losing fingers and toes. They may make you ultimately hungrier, bigger, and fatter—and more at risk of tumors.
But they can be stopped—preferentially—by the simple action of walking after meals."

 http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-power-rest/201307/when-walk-try-after-meals


Taking an evening stroll can also help cut back on esophagus reflux, help you lose weight, help you to be social, take in the fresh air and enjoy the outdoors.  It can also help you to be in a better mood because you are spending time in the sunlight.  Also, your dog will love you more if you take him with you - it's a win/win for everyone!

La Passeggiata

The Italian evening stroll occurs between the hours of 5pm and 8pm.  Everyone takes to the streets and it becomes the social event of the day.  They sort of have it right but, taking into consideration Dr. Edlund's advice on when to eat, after La Passeggiata they return home to eat the evening meal;

"Originally, one of the purposes of La Passeggiata was to display the charms of young women who were eligible to be married, and in this process, parents of these girls encouraged them to be flirtatious. They want their daughters to look good, or "fare una bella figure." This could be one of the reasons that generally people change their clothing after working, and put on their finer attire, dressing to impress, for the evening stroll. The goal is, after all, to see and be seen, or "vedere e farsi vedere."

Margie Miklas, http://voices.yahoo.com/italys-la-passeggiata-evening-stroll-7758398.html