Easy Walking Exercise Vs. Walking Stressfully at the Office

People think that walking hastily around the office when they're busy going to and fro is good exercise, so they tell you, "I get a good dose of exercise just walking around at the office." Well, you may be moving around briskly but the stressful impetus just makes you tired, not worked out. 

Photo by Chris Hardy on Unsplash.

Our jobs keep us bound to our desks for long hours so that taking time out to regularly walk has become a vital activity to maintain both physical and mental health. However, not all walking is created equal. There’s a significant difference between easy walking exercise and the often stressful busy-beaver walking that occurs within the confines of an office environment. Understanding these differences can help you make the most out of your walking routines.

Easy Walking Exercise: A Gentle Approach to Wellness

Easy walking exercise is a low-impact, gentle form of physical activity that offers numerous health benefits. This type of walking is typically done at a leisurely pace, allowing you to enjoy the surroundings and relax. Here are some key benefits:

1. Physical Health: Easy walking helps improve cardiovascular health, strengthen muscles, and enhance flexibility. It’s an effective way to burn calories without putting excessive strain on the joints. Yes, you heard me right--it's a good fat burner. And it calms you down, relieves stress and tames your cortisol levels.

2. Mental Well-being: Walking in a peaceful environment, such as a park or along a nature trail, can significantly reduce stress levels--and this means powerful mental calming down from a dangerous stress height. The rhythmic nature of walking can promote relaxation, reduce anxiety, and improve mood.

3. Consistency and Enjoyment: Because easy walking is enjoyable and less demanding, it’s easier to incorporate into daily routines. The positive experience makes it more likely for individuals to stick with it in the long run.

4. Social Interaction: Easy walking can also be a social activity. Walking with friends or joining a walking group can provide social engagement, which is beneficial for mental health.

Walking Stressfully at the Office: The Hidden Pitfalls

In contrast, walking stressfully at the office (or beating the time to avoid being late for work) is often characterized by hurried, purpose-driven movements. This type of walking is usually not planned and is dictated by the demands of the work environment. Here are some challenges associated with it:

1. Stress and Anxiety: Office walking is often done under time pressure, which can contribute to increased stress and anxiety. The urgency to get from one place to another quickly can elevate cortisol levels, negatively impacting health.

2. Physical Strain: Rapid, unplanned movements can lead to poor posture and increased strain on muscles and joints. This can result in discomfort or injury over time. Wondering where your back aches and joint aches come from when you age? Well, there it is, stressful walking at the office or going to the office to beat the time. 

3. Lack of Mindfulness: Unlike easy walking, office walking does not allow for mindfulness or relaxation. The constant distractions and need to multitask can make it difficult to focus on the act of walking itself. This is especially so if the boss is watcing you from his or her glass paneled office where everything is watchable. 😁

4. Limited Health Benefits: While any form of physical activity is better than none, the health benefits of stressful office walking are limited compared to easy walking. The lack of a consistent pace and the presence of stress can diminish the positive effects.

Balance May Save Your Day

To maximize the benefits of walking, it’s important to incorporate easy walking into your daily routine. Here are some tips:

Take Regular Breaks: Schedule short walking breaks throughout your workday. Even a 10-minute walk outside can help clear your mind and reduce stress. Get some "easy walking" breaks at the office when you simply walk around to enjoy roaming. But do it during breaks! Don't walk around smiling at everybody while deadlines are being beaten. 

Mindful Walking: Practice mindful walking during breaks or after work. Focus on your breathing, the sensation of your feet touching the ground, and the sights and sounds around you. Enjoy your present and forget about work and problems at work for a while.

Walk with Purpose: Instead of rushing between tasks, take a few moments to walk calmly and purposefully, even within the office. This can help reduce stress and improve your overall well-being. It's worth trying, really.

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By understanding the differences between easy walking exercise and walking stressfully at the office, you can make informed choices to improve your physical and mental health. Happy walking, No-Diet Slimmers.

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HEALTH FOR THOSE WITH LOW BUDGETS 

Though I appreciate a donation, this powerful e-book is yours with or without it. I just want to help you get fit, strong and healthy at any age. Just email me at nonjoiners@gmail.com (NONJoiner is my blog) and ask for the FREE E-book, "MY SIMPLE SECRETS TO FITNESS." You get an email back in about 2 seconds or less with a download link to the e-book plus a bonus e-book on success in job interviews. The email contains my GCash number in case you want to make a donation, P100 or whatever amount you have in mind (it will help my church ministry). 

But with or without donation, the 80-plus page e-book is yours for FREE and will give you ideas on how I got back in shape from feeling so sickly and how I manage to be without maintenance meds by just doing simple but effective workouts you can do at home or anywhere you are.

If Your Budget Mostly Affords Carb-Rich Food

Sometimes, your budget doesn't allow you to buy protein rich food which can be expensive. What do you do if you need to boost muscle growth? With limited budget, the priority becomes satisfying your hunger rather than getting good nutrition from your food. So you eat more carbs which are cheap and fills your stomach fast and hope that builds your muscles, too. But it won't. What happens is you find no muscle development even if you keep working out because you lack protein and eat lots of carbs. But you don't have to. 

Photo above by Minna Hamalainen on Unsplash.

There are cheap sources of good protein easily available in small wet markets or "talipapa" in Manila and other places. If you're thinking of buying protein supplements and your budget is limited, indeed you will have difficulty getting enough protein. Anyway, there are people who do not easily absorb protein supplements into their bodies and muscles so their money just goes to waste buying them. Opt for cheap but natural ones.

Cheap Protein 

Among my favorites is beans. Simply sautee string beans or Baguio beans (bitwelas) and you get a good source of protein. Consider mixing in some tofu cubes or try fried tokwa with rice. Another favorite is monggo or munggo (mung bean). Or try fish. There are a lot of cheap fish in the market like tawilis, tamban or dilis. Dilis competes well with milk when it comes to calclium and protein. My topmost favorite are eggs! There are a variety of ways to cook them and anyway you do it, they're rich in protein and vitamns and minerals. Eggs are a complete food.

Chicken feet are also cheap and rich in collagen and protein, without cholesterol. Beef or pork tendons (litid) are also ideal for protein and collagen, again, minus the cholesterol. And theyre cheaper than beef or pork per se. If high uric acid is not your problem, try chicken liver and gizzard (balun-balunan) cooked adobo style now and then. They're super rich in protein. So is pork liver, which also costs less than pork per se.

Taho. I eat it 2 to 3 times a week for a protein source. Less sweet syrup, better. I often eat it sugar-free or with a little pure honey. Some say tofu is better than taho because tofu is fermented, and therefore rich in probiotics. I don't care which is better. I just eat them when they're available. Bahala sila sa buhay nila. The thing is, you can have lots of protein without costing you a lot. 

If Your Budget Gives You More Carbs

Typical Pinoy foods today have more carbs and sugar. Just watch food videos and you'll see all of them putting sugar in their recipes. I don't know why. And they're fond of saying "put a little sugar" which is often 3 tablespoons. If you're a health buff, thats a lot. Each menu out there in restaurants and karenderia (street corner eatery) has sugar in it. Believe me. And because we're fond of buying these foods (buying karenderia food is more budget-friendly) and claim to have no more time to cook our food, we eat more carbs. What are we going to do about it?

OMAD or TMAD can help. If you eat more than enough rice per meal, you can offset that by eating one and a half meals a day. Eat half rice in the morning, one cup at lunch, and then half rice before 6pm (the before-6pm meal is optional). Drink enough water and get rid of all sweetened drinks. Then make sure you workout, especially walking or jogging, weights, situps and squats. Working out but eating less protein may not give bulk to your muscles but it will tone them, and your carbs will be burned before they get stored up as body fats. Workout regularly.

Most Pinoys, especially in these times of lack, are prone to eat carb-rich meals each day. This makes them more susceptible to bulging tummies, diabetes and serious heart illnesses. Sometimes, it's not our fault. Our time availability and budgets do not allow us to choose our foods. But we can do something to al least lessen the bad effects of carbs-rich foods. 

FREE FITNESS EBOOK!

FOR THOSE WITH LOW BUDGETS

Though I appreciate a donation, this powerful e-book is yours with or without donation. I just want to help you get fit, strong and healthy at any age right in your own housePinoy. Just email me at nonjoiners@gmail.com (NONJoiner is my blog) and ask for the FREE E-book, "MY SIMPLE SECRETS TO FITNESS." 

You get an email back in about 15 seconds or less with a download link to the 80-plus-page e-book plus a bonus e-book on success in job interviews. My Simple Secrets to Fitness will give you ideas on how I got back in shape from feeling so sickly and how I manage it today without maintenance meds by just doing simple but effective workouts you can do at home or anywhere you are.The email contains my GCash number in case you want to make a donation.

Steviol Glucoside: What You Need to Know

Not everything delicious and sweet is evil for your health. There are healthy options provided by our good GOD and Creator.

Steviol Glycoside. This may be a new word for you and if you're looking for some easy no-diet slimming tips that allow you to enjoy sweets while getting fit, steviol glycoside may be it. It's supposed to be 150 times sweeter than table sugar--even more--but carries less calories. Finally, a good cheat for those who crave sweets and those who love sweet coffee. But you need to know some things about it.

Photo by Emre on Unsplash.

Let's start with the good news. Simply put, this sweetener is much better than white, refined sugar, or perhaps all the other sugars available. If you're diabetic, ask your doctor about it to be doubly safe, but a lot of studies and natural health experts say it's safe even for folks with blood sugar problems--because it's not sugar. It's a non-sugar sweetener. But we don't want to just take their word for it. Ask your medical diabetes expert. 

If you're simply watching your blood sugar levels and want to avoid spikes from what you eat, but otherwise you're healthy, you can try steviol glucosde as sweetener, but do not overuse it. It's not designed to be abused. Everything in excess is bad for the health. Don't get used to sweeteners, even with Stevia, that's including coco sugar and monk fruit. Use as little as possible and as seldom. Some people crave for sweets even with their coffee and fruit juices. DON'T. It's much better to tame your taste buds and train it to prefer unsweetened preferences. Drink pure unsweetened, black coffee now and then.

Even if you use stevia, the sweet sensation tickling your taste buds sends a signal to the brain which might detect it as "sugar" and cause some blood-sugar spike, though minimal. What we don't want is the body getting used to these spikes which may create inflammation. Use stevia or other natural sweeteners as little as possible. Or don't often use them. Better if you eliminate your need for sweet flavors. But again, we don't want you to sacrifice needlessly and forfeit yourself of the good life via good food. Use stevia now and then.

Here's the bad news. Stevia may cause side effects like diarrhea. So if you note watery changes in your stool, use it sparingly and not regularly. This is why I prefer unsweetened coffee. If I want some sweetness in my coffee and I'm out of the house, I use brown sugar to avoid emergencies to the restroom. Real dark brown sugar is organic and is considered healthy if you don't have blood sugar problems. Better if you have sugarcane jaggery or gur, which is unrefined, unprocessed but cooked, thick sugarcane juice, known locally as "panucha."

Better yet, make it a habit to drink fresh ginger tea to counteract your sweets intake. I put in some fresh turmeric, too. As I use steviol glycoside sparingly, I also love drinking ginger tea and green tea, sometimes a mix of both. They give you all sorts of health benefits, normal blood sugar and blood pressure levels among them. In the few times when I have to eat sweet food or desserts I follow up with ginger, turmeric and green tea later in the day, just to play safe.

BTW, steviol glycoside comes from stevia leaves which are dried and crushed into powder form. Aside from being a sweetener alternative and sugar replacement, it acts as an antioxidant and delays the degradation of your Vitamin C. Micro components of stevia also give anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor health effects, among others. Source

Here are guidelines to observe when disciplining your sugar consumption:

1. Train your tongue to forget its sweet cravings.
2. Get used to sour and bitter tastes and love them. I love pure kalamansi and ampalaya.
3. Bear in mind that white sugar is bad. It's not food and has no nutritional benefits.
4. If you must put sugar in your food or drink, use a small amount of real, dark brown sugar.
5. Don't get used to stevia, though it's a healthy alternative to sugar.
6. Never drink softdrinks or soda or unnatural fruit juices.
7. Seldom drink natural fruit juices. Except for berries, they're high in sugar.
8. Beware of food you didn't prepare yourself. Most foods are cooked with sugar, either for taste or as preservative. Adobo, for instance, is so good with vinegar and a little soy (soy sauce has sugar, by the way). But some folks add lots of sugar (though they always say, "add some sugar," you can be sure "some" there is really a lot). 
9. If you need dessert, opt for unsweetened jelly or those with less sugar, like guyabano fruit.
10. But don't be too strict. Treat yourself now and then to small slices of sweets. You have to enjoy life.

Always remember the no-diet slim rule: never overdo anything. Be balanced. Pray! Consult your doctor always before trying anything "healthy." And meditate God's Word in the bible. You won't go wrong. 

FREE FITNESS EBOOK!

FOR THOSE WITH LOW BUDGETS

Though I appreciate a donation, this powerful e-book is yours with or without donation. I just want to help you get fit, strong and healthy at any age right in your own housePinoy. Just email me at nonjoiners@gmail.com (NONJoiner is my blog) and ask for the FREE E-book, "MY SIMPLE SECRETS TO FITNESS." 

You get an email back in about 15 seconds or less with a download link to the 80-plus-page e-book plus a bonus e-book on success in job interviews. My Simple Secrets to Fitness will give you ideas on how I got back in shape from feeling so sickly and how I manage it today without maintenance meds by just doing simple but effective workouts you can do at home or anywhere you are.The email contains my GCash number in case you want to make a donation.

This is Fattening More Than Anything Else

We think carbs, sugar, and fatty food make us fat. Well, yes but not entirely. It often depends on this one seemingly innocent, unnoticeable factor that happens to us everyday. Some people are less affected than others, and those seriously affected find it really hard to lose weight and rid belly, flabby fat in spite of diets and workouts.

It goes like this. This fattening culprit raises up cortisol levels in the body which increases insulin levels, among other things, which unfortunately lowers our blood sugar levels. This means our food craving goes up (lower blood sugar makes us crave for food) and the real bad news is, our appetite looks for carbs and sweets. But this is just the tip of the ice berg.

What we should worry about (oops, worrying is bad) is the way this culprit also slows down our metabolism. When metabolism is slow our bodies find it hard to burn fats and calories. Especially fats. This is why regardless of what kind of diet and workouts we have, we remain fat--or even grow fatter. Sometimes, even if we eat so little.

You know the culprit? You guessed right. It's prolonged overstress.

Listen:

A 2017 study showed a connection between the stress hormone cortisol and having overweight. It also found that higher cortisol levels are associated with carrying that extra poundage in the waist — what we sometimes refer to as visceral fat.

That study adds to an already strong association between long-term stress and unhealthy weight gain. A 2015 study found that our metabolism is slower when we’re stressed out, while a 2007 study found that high cortisol levels may actually enhance the feeling of satisfaction we experience when eating fatty, sugary foods. [Source]

Not all stresses are bad. We need healthy stress to do urgent tasks or surmount difficulties, like learn how to drive, beat deadlines, accomplish new things, do better at things, beat a former athletic feat, speak to an audience or give reports for the first time, things like that. These are healthy stresses because they're short term and give you euphoria after, which relaxes and not food based.

Distress is different, more so if prolonged. It's there everyday for long periods, like a distressful job you do each day for a year or so. Or distressful business. Even church ministry (no wonder why some pastors are overweight or have protruding tummies). Prolonged distress leads to depression and anxiety, which make matters worse, especially for your metabolism and ravenous appetite. 

Not to mention deadly diseases like heart failure and high blood pressure. It's extended distress or too much prolonged bad stress. Remember that.

I've come across real fitness and health experts say all kinds of food (I mean real food, not artificial or processed) are okay and won't give you any weight problems. It's not the food we eat but the unnecessary stressful lifestyle we choose to live, thinking overstress means productivity in career and life. 

But I see it differently today. Because resting and relaxing has become a lost art and capability to many, we don't see anymore how being really productive means being able to really rest and relax again after hard works. Often, even taking vacations--which is supposed to be relaxing--makes us overstressed due to the vacation "schedules" we make that we believe will make our vacations meaningful and (again) productive. 

Get These E-Books for FREE! 

POWER FOR YOUR HEALTH AND CAREER (mind, will and emotions, actually). Though I'll appreciate a donation, these powerful e-books are yours with or without donation. Just email me at nodietslim@gmail.com and ask for the FREE E-books, "MY SIMPLE SECRETS TO FITNESS" and "BEAT JOB INTERVIEWERS 10 WAYS." You get an email back in about 20 seconds or less with a download link to the e-books. The email also contains my GCash number for your donation of only P100 or whatever amount you have in mind. Getting these e-books gives you a surprise bonus. GET THEM NOW!!!