This one came across my email the other day. It’s so good that I’ve printed it up for all the exam rooms.

Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.

~Edward STanley: Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Enough said. Now, get out there and go for a walk.

A recently published study proved something we all know to be true…the more active you are…the healthier you will be. This study was done in Seattle and was actually looking at the effect of exercise on markers of breast cancer risk. But they also noted something else.

They found that women (average age of 61) who particpated in a moderate exercise program (most often walking for 45 minutes 3 days a week) were shown to have less colds that those who did did not particpate. Note that they are talking about a moderate level of exercise, as other studies have shown that excessive, exhaustive exercise can deplete immune function and increase the risk of colds and other infections.

There are so many benefits to exercise…this just adds to the list! Dust of cobwebs off your sneakers and go enjoy a long walk. While your at it, make sure you kick up a few leaves.

BOSTON — As you age, walking can keep the pounds away, according to new research presented at the annual meeting of the Obesity Society, an organization of weight-loss researchers and care providers.

Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh found that overweight middle-aged people who walked briskly for 30 to 60 minutes a day lost 7 pounds in a year and a half, while similar adults who didn’t exercise consistently gained seven pounds in that time.

In the second study, University of North Carolina researchers did an analysis of data on young adults, ages 18 to 30, over a 15-year period and found those who walked four or more hours a week were the least likely to gain weight as they aged.

For the complete article –> Click here

Even the simplest physical activity may lengthen lives — no sweating required, new research shows. In fact, mundane physical activity like household chores may count.Sound too good to be true? That’s the finding from the National Institute on Aging’s Todd Manini, PhD, and colleagues.

“Simply expending energy through any activity may influence survival in older adults,” they write in The Journal of the American Medical Association’s July 12 issue.

Does their theory hold water? Perhaps, says a journal editorial. Manini’s finding on longevity motion is “provocative and if documented by future research would have major implications for physical activity recommendations,” the editorialists write.

Continue reading…

“What is the most important thing I can do to protect my health/improve my health?”

I’ve been asked this many times and my answer is always the same. Change your eating habits and get moving.

Two recent articles/studies have pointed this out again. You don’t need to run a marathon, ride the STP (Seattle-to-Portland bike ride), or spend the majority of every day at the gyn in order to see the benefits of exercise. Yes, we are all busy - but as I remind myself…if I don’t take care of me, what will tomorrow bring?

For further reading, here are the two articles I mentioned. When you are done reading…go for that walk!

Ill effects of inactivity reversible with exercise

Obese boomers face immobile future

May is Stroke Awarness Month and the American Heart Association | American Stroke Association has launched new guidelines for stroke preventon.

Here are some things that you can be doing:

• Get your blood pressure checked. Hypertension (high blood pressure) is a significiant risk factor. You can reduce your risk of stokes due to hypertension with proper treatment.
• Dont’ smoke and eliminate your exposure to secondhand smoke.
• If you have diabetes, it is imperative that you maintain tight control of your blood pressure, as well as your cholesterol.
• If you already have hypertension reduce you intake of sodium (salt) to no more than 2.3 grams per day and increase your potassium intake to (4.7 gms per day) - eat a diet high in fruit, vegatbles, low-fat dairy products and low in saturated and total fat.
• Lower your total cholesterol to acceptable levels.
• Be physically active (moderate-intensity) for at least 30 minutes a day. That’s one brisk walk for 30 minutes.

The American Stroke Association recently launched Power To End Stroke, an aggressive education and awareness initiative to reach African Americans, who are at greater stroke risk than other ethnic groups. For more information on stroke or the Power To End Stroke campaign, call 1-888-4STROKE, or visit the American Stroke Association Web site: strokeassociation.org/power.

In case you need another reason to take that walk…..

Walking Program Slows Decline in Peripheral Artery Disease -

“CHICAGO, Jan. 3 - Ninety minutes of walking a week, made up of three or more therapeutic walks, may slow the progress of lower extremity peripheral arterial disease, according to researchers here.

Compared with PAD patients who walked fewer than three times a week, the regular walkers were able to walk longer and faster on annual six-minute walking tests, Mary McGrae McDermott, M.D., of Northwestern and colleagues reported in the Jan. 3 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.”

The complete article can be found here .