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Persuade the Audience to Walk for Improved Health

Feb 22, 2018 • 784 Words • 3 Pages

Visualization Speech

Topic: Walking to Improve Your Health

General Purpose: Show how Walking can Improve Health

Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience to start walking to improve their

mental and physical health.

Introduction

(Begin by referencing the occasion). To begin my speech, I want to ask you all a few
questions. Just give me a show of hands if you happen to own or have ever used
one of these appliances I am about to list o . First of all, an automatic dishwasher?
How about a riding lawn mower? An electric pencil sharpener? What about my
personal favorite, a television remote control? Now, last question, who here agrees
that we live a pretty easy life with all of these time and energy saving appliances?
For the most part, we all have a pretty good life having these appliances around. I
say for the most part because there are other stresses in life we have to deal with,
and some of you may not even have these things. However, there are multiple areas
of life that are made easier today than they used to be by these creations and
others. However, do these things really make life wonderful? While all, of these
luxuries have been warmly welcomed in the world, they are doing something bad –
turning us into passive and lazy couch potatoes. I myself, I admit, am a couch
potato. However, I have been reforming my lifestyle over the last few years.
Basically, I understand how easy it is to live the lifestyle of a couch potato without
meaning to or even knowing that you do it. However, this lifestyle can actually
make people feel worse mentally and physically, even if they don't realize it. Today,
I want to urge everybody get get o the couch and start moving to improve your
mental and physical health. I want to show you why getting out and walking can
actually save your life.

Body

I. Need (Americans lead a lifestyle that is bad for their health in today's world)

A. According to Barbara Carey's article “Turn o the TV”, adults watch between 18
and 21 hours a week watching TV.

1) Spend almost or about 50% of our leisure time watching television

2) Carey reports we don't even like many of the TV programs we watch

B. Article in “Walking” magazine claims there is evidence that lifestyle is bad for our
physical and mental health.

1) Studies indicate people are experiencing higher bouts of depression now than
18th and 19th centuries, when work and life were harder than now.
2) 12.6% of Americans have anxiety, while 10% su er from serious depression
(studies from Katherine McAuli e)
C. Our eating habits, along with lack of exercise, is second leading non-genetic
contributor to death in US, according to Paula Camenzind.

1) Phyllis Hall (nutritionist) says we eat fat foods, which produce high cholesterol
levels in our blood. That turns into plaque in our arteries. Lack of exercise, while
eating those foods, clogs the arteries and causes heart attacks.
2) Modifying our diet helps, but studies indicate that people who don't exercise are
at even greater risk of heart disease.

II. Satisfaction (Simple and E ective exercise)

A. Fortunately, there is a simple exercise that is e ective in helping our health.

Walking.

1) According to Steven Ulmann's article “Feet First Prevention”, walking for just 20
minutes a day at a moderate pace, 3 to 4 days a week, is good for our health
(mentally and physically).
2) Inexpensive, requires no training.

B. Regular walking reduces heart disease risk

1) According to an article entitled Prevention, walking reduces heart disease risk.

2) Walking actually enhances an enzyme in our bodies that removes triglycerides,
or blood fats, from our blood stream.

III. Visualization (visualize benefits, use own example)

A. We can take shortcuts in life

1) Closest Parking space

2) Drive to places that are close
3) Catch the bus going across campus (for future university students)
4) Calling/Driving to a friends house in the neighborhood

B. Or, lessen our risk of bad health (mentally and physically)

C. My grandmother had a heart attack 3 years ago, and was told she needed to
exercise more. However, she can't do hardcore working out like at gyms, and can't
a ord a gym membership. With help from her grand kids, we all go out and walk
with her for just 15 minutes a day, not even the full 20. She is in the best shape she
has been in in a while, and is turning 70 years old next week.

1) Also helped my health

Conclusion

In closing, I urge you all to start walking, or walk more! If you already do exercise,
encourage others to get out and work out themselves. Be a source of motivation for
another person. It is a simple and easy way to increase your health and stamina.
Walking also allows you to enjoy nature, and get fresh air. John P. Wiley uses a good
example by saying, “Being on your own two feet is restful. Nobody is climbing on
your back or honking a horn, . . . and if something catches your eye, you can stop
without being rear-ended.” This shows us walking can be better than driving, so
why not walk? It improves your health, and is safe. Park at the back of parking lots,
walk to local places, and walk around campus. Take 20 minutes and enjoy a nice
walk around the neighborhood. Hide that TV remote and get o the couch, away
from those TV programs we don't even like. Walk, for your own heart's sake. And
why wait? Start today.

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