1981 Volume 30 Issue 4 Pages 193-205
The present study was performed to investigate the effect of long distance walking upon physical functions for healthy male subjects. The first experiment was carried out in 1977, the second, in 1978, and the third, in 1979 in each autum season. At the first experiment, subjects began walking upon having breakfast, then ate and drank noting during first 30km, and took some foods during another 26km. Twelve hours and fifty minutes of time was spent for 56km walking including 15, 60, and 30 minutes rest periods in between. In the second experiment, subjects ate nothing after dinner of the previous evening and 35km walking took 6 hours during which some rest periods were taken for blood sampling. The third was 80km walking for two days. Subjects walked 40km in 8 hours in the first day and on the following day they walked 40km in ten hours and twenty minutes. They took foods and rest freely.
From the view points of the changes in blood and urinary recordings obtained from those three experiments, the influences of long distance walking on the body indicate as follows ;
1) In case of long distance walking while nothing to eat and drink, the rate of serum saturated fatty acids composition decreased and unsaturated fatty acids increased.
2) In a fasting state, blood glucose gradually decreased, LDH activity increased and blood lactate, GOT and GPT activity presented no significant changes on long distance walking.
3) It was shown that the longer distance to walk, the lesser tendency in blood triglyceride even though subjects take a carbohydrate rich diet while walking.
4) In fasting state, less than 35km walking without foods, the stress to the body seemed not to be critical.
5) More than 40km walking in a day, even though taking meals, would result a significantly severe stress for body.
6) As long as usual meals are taken, 80km walking for two days continuously, 40km in each day, would not result in such a physical stress over the following days.
