With the prices of essentials in Bangladesh refusing to descend from their astronomically high status, there's likely to be little money left. To go and pay for membership in a gym in order to burn out whatever little our economy allows us to eat is a waste. Also, many of us are either too tired or simply lazy to take the initiative to do workouts at home. We humans are experts at making excuses, mostly to ourselves. So what is the easiest and cheapest solution to burn those excess calories? The answer is very simple, the oldest and the best exercise in the world: walking.

Exercise just can't get any easier than walking. This is an activity that people do all the time, so there's little need for training on 'how to walk properly.' All we need to do is find some spare time during the day, find space, relax our minds and just walk! A regular walking program reduces one's risk of getting heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure. It is especially instrumental in keeping one's diabetes and cholesterol level under check. Since you can choose your own speed, you can also control the stress level felt by different parts of your body. Most importantly, while walking, your body produces endorphins that give you a happy and confident feeling. The number of calories burnt by a person while walking is basically dependent on his/her body weight and speed. A person weighing 130 pounds can lose up to 107 calories in just 20 minutes if he/she walks at a speed of 4.5 mph, while a person weighing 190 pounds can lose up to 156 calories in the same amount of time and at the same speed! It's important to note at this point that most of our bodies don't like drastic changes. Thus, if you've only started walking as an exercise, it's better not to aim for the Olympic gold medal right away.

For those with very hectic schedules, it's sometimes impossible to keep a whole hour or even 30 minutes in a day for walking. In that case, you could simply break up your routine in 3 to 4 intervals and walk for a few minutes each time at your own time and convenience. The latest verdict on walking from doctors is that we should all 'ideally' walk 10,000 steps every single day which is the same as 5 miles. While some of us might shriek, scoff or cower after seeing this number, it's safe to say that even walking 3000 steps everyday is better than no walking at all. Once the habit of walking is formed, the number of steps can be increased gradually. Walking is still recommended by doctors worldwide as the best exercise, in spite of the mushrooming of scientific and technological developments that take place everyday. There are even tiny devices available in the market that, when attached to your body, can count the number of steps you walk everyday.

Whenever we get some free time, my father and I go to our neighbourhood park for evening walks. While my dad (who's in his fifties) speeds ahead of me at a rapid pace, I (his 30 years younger daughter) walk at a more modest pace and observe the different styles and variations in the walking of individuals. While some people walk as if they're in a marathon or has a flight to catch, some walk with an abundance and gaiety as they did when they were children, by flinging their arms freely and nonchalantly in the air. There are parents who walk together as they push their babies' strollers and then there are certain aged or handicapped people who walk with the aid of others. I've seen marked change in the appearance and confidence of many fellow 'walkers' in the long course of my walking at the park. Once in passing, I overheard a middle-aged woman say excitedly to her companion that her son has promised to buy her a car if she loses weight; after a couple of months of diligent walking, she actually did! We may walk in different styles, at different speeds, at different times, for different reasons and motivations and with different people. What really matters is to take that first step and continue to walk.