Take a Walk!

[helwen]

Miracle Solution to:

- Improve memory
- Fight heart disease
- Improve stability, endurance, and agility
- Protect against diabetes if you're at risk
- Lower blood glucose and improve insulin action if you already have diabetes
- Lower blood pressure and decrease risk of heart attack
- Decrease pain from osteoarthritis
- Reduce the risk of colon cancer and possibly breast cancer

No drugs, no large pieces of equipment that you have no idea where to store in your home, no trendy clothing required. All you need to get is a good pair of shoes, and go for a walk.

NOTE: Some people may need to consult with their physicians first, but generally speaking, walk fast enough to not be ambling at mall speed, but not so fast that you can't speak a complete sentence if you need to.

***
From Real Age web site:

Brain plasticity is how scientists describe your brain's ability to reorganize neural pathways as a result of new experiences. In plainer terms, a plastic brain will learn -- and retain and use -- information better. So what's the price of plastic? About the cost of a pair of walking shoes. People who are fit have more plastic brains.

Get in step and you'll boost circulation in all parts of your body, including your brain. That's probably why the folks who walked regularly in a recent study were able to focus better on a task, compared to the people who performed only stretching and toning exercises. Walking is so good for your brain that it may lower your risk of dementia as you get older. In fact, walking may be just about the best thing you can do for your overall well-being.

Grab 30 minutes a day (broken into three 10-minute segments, if need be) and you'll also help keep your weight in check, boost your energy and stamina levels, and probably handle stress better, too. It's pretty hard to come up with an excuse when you see the laundry list of health benefits, isn't it?

***

Other benefits of walking are that it can have a calming effect if you're stressed or irritated -- ever heard the phrase "Walk it off?" It's more true than you might know.... a lot of stress today is accumulated because we're in situations at work where we're not allowed to express our natural fight or flight instincts. So the chemicals from that reaction just sit in your body, poisoning it. Walking goes a long way to cleaning that out.


It can also help wake you up if you've been sitting at your desk working for a while and are starting to get tired. You may still end up having a soda or cup of coffee by the end of the day, but there's a good chance you won't drink as much of it.

I'm often inspired when walking, coming up with new ideas for projects, or solutions to problems I've been worrying at.

So, got a problem? Take a walk!

Comments

:-D

[bytchearse.livejournal.com]

I am soooo happy I live 1.25 miles from work and can walk it, no matter the weather! 20 minutes there, 20 back home. :-)

[kass-rants.livejournal.com]

Lucky you! I would have loved to walk to work. When I spent the summer in Ireland taking classes, I walked 2mi one way to class four times a day. I was in the best shape of my life!

I have a friend who gets migraines and he finds that walking -- even if he just paces up and down the hall -- can prevent a migraine if he catches it early enough. Has to have something to do with bloodflow in the brain...

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Ah, but you can walk now :)

When I worked in Hartford, one of my co-workers and I used to take a 15 minute break and walk around the train station in good weather and up and down all the stairs in the great hall in bad weather (our office was on the 3rd floor of the train station). And Lyle and I would sometimes walk during lunch time, in the park in front of the capital building.

Now we walk around the neighborhood usually, but we also have open doorways on all of the first floor, so I will literally walk in circles if I need to, to get some walking in. And reverse directions of course, so I'm not always pushing off with the same foot on the corners -- the stereo's on the first floor, so I can have music if I want as well...

I'll mention the walking for migraines to fitzw... although if it's _just_ a tension headache, that probably won't help -- for that, he needs me to work on him. Still.... anything that will help!

Re: :-D

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Sweet!

[kellan_the_tabby]

Thanks for posting this! I do need the occasional reminder.

Alas, right now my problem is 'right leg don't work' but once I've got that under control...

[kass-rants.livejournal.com]

Yup! And thank you for the reminder. I sit here within view of the river and canal and I stay on the couch with the lazy greyhounds. :/

The river looks so beautiful first thing in the morning and it's so peaceful... I'm going to start tomorrow. Today, it's a bit white out there just now. =)

Re: :-D

[bytchearse.livejournal.com]

Yep! Poncho and snow pants and it is really awesome to walk home in this kinda weather.

[msmemory.livejournal.com]

I'm so pleased about the return of Daylight Saving Time: I've gotten walks three days this week (the fourth I had a massage instead). I desperately need to build my stamina back up to where it was last midsummer.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear that! Hmm, how about paddling in the tub ? :) With epsom salts.

I'm thinking about that myself -- the tub w/ epsom salts, anyway.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

That's great! We managed to get in three walks this week as well. The massage is excellent for your health too, speaking of relaxing and increasing circulation :)

I think my stamina isn't down from last summer, but it still needs to be better than it is. It's going to be a busy year!

The weather is supposed to be clear midweek next week, so perhaps more walking opps then...

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Yes, I do envy you your country view. One of the reasons for us to move to the country. We won't have a big river, but the hillsides and fields will do quite nicely :)

We have a couple inches of white here, and more coning down quite heavily and quickly. Ah well. Today, snow viewing. One of my favorite pastimes when I was young, although usually at night, with the moon shining down through the branches of the butternut.

[kass-rants.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I can't wait until after dark. It's going to look even prettier. I think the hounds and I are going to build a fire and shut up the rest of the house tonite.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

MMmm, what a beautiful picture that paints! Enjoy.

[kass-rants.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and poor Bob is "camping out" at a WWII thing this weekend. Well, I guess it'll look like the Battle of the Bulge at least! LOL

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Eek. "camping"? Do they have cabins? I hope they take pictures (if that's allowed).

[kass-rants.livejournal.com]

Barracks, actually. The site is part of a Nat'l Guard base.

Bob won't be taking pictures because he doesn't have a period camera. But someone there will be. I'll make sure he sends you a link when they get developed.

[kellan_the_tabby]

That's about the stage I'm at, yeah. Though I need to mix up more bath salts - something citrus-ey this time, I think. Alas that I can't use them in the complex's hot tub, but I can at least get something vaguely resembling exercise fqooshing back and forth in the thing...

Mini-rant

[kass-rants.livejournal.com]

Okay, I went the the Real Age website and took their quiz. You know what I got bad marks for? Driving a compact car! Yeah, let's ignore the side-impact airbags, one-piece steel frame, roll bars, and the excellent safety rating that my car has. I'll just run out and buy an ugly, clunky, mid- to full-size car and give up my 35mpg and desire not to pollute the air so much. :rolls eyes:

Just had to vent to someone who'd understand.

Re: Mini-rant

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Yes, that would be our car :D Although we do manage to get 21-24 mpg, sometimes 25 -- depends on how much stuff we're carrying. Carrying capacity is why we still have it, as we can carpool to events and things, and don't use it as much for short trips anymore -- you know, the usual stuff.

The test also doesn't take into account alternative sources for certain things, like omegas. So when I take it I have to add to the number of fish servings/week, because there's no where to include omegas from flax, nuts or other sources.

I took the test twice so that I could correct for the missing bits. Since your vehicle has side airbags and such, try putting in that it's a mid-size vehicle.

Re: Mini-rant

[helwen.livejournal.com]

I was trying to remember something else it doesn't account for, but it took me a minute (right after I gave up and hit 'send', of course!)

If you're on medications, they count it against you if you don't take them as prescribed. Which doesn't allow for alternative health treatments, like accupressure, which can negate or alleviate the need to take meds. Feh