The writer discovered Nordic walking in the autumn of 2003, while walking in the center of Stockholm, noticing a woman walking with the help of a pair of sticks. Initially he thought she was crazy, only to discover from his editor that with that practice, in addition to legs, you can also train the arms, shoulders and back muscles, for its completeness and pleasantness, it was also his favorite pastime, together with archery.
After some time the writer then remembered the famous Nordic walking and decided to use it, in the company of his wife. In the book he actually describes it as a fantastic discovery and points out that his wife learned on the internet that up to 46% more kilocalories can be burned with chopsticks than a normal walk.
Thus it was that Nordic walking became part of their daily life.
For further information: Nordic WalkingThey are like the Flowing River
I'm like a flowing river is a book by Paulo Coelho in which the author, departing from the usual novel form, tells some important episodes and moments of his life. However, it is not a banal autobiography, the events of which Coelho want to talk are organized in very short stories, of just 2 or 3 pages, quick flashes that inspire a profound reflection.These stories also talk about the positive effect of Nordic Walking and its discovery by the writer.
The Witch of Portobello is not the usual story told by Coelho; this time the author leads us to indirectly get to know the main character - Athena - through the words and testimonies of some people who knew and loved her.
As usual, love is the dominant theme of the novel, but a love that is never sweet and has rather concrete connotations. Athena's is a life without roots, which pushes her to travel the world in search of that something that she feels does not belong to her. ; she does not pay attention to what she has (a child apart, to whom she is very attached), but to what she does not have, on those holes or gaps that haunt her.
Daughter of a gypsy, adopted by a wealthy Lebanese family, she lives in the most disparate places, up to the London district of Portobello.It is here that - shortly thereafter - she will reveal all her characteristics as a witch, through premonitions, dreams and medical diagnoses that are nothing short of miraculous. One evening - in a trance moment in which she transfigures into a certain Hagia Sofia - the protagonist begins a monologue that calls into question arguments such as diet, lifestyle and physical exercise.
We will now try to comment on these verses, reporting some salient passages verbatim:
<< ... it was then that the voice of Hagia Sofia said: Today, before concluding, we will talk about diet. Forget all those diet stories. We have survived all these millennia since we have been able to eat. And, today, it seems that this has become a curse. Because? At the age of forty, what drives us to try to fight to have the body of when we were young? Is it possible to stop this dimension of time? For sure, no. And why do we have to be thin? >>.
Let's pause for a moment on this passage:
Dear witch, it is not a question of being thin or fat: we only think about the prevention of cardiovascular risk, leaving aside the discussions on appearance. In general, cardiovascular risk begins to increase with some significance - in men - after 45 years and in woman after the age of 55, for the latter coinciding with the advent of menopause.
A high body weight causes an increase in cardiovascular risk, also because overweight is often associated with hypertension, dyslipidemia and type 2 diabetes mellitus. It should be noted that body weight tends to increase with age and that the simplest way to assess the resulting risks on sedentary subjects is represented by the calculation of the body mass index (weight / height²). In people of normal weight this value is <25, while in overweight it is between 25 and 29.9; values ≥ 30 indicate obesity, that is a real pathological state.
Let's continue with the reading ...
<<… we buy books, go to gyms, waste a considerable part of our concentration in an attempt to stop time, while we should celebrate the miracle of being on this earth. Instead of thinking about ways to have a better life, we are obsessed with weight. Forget this illusion. You will be able to read hundreds of books, repeat thousands of physical exercises and undergo all the privations that you will be able to devise, and you will always and only find yourself with one "only possibility: stop living, otherwise you will gain weight".
Witch, don't overdo it:
We don't necessarily need to perform or repeat thousands of physical exercises and undergo all these privations. A sedentary lifestyle is one of the worst habits of modern life and that lack of physical activity has several unfavorable effects; for example, it reduces the body's energy consumption, favoring - in the most striking cases - obesity; or it reduces the value of HDL "good cholesterol" in the blood, which plays an important protective role. In addition, people who lead a sedentary lifestyle incur a "2 to 2.5 times greater incidence of cardiovascular disease than those who perform regular physical exercise. In reality, a correct and adequate aerobic activity would be enough - and not thousands of exercises - to favorably influence many health risk factors.
But Athena - alias Hagia Sofia - realizes that she has exaggerated a little, that she has momentarily gone out of the way. Hear below how his prayer continues:
<<… Eat in moderation, but with pleasure: the evil is not in what enters, but in what comes out of the mouth. Remember that, for millennia, we have struggled not to starve. […] Use the energy and commitment of a diet to feed on spiritual bread. You must understand that the Great Mother always grants with abundance and wisdom - follow these few dictates and you will not gain more weight than time takes. Instead of artificially burning calories, try to transform them into the energy needed to make dreams come true: no one has been thin for a long time just thanks to a diet >>.
At the end of Hagia Sofia's monologue, Paulo Coelho provides a sensational assist - again through the mouth of one of the witnesses who describe the story - giving an interesting comment:
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We conclude with the punctual support of the words of Paulo Coelho who, in one of his first published works (The Camino de Santiago), spurring us on to continuous training and constant practice of what we learn, states:
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As we have already mentioned, the protagonist of this novel is called Athena and she is an exuberant and independent woman. Her strong character and her progressive ideas lead her to be a woman "out of time", however ahead of the days in which she lives. The portrait of this exceptional woman is drawn by those who knew her or by those who had the good fortune to meet her on her way. In this story that captures right from the first page, there is no shortage of plot twist capable of leaving the reader in disbelief. . Paulo Coelho's books, as well as those of many other great authors, can also be found in e-book format, very useful for those who love to read on means of transport, or in any case do not want to carry large weights in a bag or backpack to go. at work. Amazon offers the opportunity to experience the convenience of the "electronic book" with the Kindle Unlimited promotion that allows you to have unlimited access to the catalog, which has over 1 million titles. For two months the use of Kindle Unlimited is totally free, then if the service convinces, the subscription costs 9.99 euros per month, otherwise all you have to do is give up the service. The promotion runs until December 31, 2020.The Witch of Portobello
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Riccardo Borgacci
Graduated in Exercise Science and Dietetics, he practices as a freelance outpatient activity as a dietician and personal trainer
