topic Re: Just Take A Walk! in Wellness

Just Take A Walk!

SeaMaiden — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 18:23:28 GMT

I thought I would share this article from a newsletter I get on bone density. It shows how doing nothing more than Walk can make such great positive changes in your physical and mental health. I hope you enjoy it!

Walking on Earth

April 12, 2018/in Exercise /by Dr. Susan E. Brown

“The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground.” – The Buddha

Now that winter is finally over — after what seems like forever — more and more of us are getting outside and being active. It’s a time that I like to go for walks to watch the world wake up from its long sleep.

Walking is one of the most useful exercises we have because it offers us so many key health benefits, as enumerated by many, many studies:

Even one hour a week walking at the average pace reduce hip fracture risk by 6% in postmenopausal women, while walking for at least four hours a week was associated with a 41% lower risk of fracture (Feskanich et al., 2002)
Walking reduces the tendency to high blood pressure, the risk of blood clots and stroke, and multiple cardiovascular risk factors (Murtagh et al., 2015).
In older adults, walking more correlates to lower risk of depression and greater quality of life (Arrieta et al., 2018).
Brisk walking improves oxygen uptake and cardiovascular fitness as well as muscle tone—while alkalizing the body.
But I would argue that simply hopping on a treadmill for 10–15 minutes every other day, while it gathers all those benefits and more, somewhat misses the point. Walking outdoors gives us a chance to reconnect with the world around us — ideally in a soothing natural environment like a park or trail, or at the very least a tree-lined sidewalk. (Interestingly — and something that resonates with the Earth Day anniversary coming up — research shows that people who walk in parks tend to get more benefits due to less interruptions in walking from traffic or other hazards they must negotiate [Sellers et al., 2012]).

When we walk outside, we can enjoy the breeze, the rain, the sun, the leaves — all that the world has to offer. And it reconnects us to ourselves in a very useful way: Walking upright on two legs is the trait that defines the human lineage. Even though we’ve become used to sitting more than standing nowadays, regular walking on two legs is considered a uniquely human trait. Taking the time to walk — to put our feet on the ground and feel them, as the Buddhist saying goes — can offer us a type of internal realignment that very few other exercise methods provide.

Re: Just Take A Walk!

nougat — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 18:31:38 GMT

@SeaMaiden

This makes me want to leash up the doggies and go for a walk right now!

It really does do your mind and body good!

Re: Just Take A Walk!

cherry — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 19:57:21 GMT

WE walk everyday. We don't walk outside, because I prefer to walk in a controlled environment, but we always feel better after we walk

Re: Just Take A Walk!

jeanlake — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 23:36:19 GMT

Looking forward to warmer weather so we can walk outside. We have an indoor track at our community center, and a treadmill -- but I'm ready for nature walks. Thanks for the reminder.

Re: Just Take A Walk!

SXMGirl — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 23:40:50 GMT

We have several great parks to walk in, but it has been too cold and windy. Once spring/summer ever get here, I will be taking the dog and getting out there.

Re: Just Take A Walk!

Greeneyedlady21 — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 23:40:56 GMT

I've been walking for decades for exercise. And for my mental health. Right now in my life situation it's one of the very few things I have for myself.

Today I walked about five miles.

Re: Just Take A Walk!

Greeneyedlady21 — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 23:42:11 GMT

I did my walk today outside. I have a treadmill but I hate it. I love to get outside.

Re: Just Take A Walk!

Carmie — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 01:07:13 GMT

My two dogs get walked every day, twice a day no matter what the weather is like at around 9am and again at 5pm. Each Walk is about 30 minutes.

It’s not always a brisk walk though, they have to stop and smell every couple of feet when the weather is nice. We walk faster in the cold, snow or rain.

i love to walk but it is more enjoyable on a hard serface. Walking on grass is hard on my knees.

Re: Just Take A Walk!

Harpa — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 11:53:41 GMT

Thanks for the article, @SeaMaiden!

I'm a walker from way back. Luckily, we have a great 2-mile block, semi-rural, which is great because I get to see and hear all kinds of neat things. My favorite are foxes because they are so illusive.

We also have a great bike path close by.

Wish I had my daughter's Yorkie all the time! He sometimes goes around with me a couple of times, though he lollygags at certain clumps & things.

Re: Just Take A Walk!

SeaMaiden — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 12:45:46 GMT

@Carmie wrote:
My two dogs get walked every day, twice a day no matter what the weather is like at around 9am and again at 5pm. Each Walk is about 30 minutes.

It’s not always a brisk walk though, they have to stop and smell every couple of feet when the weather is nice. We walk faster in the cold, snow or rain.

i love to walk but it is more enjoyable on a hard serface. Walking on grass is hard on my knees.

@Carmie I walk my two dogs too! I like to take them together most of the time... but,... One dog likes to eat grass and sniff a lot and stop all the time,so sometimes I take them on back to back walks alone... one dog is a walker... the other a sniffer;.... I get a real good fast pace walk with the walker.... a slower walk with the sniffer.

I like to walk on flat surfaces also. but on sidewalks you have to look for uneven places where you can trip.. I fell twice this way and it was scary! On the grass you also can come upon a hole or such where you could hurt / break your ankle. I have knee replacements so now my knees are pain free.

Re: Just Take A Walk!

deeva — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 20:41:13 GMT

I walk outside year round. I consider it my private time, it’s very relaxing.

Re: Just Take A Walk!

highmaintenancejan — Fri, 20 Apr 2018 12:17:23 GMT

@SeaMaiden

I wish we were neighbors...you seem like such a positive influence on people.....

Re: Just Take A Walk!

CANDLEQUEEN — Fri, 20 Apr 2018 17:42:22 GMT

It is supposed to be in the 50's here next week, and hubby said oh good we can finally get outside and walk. We have a really nice walking trail near our house, you can walk or bike it. I prefer biking, but hubby prefers walking......Once around it is 2 miles...

Re: Just Take A Walk!

MoJoV — Sat, 21 Apr 2018 03:53:56 GMT

There are other benefits to walking outside too. This evening as I was walking one of my dogs past a park,a group of teenaged girls ran over to us. They talked about how cute my dog was and petted her. I told them she was blind...that got her extra lovin'. What lovely girls,they made our evening.

@SeaMaiden Thanks for this thread!

Re: Just Take A Walk!

SANNA — Mon, 23 Apr 2018 13:53:42 GMT

I love walking. When we are going To Caribbean we walk the beach as far as we can walk! This winter and spring is terrible, windy and crazy so I am not walking outside at all. It also made me lazy to go on my treadmill. I know it is my own fault but I need really to force myself to move these days. Then it feels great, but the effort...........

Re: Just Take A Walk!

MarthaStewardess — Mon, 23 Apr 2018 14:01:22 GMT

I love walking. I put my ear buds in and go! It feels good and it's nice to get out and get some fresh air. It's rainy today so it doesn't look like I'll get my walk in. Maybe it will improve later.