Another Maine DOT newsletter from their health & wellness committee brought to you by my Dad. Thanks for sharing Dad.
Reasons You Should Walk
If
there was something simple
you could do every day that would burn calories, protect your heart and help
you stay young, you’d do it – right? Well, good news. WALKING does all this and
more! Here are the reasons you should get out there and hoof it, courtesy of Health magazine.
·
It keeps you slimmer. According to a study
from Duke University, walking just 30 minutes a
day can prevent weight gain in most people who are otherwise physically
inactive. If you have a desk job – that could be you!. Also, research found
that women who walked for an hour Monday through Friday, and consumed 1,500
calories a day, lost and KEPT OFF 25 pounds over the course of a year. So why
is walking so effective? Dr. Johnny Benjamin is chairman of the department of
orthopedics at Indian River
Medical Center.
He says it works because it’s easy! The harder the exercise is, the less people
will do it.
·
Walking is great for your heart. The
researchers at Duke
University also found
that a daily half-hour walk also lowers your odds of developing “metabolic
syndrome.” That’s refers to a cluster of risk factors linked to a higher
incidence of heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Don’t have time for a walk?
Look for “long-cuts” in your daily routine. Park as far from your workplace as
possible – or the grocery store, your doctor’s office, a dinner party and so
on. If you get in an extra 3,000 to 5,000 steps, that’ll make up for your
30-minute walk.
·
It protects your bones. Walking just 90
minutes a week does wonders to prevent and treat thinning bones. That’s because
it uses 95%
of your muscles, which actually pushes your bones to get stronger so they can
handle the load.
