Someone posted this question on Quora, "What is a better alternative to biking?". As a bike shop owner you may think I will avoid answering it but I did. Strangely, Quora considered it a spam message and deleted it. This was what I wrote about.
If you do not have a bicycle to ride on, walking is an alternative to consider. People who own a bicycle tend to buy accessories to go with their bicycles. It could be a carrier because they want to ride out to shop, or a child seat because they want to bring their toddlers along, or head or taillight because they want to ride out at night. The list goes on as they ride till they decided to upgrade the parts on their bicycle.
Other than a pair of shoes which you should already have, you do not have to buy anything else to walk. However, I would suggest that you walk barefooted whenever you can.
By doing that you will be transferring energy from the earth's surface electrons into your body. That is good because it has been reported that the electrons will act as antioxidants to neutralize free radicals in your bodies to reduce inflammation and prevent disease.
I have read from reports that this process is known as “earthing” or “grounding”. You need to do it for at least half an hour in order to feel the significant health benefits as earthing will:
- defuse the cause of inflammation.
- improve the immune response.
- thin the blood which will help to reduce various cardiovascular risk factors.
- reduce or eliminate chronic pain.
- improve sleep.
- increase energy.
- normalize the body’s biological rhythms by setting the biological clocks regulating diurnal body rhythms, such as cortisol secretion.
- improve blood pressure.
- lessen menstrual symptoms.
- speed wound healing time.
If you are interested, you can read about the beneficial effects I read about in the following reports:
Earthing: Health Implications of Reconnecting the Human Body to the Earth's Surface Electrons
Viscosity—a Major Factor in Cardiovascular Disease
If you are able to walk safely in a park or on the beach, without approaching traffic to look out for, put on your handphone earphones so that you can tune in to your favourite playlist or radio station. That will put you in the mood for a longer walk or get you to walk with the tempo of the beat. You can also use this opportunity to learn from educational podcasts that you appreciate. If that is what you plan on doing, also read the cautionary information shared in this article.
The Case for Running With Headphones—and When to Ditch Them
The best time for me to ground myself is after a heavy downpour. The weather is cooler and the grass in my garden is washed clean of any pee or poo left by strays in the neighbourhood. If I am home, you will see me barefooted, weeding my garden, as it will be easier to pull the weeds out by their roots after the rain water has seeped down into the soil to loosen their hold. As it is a mundane task, it will be a good (my alone) time for me to listen to true crime stories that I can find on Youtube.
The motion of weeding is very good for me as my hands and soles of my feet are touching the ground. I have to squat a lot too as I walk from patch to patch to pull the weeds out.
I also noticed that squatting is very good for my bowel movement. A few minutes of that and I will have the urge to go, which is explained in the following article I read:
What’s the Best Position for Pooping?
You can read about the other benefits about squatting at the following link:
THE ROLE OF SQUAT EXERCISE IN MEDICAL PRACTICE: EVIDENCE AND CLINICAL APPLICATIONS
No comments:
Post a Comment