One of my favourite lines (specially for those in positions of authority and power ) is to ‘Walk the Talk’ which is newer way to extol ‘Practice what you Preach’. Apart from many issues that are moral, spiritual and philosophical, this applies as much to physical exercise and the virtues of early ‘morning walk’ which are widely accepted but not followed in true letter and spirit !
While for the happening younger set it‘s the in-thing to sweat and work-out (or pump iron for the seriously physique-conscious !) in a gym that has cool ambience and modern equipments, health-conscious ‘aam-aadmi/aurat’ in almost all our cities are seen thronging the streets and parks for an early morning jog and then switching over to office-gear to catch 8 am bus/train !
Why is the ‘morning walk’ so highly rated as the best ( and the cheapest ?) form of physical exercise apart from the wonders it’s supposed to do to our hearts ? Research proves that numerous benefits accrue – Walking gives you energy for the rest of the day, it’s motivating and removes the “I’ll do it later” excuse, creates a positive mindset for other important activities, gives you time to plan out the day and yes, it ‘magically’ promotes weight loss !
Very importantly, as I’ve discovered during my daily outings, walking in the morning has many social benefits too. Several groups of like-minded people of different age-groups converge at a common dhaba/tea stall and talk animatedly on all subjects under the soft morning sun, over tea and ‘snacks/phafda/phuckas..’. The biggest beneficiaries of morning sojourns appear to be the happy looking, grey haired men’s group (read retired !) who seem to having the time of their lives. They may or may not be part of a ‘Laughter Club’ but have their own stock of morning jokes to relate !
In fact, one of my friends (from senior citizen’s category) is part of a group which meets every Sunday morning in a well-known park to enjoy breakfast goodies pooled in by the members. It’s lot of fun and talk and a little walk !
Working on Living 