Taking a Walk: The Cheapest Health Craze Since Breathing. Long standing and dedicated Font of Noelage readers will recall my poor opinion of jogging which I blogged about in a very early story that I posted in October 2012. ( Confessions of a Jogger ). However, I now want to take a much more positive view of walking for fun and pleasure, as a means of acquiring Wellness Just what is Wellness? Well, according to the Global Wellness Institute in Miami, Florida, whose objective is to promote wellness worldwide, it includes regular exercise, good sleep habits, healthy eating, stress management, mental health, emotional stability and acquiring good habits that help avoid illness instead of seeking remedies after illness has struck. However, if you believe the profitable wellness industries that flourish in our western society, wellness requires a fridge full of suspicious green liquids, an expensive watch that torments you, very costly exercise machines, a pricy mountain bike, a huge subscription to a local health and gymnasium centre plus an exotic mat made from something described as “naturally karmic healing organic bamboo." Despite all of these manufactured necessities there is good old walking. Hiding in plain sight, like a modest genius at a committee meeting, walking is free, portable, and will not ask for your credit card details. Walking has everything: many health benefits, fresh air, mild self-improvement. It welcomes everyone, the fitness enthusiast, the reluctant office worker, the person who owns activewear mainly for emergencies, and the adventurous, who say, “I’m just going for a ten minute walk around the block,” then return forty minutes later with rosy cheeks and a relaxed frame of mind. Walking, mercifully, is kinder than a personal trainer at 5.30am on a wintry morning. Regular brisk walking can help support heart health, improve fitness, manage weight, reduce blood sugar levels, strengthen bones and muscles, lift energy levels and reduce the risk of several long-term harmful health conditions. Then there is the mental side, which is where walking becomes better than a Valium tablet. A decent stroll eases stress, brightens mood, sharpens thinking, and helps sleep arrive without needing to roll over and over and over through a very long night. For older adults, regular walking may also support balance, mobility and confidence, turning ordinary errands into small acts of independence. The stairs become less arduous. The supermarket car park becomes less like an overland expedition. Even the trip to the letterbox can regain its dignity. Best of all, walking has no grand entrance requirements or nomination fees. Start small. Wander further when you can. Take a friend, a dog, a podcast, or simply your own thoughts, provided they promise not to hold an angsty staff meeting. In a world forever selling us complicated ways to feel better, the humble walk remains a lifestyle dream. It is inexpensive, effective, endlessly available, and best taken daily with a side serving of fresh air and boundless curiosity about the wonderful neighbourhood we are living in. You can smell your neighbour's roses without having to prune them. A word of warning. I started walking many years ago. I would wear headphones and listen to talkback radio as I walked. Talk back radio is often populated with very deranged, angry and dissatisfied people who speak aggressively. As I walked, I found many talk back comments totally diabolical and disagreeable. I would return from my walk full of anger, anxiety and rising blood pressure. Thankfully, I now stream the Spotify music app straight from my iPhone to my hearing aids. I no longer listen to angry people complaining about everything. Now, I walk happily along with Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Tony Bennett, Beethoven, Mozart and Brahms. I arrive home filled with harmony, happiness and joy to the World. Well, that is until I read the West Coast Eagles’ footy results!
What! You listen to Bing Crosby!?!?
ReplyDeleteOf course I listen to Bing Crosby. The most influential entertainer of the 20th Century. Just read on:- Bing Crosby’s greatest achievements span records, radio, film, and even technology, which is why he’s often called the first true multimedia star.
ReplyDeleteRecording and hit songs
He was the dominant recording artist of the 1930s and 1940s, with roughly 400 charting singles and about 38–41 number‑one hits, more than any other artist of his era.
His recording of “White Christmas” became one of the best‑selling singles in history and returned to the charts annually for decades.
Across his career he recorded well over 1,700 songs for commercial release, with total record sales estimated in the hundreds of millions (often placed between 500 million and close to a billion).
Film stardom and Oscars
He became a major film star, appearing in around 70–80 motion pictures, and was one of Hollywood’s top box‑office draws for about 15 years, ranking number one in the world for five consecutive years in the mid‑1940s.
Crosby won the Academy Award for Best Actor for playing Father O’Malley in “Going My Way” (1944) and was nominated again for the same character in “The Bells of St. Mary’s” (1945), an early example of repeat nominations for one role.
He introduced more Oscar‑nominated songs than any other singer of his time—four of his film songs, including “White Christmas” and “Swinging on a Star,” won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Box‑office and songs table
Area Highlight
Box office No. 1 film star for 5 straight years (1944–1948).
Total top‑billed More than 50 films as top‑billed star.
Acting Oscars 1 win, 3 Best Actor nominations.
Oscar‑winning songs 4 songs, a record for a single performer.
Radio and broadcasting impact
On radio, his shows drew audiences of around 50 million listeners, making him one of the most widely heard performers in the United States, especially during World War II.
During the war he made a large number of special recordings for servicemen (V‑Discs), toured to entertain troops, and helped sell a significant volume of war bonds, which made him a familiar and reassuring voice to soldiers and civilians alike.
He is one of a small group of entertainers with three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, recognizing his work in motion pictures, radio, and audio recording.
Technological and industry leadership
Crosby invested in and promoted early magnetic tape recording in the 1940s, becoming the first major performer to pre‑record his radio shows to tape and then edit them, a practice that reshaped broadcast production.
His financial backing and business decisions helped support key entertainment companies, including Paramount Pictures, Decca Records, and the network that became ABC, strengthening the modern entertainment industry’s infrastructure.
He received one of the earliest Grammy Global Achievement‑type honors in the 1960s, acknowledging his worldwide influence in recorded music.
Lasting cultural legacy
Crosby’s relaxed, intimate crooning style influenced later singers such as Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, and Dean Martin, and helped define the sound of popular vocal music in the mid‑20th century.
Surveys of movie ticket sales rank him among the three most popular film actors of all time, alongside Clark Gable and John Wayne, showing how widely his work reached cinema audiences.
Because he was simultaneously a top recording star, a leading radio personality, and a major film actor, many historians describe him as an architect of 20th‑century entertainment itself.
I forgot to mention Bings' company 3M produced recording tape which revolutionised the entertainment industry. He wanted to produce a recording tape so he could present his award wining radio show in Los Angeles and then play a recorded version four hours later on the US East Coast instead of repeating the show live.
ReplyDeleteOf course I listen to Bing Crosby. Even Frankie boy said Bing was the greatest singer of all time.
Actually it was the other way around. Live in New York snd play the tr order version four hours later in Los Angeles.
ReplyDelete