Table Of Content

WALKING + FOR HEALTH AND FITNESS 11 SIMPLE WALKING + EXERCISES TO MAKE WALKING MORE USEFUL AND INTERESTING FOR RELUCTANT WALKERS, HOME AND OFFICE WORKERS, DESK JOCKEYS AND DESK WARRIORS EVERYWHERE LOUISA J. MORGAN Published by Foley Living An imprint of Foley House Publishing Company An independent publishing house for inquiring readers, listeners & doers Drawings by jennyjop.illustration © Copyright 2021 – Foley House Publishing Company – All rights reserved. It is not legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly pro- hibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permis- sion from the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Neither the publisher nor author is engaged in rendering professional advice or ser- vices to the individual reader. The ideas, techniques and suggestions in this book are not intended as a substitute for consulting with your medical practitioner. All matters regarding your health require medical supervision. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be liable or held responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestion in this book. Contents 1. Introduction 5 2. At the Mercy of Our Ancient Genes: AKA Why Are We So Couch Potato-ey? 11 3. Death by Desk: The Case Against Sitting for Too Long 19 4. Benefits of walking for health and wellness 25 5. Next steps and Personal Log 35 6. + Basic Walking Good Practice: Alexander Technique and ‘Grounding’ 49 7. + Breath 57 8. + Eye Yoga 63 9. + Brain: Clearing the Fog 71 10. + Heart Function: Clearing the Arteries! 77 11. + Mindfulness: For Mental Wellness in the Moment 83 12. + Fitness: Assisting Weight Loss 91 13. + Tai Chi 99 14. + Meditations when Walking 105 15. + Three for the Price of One! Ancient Breathing Practice and Meditation when Walking 113 16. + Engaging the Senses: Just for Fun! 121 17. This is only the beginning… 127 Appendix A. Cut Out and Keep: Walking Exercises to Take With You 129 Appendix B. Summary Tables of Exercises and Diary 149 Sources 161 1 Introduction You can walk, or you can Walk + Are you ready to learn about different exercises you can do at the same time as you walk? For those of us that find exercise boring but necessary, these exercises will help elevate the effectiveness – and fun! – of the simple walk. Making exercise a part of your daily routine is as straightforward as putting one foot in front of the other. As a desk worker who used to work in an office but now works from home, I have been glued to the desk for very long periods. At times, I have been extremely uncomfortable and in pain, knowing that staying seated for so long has slowly been destroying my health. I am not alone, and so, nor are you, as you are reading this book. 6 | walking + for health and fitness Indeed, more and more of us are working at desks and from our homes.1 Working from home is not a temporary phenomenon. Freelancers, entrepreneurs, artists, and small business owners have been doing this for years. Although working remotely will not replace office life completely, that particular genie is out of the bottle and unlikely to go back in. Despite pandemic lockdowns and altered work arrangements, the greatest certainty is the continuing change in workplace habits and the transition to doing that work from our homes.2 The most likely balance being predicted as working from home 2-3 days per week as part of the new normal. This little book of Walking + will help fill the exercise needs that were previously met during the regular commute to work or an hour in the gym or swimming pool. Here you will learn to vary and optimise your walking style, your pace and to introduce additional exercises for improving cognitive functioning, breathing, muscle tone, waistline, and eye health – yes, you read correctly, even eye health! To help you maintain your motivation here are tools to help you review your current health, how long you spend sitting in comparison to other activities and especially your desk working habits. It will help schedule time for exercise to keep your body active out-side in the fresh air and your brain sharp whilst inside your home. Following the activities in this book will add more interest and more benefit to your walks, giving you more bang for your walking buck. 1 https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/em- ploymentandemployeetypes/bulletins/coronavirusandhomeworkingintheuk/ april2020 2 https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/dec/26/future-shock-how- will-covid-change-the-course-of-business introduction | 7 Remember that the key is in small regular habits and in their fre- quency – not regularly exercising is not an option! Walking + is a powerful tool in combating the well-known health challenges arising from a sedentary lifestyle. Walking + adds fun by measuring against yourself or even to bring a friend along with you on your journey. Who is this book for? Anyone that works at a desk! Anyone that sits for too long. Anyone that loves to walk – or hates to just walk – and is looking for more interest and challenge or just because you have to! Anyone who works in an office or from home! It’s for the desk jockeys and the desk warriors! This book is for you! This book is perfect if any of the following resonates with you — if you: • Don’t like exercising but know you need to. • Like to get ‘two for the price of one!’ • Have difficulty getting out from a sitting position when try- ing to stand up. • Worry about weight gain and/or are looking to lose weight. • Suffer from brain fog. • Suffer from sitting-related aches and pains.