Simple walking for weight loss. Evening cleansing walks Subdued light an hour before bedtime

These or other sleep disorders are now very widespread. Who among us is not familiar when the night consists of endless waking up and equally endless attempts to fall asleep again? Also, everyone probably knows the feeling when you get up in the morning, it seems even more tired than you went to bed, not to mention the problem of falling asleep, so acute that separate studies write about it. Often repeated, these symptoms are not just an everyday nuisance, but a primary disorder of the nervous system, which, in turn, entails even greater problems, for example, chronic fatigue, from which a stone's throw to immune failure and disease.

Sometimes disturbed sleep indicates an already existing chronic disease, but most often it indicates the inability to organize one's life, which, unfortunately, affects most of the adult population of countries that consider themselves civilized. To avoid this mistake, we offer you a simple set of rules for what needs to be done for a good, sound sleep.

1. Walk before bed

A walk before bed in the fresh air is an ideal way to ensure healthy physical fatigue and quality sleep. Moreover, it is a walk that is meant, and not the path from the house to the store, or from the bus stop to the house, this is not considered a walk. If you can't imagine how you can leave the house in the evening and just walk the streets like that, get yourself a dog and walk with it. By the way, canistherapy, or treatment with dogs, generally helps with neurosis.

2. Calm the mind

The last one or two hours before going to bed should be devoted to passive pastime. Reading a book will help you tune in to sleep, let's say watching TV, it is desirable that it be a light movie that does not cause excessive emotions. Stock exchange news, business correspondence, report writing, Skype chatting - these are all bad things to do before bed, but computer games firmly hold the palm here. No, no, and again no, if you really want to sleep well. And the point here is not in bad games or good ones, but in the fact that they all have an exciting effect on the psyche, activating mental activity and interfering with the natural processes of inhibition.

3. Don't eat at night

If you are used to late dinner or even just something to chew on before going to bed, this habit will have to be abandoned. Contrary to the well-known proverb, you don’t need to give dinner to the enemy at all, you need to eat it, but no later than three hours before bedtime, and preferably four. The maximum that is possible before going to bed is a glass of warm milk with a spoonful of natural honey, or tea from mint or lemon balm, they have a calming effect, helping to relax. Leave everything else, especially meat, coffee, tea, chocolate, for the morning. Alcohol, contrary to popular belief, is not suitable as a home sleeping pill, because it disrupts sleep phases, worsening its quality.

4. Subdued lights an hour before bedtime

An hour before bedtime, or earlier, turn off bright lights and switch to soft, subdued light from a floor lamp, table lamp, or sconce. Man, over thousands of years of his development, fell asleep at sunset and woke up at sunrise. Bright light signals the body that it should be alert and active. Subdued light will help you tune in to rest, this is such a borderline state, artificial twilight that will smoothly lead you to the gates to the kingdom of Hypnos and Morpheus. It is also advisable to deal with noises - leave listening to your favorite hard rock for the day. At night, you can listen to something quieter, smoother and lighter, or even better to spend time before going to bed in silence.

5. Water procedures

If you like to take a shower in the morning, this still should not cancel the water treatment before bed. The point here is not only hygiene, but also the effect of water on the body. Supporters of bioenergy argue that water frees us from the negative information accumulated during the day, and representatives of official medicine say that water procedures are the simplest and, moreover, the most effective way relaxation. It is not necessary to make yourself a bath every evening with aromatic oils, rose petals, tea lights and meditative music, an ordinary shower also does an excellent job. The only rule is that the shower should not be cold or contrast. These procedures are best left in the morning, because they do not relax, but rather tone the body.

6. Take care of the comfort of sleep

This may sound like advice from Captain Obvious, but in fact, it is known that a significant percentage of sleep disorders are associated with simple fact that a person is simply uncomfortable to sleep, and his body cannot relax to the right extent. If you do not get enough sleep, if it is difficult for you to fall asleep, if during the day you often suffer from headaches, then it is time to take care of a quality, perhaps even orthopedic, mattress and pillow.

7. Fresh air in the bedroom

The influx of fresh air during sleep is essential for the body to recover from the labors of the past day. In this case, it should be noted that the included air conditioner is in no way a solution to this problem, since it does not provide fresh air. Of course, it is desirable to generally sleep with an open window, but in modern urban conditions this is not always possible. However, it is highly recommended to ventilate the bedroom before going to bed, otherwise poor sleep at night and headache provided during the day.

8. No sleeping pills!

It may seem strange, but any doctor will confirm that insomnia is not treated with sleeping pills. Sleeping pills are necessary when a person has an acute situation that does not allow him to calm down and fall asleep. In constant practice, sleep medications do more harm than good. Firstly, the already damaged mechanism of falling asleep is even more destroyed, and subsequently a person cannot imagine sleep without a pill. Secondly, with frequent and prolonged use side effects sleeping pills far outweigh the benefits they provide. Thirdly, drug sleep is not entirely complete. And, fourthly, after the abolition of sleeping pills, what do you think overtakes a person? That's right, severe insomnia. In medicine, it is called reactive, as it is a compensatory reaction of the body to forced sleep.

9. In bed, only sex or sleep

Of course, the advice to make love before bedtime cannot be considered universal, life circumstances are different, and the degree of fatigue or health status may also not contribute to this activity. But remember, sleep experts say that the only thing you can do in bed besides sleep is sex. Sex triggers complex mechanisms that ultimately have a very beneficial effect on the body, promoting deep relaxation and providing sound quality sleep. In addition, the bed should no longer be associated with any other activity, no laptops, no phone calls, no showdowns, all this can and should be done in other places, but here only sleep or sex, and nothing more.

We continue to destroy the myths.

One of the common recommendations for optimizing sleep is a walk in the evening. Walking before bed can be useful as a ritual to take your mind off mental worries or mindless news reading on the Internet. In this case, access to fresh air (in the city?) and physical activity have a completely indirect meaning.

As you know, in order for healthy sleep to come, two conditions are necessary:

Sufficient storage of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain
Relaxed, horizontal position of the body between 11 p.m. and 4 p.m. pitch darkness.

Based on these simple conditions you need to walk not in the evening before going to bed, but in the afternoon during daylight hours. And all because the accumulation of serotonin (the daily neurohormone of activity and joy) occurs in the pineal gland in sunlight (ultraviolet). At the same time, it is desirable to consume the amino acid tryptophan with food (it is abundant in cheese, milk, dark chocolate, bananas) and something carbohydrate. That's why it's so hard to sleep on an empty stomach - especially when you follow stupid advice about what not to eat before bed.

Serotonin under the action of enzymes turns into melatonin - a substance that plunges us into the arms of Morpheus. Melatonin is produced only in the dark with the participation of donors - serotonin and tryptophan.

The peak level of melatonin in the body (the intensity of the conversion of serotonin into melatonin) occurs between three and four in the morning. At this moment in human body contains up to 70% of melatonin from the total daily requirement.

The lack of sunlight due to the shortening of daylight hours in the autumn-winter period is the cause of insufficient production of serotonin in the human body and, as a result, to the disease of seasonal depression, the classic symptoms of which are: melancholy, apathy, loss of a sense of pleasure, impaired thinking, memory and attention, lethargy , increased appetite, cravings for sweets and starchy foods, leading to weight gain, daytime sleepiness and difficulty waking up in the morning.

Everyone knows about the benefits of physical activity. Almost every day, new areas of fitness and training systems appear, those who want to improve themselves visit gyms and clutter up the apartment with various exercise equipment, but over time they become convinced that the rhythm of modern life and a constant training regimen do not go well with each other.

At the same time, the ideal means of maintaining a good physical shape, as well as balancing the phases of activity and rest of the body, is available to absolutely everyone and does not require the expenditure of money. This is about natural way human movement - walking.

Why should you take a walk before bed?

Fitness trainers and rehabilitation doctors consider walking to be very effective, and at the same time a mild cardio load, which has practically no contraindications. Prolonged rhythmic load on the muscles of the legs, abdominals and chest when walking activates breathing, blood circulation and metabolic processes, which contributes to the burning of excess fat, reduces cholesterol, stimulates the work of all body systems.

Walking in the fresh air saturates the body with oxygen and has another remarkable property - the psychophysical and emotional mood of a person comes in line with environment. A leisurely walk in a quiet and peaceful area has a calming effect, promotes relaxation and rethinking the information received during the day.

As a result, a walk before going to bed is one of the most effective ways normalization of sleep and is included in the complex of restorative agents for many diseases. The main positive factors of evening walks are the following:

Light physical activity helps to relieve stress and more quickly switch the state of the body from wakefulness to sleep.
Activation of oxygen metabolism improves the nutrition of the brain and contributes to the normalization of the course of nervous processes both in it and throughout the body.
The combination of rhythmic physical activity and deep breathing helps to improve recovery processes and increase overall immunity.
The combined effect of a uniform unhurried rhythm of walking, contemplation of the evening landscape and the realization that all the work has already been completed for today gives a very deep psychophysiological effect that allows you to eliminate the negative effects of stress at all levels and increase the stability of the whole organism, including intellectual processes.
Regular evening walks that have become a habit contribute to the development of a certain rhythm of work and rest, make it easier to fall asleep at a certain time and make sleep more healthy and sound.

People who constantly practice evening walks talk not only about their beneficial effect on night sleep, but also note a decrease in body weight and an improvement in gait and posture, and most importantly, a change in attitude to life, in particular, a more balanced and calm resolution of problems, stability in conflicts, the ability to objectively analyze and make quick decisions.

Rules for evening walks before bed

The main rule that must be strictly observed is the following: a walk before going to bed should serve to relax and calm, therefore, before it, all business for today must be completed. It is best to set aside a certain time for a walk shortly before bedtime. Plan an approximate time for a walk - in cold and not very good weather, you can limit yourself to twenty minutes, in spring or fine autumn, the duration of your stay in the air can reach one and a half hours. Longer walks can lead to fatigue and sleep disturbance.

You should choose clothes according to the season and temperature, paying special attention to. It should fit snugly on the leg, be light and comfortable, and also be appropriate for the season. The choice of location is also very important - the greener and quieter your walking route is, the better. Of course, it is not always possible to walk in the park area or on the embankment, in which case you should avoid places with crowds, loud music, heavy traffic, and also making a depressing impression.

It is better to give up the common habit of walking down the street with an audio player - music or an audiobook can create an unwanted mood, give preference to the sounds of nature or, in extreme cases, pick up slow soothing music. It is advisable to finish the evening walk an hour and a half before bedtime and devote the remaining time to a cup of tea, reading, pleasant family communication (it is very good to go for an evening walk with the whole family), water procedures.

Within a few days, you will notice the beneficial changes that have occurred due to a walk before bedtime. Most importantly, maintain the regularity of this very useful habit, abandoning it only in case of force majeure and renewing it as soon as possible.

Caution never hurts

Despite the fact that walking is the most biologically based way of positively influencing the body, certain rules regarding it must still be observed. First of all, eat dinner no later than an hour before the walk and you will avoid unnecessary pressure of a full stomach on the diaphragm, digestive problems and inadequate breathing. In no case do not walk to the point of fatigue, the criterion for a good walk is a slight but pleasant fatigue.

If for some reason you have been moving a little lately, do not rush to force the load. Start with a twenty-minute walk, gradually increasing its duration. If you experience increased heart rate, shortness of breath or chest tightness, lethargy, dizziness, or other discomfort, rest on the nearest bench and return home.

Walking gait is also very important. Choose shoes that are true to size and have springy, flexible soles. Pay attention to clothing, as hypothermia or overheating during walks is not uncommon.

When walking, be sure to watch your posture, do not allow a clamped chest, a protruding abdomen and a lowered head. Watch the frequency and duration of inhalations and exhalations, it is very good to coordinate them with the rhythm of steps in accordance with the recommendations of yogis; while breathing should be calm and smooth.

In contact with

Do you suffer from joint pain, heart problems, stress, depression or obesity? Because, according to the Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, walking helps reduce the risk of all chronic diseases. In fact, most health professionals will prefer brisk walking over running as it is a low-stress, heart- and joint-friendly exercise.

1) 45 minutes of walking can help strengthen and tone leg and back muscles and prevent loss muscle mass 2) 30 minutes of daily walking can help you lose weight, improve metabolism and gain lean muscle mass 3) 30 minutes of interval cardio can help lower blood pressure and relieve you of shortness of breath

1. Promotes Heart Health

Walking helps improve heart health. Irish scientists report that walking is the best exercise for sedentary individuals, especially adults, to reduce the risk of heart and vascular diseases. In another study published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society, researchers confirmed that men and women 65 and older who walked at least 4 hours a week had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. So remember to walk at least 4 hours a week so that stroke and other heart troubles bypass you.

2. Promotes weight loss

Walking is a great exercise to lose weight, it's so effective it's hard to imagine. American scientists conducted an experiment in which obese patients walked with each other (a concept called the "walking bus") to where they would normally go by public transport in the city. After 8 weeks, weight measurements were taken, and it turned out that more than 50% of the participants lost an average of 5 pounds. You may also find it a good idea to go somewhere back and forth instead of getting into the car.

3. Regulates blood pressure

Walking can also lower blood pressure. Researchers at Wakayama Medical University, Japan, conducted an experiment involving individuals with moderate hypertension in which 83 patients took 10,000 steps every day for 12 weeks. By the end of 12 weeks, they had a significant decrease blood pressure and improved stamina. Even if 10,000 steps a day is beyond your power, walk at least 60 minutes every day, and this will certainly benefit your pressure.

Learn more without the use of pharmaceutical drugs.

4. Fights cancer

Cancer has claimed over a million lives. One of the causes of cancer is a sedentary lifestyle, and this is where walking can help you. Scientists have found that by going for a walk every day, you can reduce body weight and remove a few pounds of fat, thereby reducing the risk of cancer. It turned out that it is not worth doubting whether walking is useful for those undergoing cancer treatment, as it softens side effects chemotherapy. It may also reduce the risk of breast cancer.

5. Improves blood circulation

Believe it or not, walking can make you smarter by providing your brain with the right amount of oxygen and glucose to help it function better. It also lowers LDL cholesterol levels, which clog arteries, increasing the risk of stroke. Thus, blood circulation, the functioning of the brain and cells are improved.

6. Reduces the risk of diabetes

A sedentary lifestyle leads to an exponential increase in one of the most common diseases - diabetes. For people with type 2 diabetes, scientists recommend taking 3,000 to 7,500 steps a day, as well as sitting less and being more active overall. Walking every day can help control blood sugar levels, which in turn can help prevent type 2 diabetes.

7. Strengthens bones

As we age, bones become more fragile. However, there is also good news: Daily walks can help you strengthen them. This low-stress exercise prevents density loss. bone tissue thus reducing the risk of osteoporosis, fractures and injuries. Since bones are the foundation of the body, stronger and healthier bones mean good posture, endurance and balance. Walking can also prevent arthritis and relieve associated pain.

8. Strengthens muscles

With age, a person loses not only in bone, but also in muscle mass. Here, too, walking can help you, because it strengthens and tones muscles, and also prevents muscle loss. Regular walks can strengthen the muscles in your legs and back.

Poor digestion can lead to intestinal discomfort, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and even colon cancer. Therefore, it is very important to support digestive system in order. To do this, you need not only to develop healthy gastronomic habits, drink more water, but also walk regularly. Walking after eating is great. It will help you lose weight and also aid in digestion.

10. Strengthens the immune system

The body's immune system must always function properly to fight infection, disease, and death. Walking is a great way to boost your immune system. Walking for at least 30 minutes a day can help activate immune cells such as B cells, T cells, and natural killer cells. This stimulates faster production of white blood cells, which allows the body to heal faster.

Dementia or dementia is a neurological condition characterized by a gradual loss of memory and cognitive function. Over time, it can deprive you of the opportunity to do household chores and make you completely dependent on others. Walking at a moderate pace every day can help prevent dementia, improve memory, and make an older person more confident.

12. Increases lung capacity

Walking can also increase lung capacity. When you walk, you breathe in more oxygen than when you are at rest. This increased exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide can affect lung capacity, which also contributes to endurance and exercise capacity. The best thing about it all is that you don't even have to run for it. It is enough just to walk at an average pace for 60 minutes (with breaks, of course!).

13. Slows down aging

A study of 17,000 Harvard graduates found that students who walked for at least 30 minutes each day lived longer than those who were sedentary. Walking is sometimes associated with the activation of the telomerase enzyme, which is responsible for maintaining DNA integrity and is an important factor in the course of aging, but walking in any case has a beneficial effect on all problems associated with age-related changes in the body.

14. Helps produce vitamin D

Walking in the morning is a great opportunity for the body to produce vitamin D. It is very important for strong bones, prevents cancer, multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes. So that The best way recharge it - go out and walk for 10-15 minutes under the morning sun, without worrying that the body will be harmed.

Learn more about and how to get enough of it.

15. Relieves stress

Walking can help reduce stress levels by improving blood circulation, which in turn provides cells with oxygen and nutrients. It also stimulates receptors in the nervous system and reduces the production of stress hormones. Regular breathing while walking will also help you cope with anxiety.

16. Uplifting

In several scientific research scientists have argued in favor of the idea that physical activity can help prevent depression. Walking is highly recommended by doctors and psychiatrists as a way to cheer up. So, if you're feeling down or sad, take a walk, get some fresh air, realize how helpful it is - and you'll feel better.

17. Improves memory

Japanese scientists have found that walking has a beneficial effect on the memory of elderly patients. Physical exercise help increase the size of the hippocampus, while a sedentary lifestyle reduces it, leading to memory loss. Try to walk every day, it will significantly improve your memory.

18. Increases Productivity

Regular walks can also make you more active and energetic. This, in turn, can increase your productivity. Walking is good for everything, whether it's school, work, memory, flexibility or response to various stimuli - it will all change for the better.

19. Gives a creative boost

Walking can help you in case of creative stagnation. They calm the nerves and relax the brain. When you're out and about, you're not overwhelmed by deadlines and the need to satisfy someone's expectations. This helps to start thinking strategically and put everything in order. So if you're stuck with a problem, take a walk!

20. Helps to make new acquaintances

Walking can help you make new acquaintances, and perhaps new friends who will inspire you to walk every day, because you will want to meet them again. You can also go to social events. By the end of the day, you will be charged with positive energy and peace.

From this list, it is clear that walking can improve your health in many ways, but what preparations do you need to make to start your daily walks? Let's find out what you might need.

What do you need to start walking?

To start walking, you need a few basic things. Here is the list:

Walking shoes
Comfortable clothes
Water bottle and energy bar for long walks
If you choose to walk to the office, put on your office attire and a pair of comfortable shoes that you can change into at work.
Raincoat
Motivation is absolutely essential for at least the first 5 days.

Below you will learn how to keep your motivation for daily walks at a high level.

Fortunately, many useful activities are still free. It is enough just before going to the bedroom, go out into the fresh air and take a little walk so that the sleep becomes healthier and stronger, and the next morning you feel cheerful. And if you do this daily, they will begin to gain muscle mass.

Oxygen

The main feature of such an easy exercise as a walk is also that while walking a person breathes fresh air, which is no longer as polluted as in the daytime. The body receives a lot of oxygen - a vital element.

Indeed, for our body there is nothing more important than oxygen. It is hardly possible to live without this gas for a couple of minutes.

It is strange that adults often send their young children for a walk, being sure that this will bring many benefits to the growing body, but at the same time they themselves forget to breathe fresh air before going to bed.

And after all, most likely, they remember very well that such a walk is useful for everyone, and not just for children. However, being busy with their work and immersed in an endless domestic routine, they are forced to spend not so much time outdoors.

They have to breathe fresh air best case only when going to the store and waiting for public transport at the bus stop. However, both often occur in the morning or afternoon. Therefore, the benefits of such walks are much less than in the evening.

No contraindications

An important advantage of evening walks is that they do not have any contraindications. Even for older people, walking is not only not forbidden, but, on the contrary, it is recommended to maintain their own health.

Benefits for the psychological state

Walking before bed is also a good antidepressant. Is there a person who would not be annoyed by these endless streams of cars rushing along city roads.

It is much more pleasant to walk around the city in the evening, when there are very few of these cars on the roads. The air is refreshing. There is no noise of humming motors. At this time, it is good to observe nature: how the leaves rustle on the trees, how beautifully the moon shines overhead, how beautifully the stars sparkle in the dark sky.

And other objects also contribute to peace. City landscapes in the evening are very beautiful. The windows of houses from afar are in many ways similar to the stars, and therefore also have a calming effect.

In general, a walk before going to bed is a great way to bring your nervous system back to normal even after the hardest day at work. This is a good preparation for sleep. After admiring the evening landscapes, you can go to the bedroom and go to bed. Nervous system already calm down, and therefore the brain will be completely ready for sleep.

Health Improvement

The main benefit of evening walks is their positive effect on the body as a whole. Fresh air and physical activity strengthen immune system. It does not matter the temperature of the air. Both in winter and in summer, such walking before going to bed is equally beneficial for health.

If every night before going to bed, go for a walk, the cardiovascular system will work better.

Slow walking improves blood pressure
Also, an evening walk helps to speed up the metabolism.

Plants use fresh evening air to produce phytoncides - substances that reduce the risk of developing tumors. These substances enter the atmosphere, and when a person inhales the air, they end up in his body.

Filling with energy

If you take daily walks in the fresh air, then a person will always feel cheerful. The need to invigorate yourself with various addictive energy drinks like coffee will disappear by itself.

According to studies, a person who finds himself in the fresh air and enjoying the beautiful nighttime natural landscapes becomes 90% more energetic.

Therefore, when you feel some kind of fatigue and want to drink another cup of strong coffee, you should go for a walk instead. The result will pleasantly surprise you.

Sleep improvement

The value of evening walks for a healthy sound sleep is very huge. But many people, unfortunately, do not take into account this value.

Those who spend a lot of time outdoors sleep much better than couch potatoes. At the same time, the body rests well during sleep. In the morning, you feel cheerfulness in the whole body. There is no desire to drink invigorating drinks. There is only a desire to do useful things.