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Due to desire of public and health of the bodies in Ramadan Month, Muscat Municipality promotes walkways in City

• Gardens and parks will open their gates throughout the days of holy month from 4 P.M to 12 A.M
• Completion of (30) children playgrounds construction and other (20) playgrounds will be implemented at the end of this year.
• Provision of tools of physical games in parks and gardens.
• Walking refreshes the memory and activates the blood circulation.
• Walkways of Mutrah are full of visitors due to the uniqueness of place as it locates between sea and mountains.

In order to promote walking and hiking in a natural environment within this holy month, Muscat Municipality makes continuous efforts to promote level of provided services, expand in constructing new walkways in the public areas, recreational places and neighborhoods and provided them with all facilities to be a natural park which enable the opportunity of practicing various physical activities especially in the evening. Municipality has recently implemented a number of walkways projects of different lengths distributed into different areas of Muscat governorate according to the modern engineering models which reflect the aesthetic and cultural image of the city. The Municipality also conducts field studies to elect and determine places in which the upcoming projects will be established.

Project of (50) parks and children playgrounds have been implemented in different provinces of Muscat governorate, (30) parks and children playgrounds were implemented among this project and (20) parks and children playgrounds will be established in this year. These playgrounds aim to create a recreational and physical park for children and families in neighborhoods.

Muscat Municipality will open public gardens and parks throughout the days of the holy month from 4 P.M to 12 A.M. Qurum natural park, Al-Sahwa Towers Park, public Riyam park, Al-Naseem Park, Amrat park, Kuriat Park, Al-Saroj park, Grand Valley park, walkway of Quorum beach, sea road in Mutrah and Sidab and other vital sites witness a growing attendance from youth and families to walk and enjoy Ramada atmosphere. Accordingly, the Municipality made a double effort to light most of the walkways, provided them with bushes, flowers, benches and trash bins and added more aesthetic elements to make the walkways more vitality.

Mutrah Walkway

Marble walkway of Sea Road witnesses a huge attendance by walking practitioners due to its uniqueness, overlooking the beach and lights harmony which reflect an aesthetic image through mountain chain bordering the road to add more joy and comfort to the place.

On the other and adjacent side of maritime walkway, Muscat Municipality has prepared the old walkway which extends from Mutrah till gate of Muscat at length of 3 Km and a half and 3 meters width. The walkway is characterized by its alignment to mountainous terrain and Sea Road overlooking.

Components of walkway lighting are considered as the main aesthetic components and they are lights which inspired from idea of oriels of Islamic formations and local tradition and inside them there are lights of colors changing between red, yellow, purple, white and green forming a harmony with openness and aesthetics of area. The lighting was designed to suit calmness and comfort atmosphere along with existence of roadhouses, chairs, bushes and flowers. This area is considered as the most prominent touristic place for visitors and guests due to its vitality and harmony of nature in this natural touristic place in provenance.

In Neighborhoods

Along with these walkways, Municipality has recently constructed a walkway of Wadi Al Khuwair at a length of (220 m) and (3 m width) and it passes along Wadi Al Khuwair to beach. Municipality also developed AlAziba Wadi at a length of (1600 m) and (2 meters) width together with its paving with tiles.

Municipality also has constructed two walkways in citrus: First at El-Tamir Street at length of (2500 m) and width (3 m) and the second at El Zohor Street at length of (600 m) and width (2.5 m) and it constructed walkways in El Hail El Shmalia and El Hail El Ganobia with width of four meters and different lengths between (430 m) and (2060 m)along the following streets: El Maarfa Street, El Hail El Ganobia Street, El Hail El Gdida Street, El Hoda Street, El Kharis Street, Sor El Hadid Street and other sites. It also constructed walkways in Khod at width of (4 m) and length of (2200) at El Sd Street at length of (2400) at El Namaa Street.

Municipality also constructed a walkway in Amrat at the first phase and it extends from police roundabout to intersection of Oman Oil station at length of (400 m) and (4 m) width and other walkway in fifth phase in Amrat at 2 m and a half width and length of (600 m).

Exhibitions Yard Walkway

Due to the good weather, shadow, green grass and openness of place, exhibitions yard witnessed a huge attendance by visitors and guest to hike and practice physical sports within these days and in other days in the evening where Municipality has executed development and landscaping project of Exhibitions Street yard existing between Sultan Qaboos Street and Sub Exhibitions Street with total area about 2 km and a half and average width reached 50 m.

The project includes open square provided with fountains and water basins of harmonic colors and engineering forms with various formations of ornamental flowers, landscaping, lush tress and seasonal seedlings where landscaping and gardening are the most important main components in project.

Due to the care of Muscat Municipality to promote health awareness, the project includes paved long walkways to walk along with providing various sports tools to practice some physical activities and distributed it into various places in park. The project also includes construction of broad parking areas to park the vehicles. Project also included cannels and solutions for valleys.

The project also includes shaded roadhouses as well as benches and some places for hiking that give the place aesthetic image along with yard lighting with harmonic lights that consider privacy of site and reflect a joyful feelings combining with place openness.

It is worth mentioning that the Municipality seeks to achieve the best level of services through executing these projects with works and services that significantly contributed in developing the city and achieving a large amount of rest and entertainment to citizens, residents and visitors.

Physical Sport Tools

Moreover, all gardens and parks in Muscat include paved walkways for hiking and sports practicing in order to create an environment that care for physical activity. Municipality also distributed number of sport tools into gardens and parks.

Walking is Healthy and Activates the Memory

The studies assures that walking helps in losing 170 calories daily if it is practiced for 30 minutes daily. Walking is considered as one of the support basis to maintain the body, for example it is a prevention mean for many of diseases such as rheumatism, arthritis and atherosclerosis diseases. Walking also helps in maintaining the strength and shape of body. Walking also has many other advantages and it is currently one of the most important approved sports to activate body, stain muscle and lose some extra kilograms.

During walking, about 72 muscles and vertebras move inside the body. The vertebras are cervical vertebras and their surrounding vertebras; thoracic vertebrae their surrounding vertebras; abdominal muscles, lumborum muscle, hip muscle and front and back leg muscles, all of them are moving interactively and harmonically with two legs, thus the walking sometimes is a cure for some weak or cramping muscles specifically in the lumbar.

Conditions of healthy walking

The specialists assure that one of the conditions of healthy walking is the quick walking not the hurry walking as the hurry leads to pressure on joints as well as the body should be straight and the movement should be quickly and controlled. People should wear medical shoes characterized by wide front and flexible high heel to absorb resistance especially if the walking is on a solid ground. Clothes should be made of cotton and comfortable. Walking should be in the morning before increase of sun heat or in evening upon its sunset. In order to maintain strength and weight of body, the sports should be practiced for 30 minutes divided between slowly and fast phases, there should be 10 slowly minutes then the walk should be faster for 20 minutes and not in a hurry but it is the ordinary walk which become faster with body straightness. Walking should not be done after eating the meal but it should be after one and a half hour to two hours.

Warming up before Sport

Before walking, there must be warming up exercises determined by specialists so that the person could avoid cramps or spasms in muscles. Warming up exercises should be done for not more than ten minutes such as sleeping on stomach then bending the knee and pulling it back for ten seconds then left it for five seconds in order to prolong the quartet front muscle. The second exercise can be summered in sleeping on stomach, tighten hips, pulling their muscles for ten seconds then releasing them. The third exercise is done through raising the waist and sleeping on the back, then putting the hands on the lower part of the back then raising the waist from front and back for ten seconds. As for the fourth exercise, person should sleep on any side, bend any leg and raise the other. The final exercise includes stretching of lower leg, bending the upper knee and directing it towards the stomach then returning it back for many times.