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04-18-2018 02:23 PM
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.
04-18-2018 02:31 PM
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!
04-18-2018 03:57 PM
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
04-18-2018 07:36 PM
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.
04-18-2018 07:40 PM
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.
04-18-2018 07:40 PM
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.
04-18-2018 07:42 PM
I did my walk today outside. I have a treadmill but I hate it. I love to get outside.
04-18-2018 09:07 PM
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.
04-19-2018 07:53 AM
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.
04-19-2018 08:45 AM
@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.
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