Page 30 - Shalom Toronto Centre Passover 2024

Take a walk in Greater Toronto
It can improve your life
By Elliott Katz
Elliott Katz is a speaker and Award winning author (line sketches by Leong Leung)
Spring will soon be here. After philosophy while walking
in an olive grove.
•Walking makes you feel good. Walking increases feel-good endorphins in the brain which can create a sense of euphoria. Bertrand Russel wrote, “Unhappy businessmen, I am convinced, would increase their happiness more by walking six miles every day than by any conceivable change of philosophy.”
•Walking is relaxing. When you’re stressed or angry, the muscles can become tense. Walking at a steady pace can release this tension and help the mind relax.
•Walking can help you feel energized. It can give you more stamina and help breathing and digestion. It can also help circulation. When you walk, the legs muscles give the blood an extra push that lessens the load on the heart.
• It can help you lose weight. Walking
a long winter, there’s nothing better for one’s well-being than walking on a path in a wooded ravine or along the
Lake Ontario shore. Greater Toronto may seem like a city of concrete towers and expressways, but if you know where they are, there are trails through natural areas where you feel immersed in nature and transported out of the city – and still within reach of public transit.
You can enjoy the quiet and hear the birds and the flowing of a stream. You’re going slow enough to experience the environment you’re walking through. It doesn’t require special equipment. All you need is comfortable shoes.
How can walking improve your life? Here are six ways:
•Walking can help clear your mind. When trying to solve a problem, going for a walk can let ideas and solutions come to you. Plato expounded his
at a moderate pace for 30-60 minutes can burn stored fat and build muscle.
•Walking can help you sleep better. If you’re inactive, when you go to bed your mind may be tired but your body isn’t. After walking, your body is truly tired and sleep can come more easily. Charles Dickens cured his insomnia with nightly walks.
Now that you see how walking can improve your life -- here are paths you can walk to experience these benefits -- from the walking guide Great Country Walks Around Toronto:
Cedarvale Ravine
The Cedarvale Ravine runs south of Eglinton West subway station to St. Clair West subway station. Flowing through the ravine is Castle Frank Brook.
30 SHALOM TORONTO Central edition PASSOVER 2024
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