Posted on 08/14/2007 7:33:51 PM PDT by blam
Three walks a week 'cuts heart risk'
By Nic Fleming, Medical Correspondent
Last Updated: 1:26am BST 15/08/2007
Walking for just 30 minutes three times a week can lower blood pressure and heart disease risk, scientists say.
Guidelines from the Chief Medical Officer suggest adults do moderately intense exercise five times a week.
However, researchers found that those who take three brisk walks a week had reduced waist and hip circumference and lower blood pressure.
The authors of the study, published yesterday in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, said their findings could help those with sedentary lifestyles take up exercise gradually.
The lead author, Dr Mark Tully of Queen's University, Belfast, said: "The results may encourage people who feel they do not have time to exercise on five days each week." The researchers split 106 civil servants who did hardly any exercise into three groups.
One group did 30-minute walks five days a week, another three days a week, and the rest did none.
Both walking groups saw reductions in blood pressure and measurements - shown to reduce heart attack or stroke risks. There were no changes in the non-walking group.
How brisk do they want? Personally, I walk (or jog in the pool) for an hour every other day. I do it to burn off blood sugar because I am Type II diabetic. The first 15 minutes of exercise don’t help you burn glucose so I took the suggestion of exercising 30 minutes a day and realized I’d get more benefit exercising 60 minutes every other day.
I've known a number of people who stated running programs and had to stop because of joint problems. I think the problem seems to afflict males who view walking as not as macho as running. Unfortunately many of them choose to run on city sidewalks or streets which aggravates the pounding their joints take. I walk for exercise and avoid the pounding.
I have ice cream almost everyday, just not very much. Dove minatures only have 60 calories per bar. I have the will power to eat only one.
But I struggle to keep weight below 200 so I am supplementing that with a rowing machine 30 minutes a day for a more cardiovascular workout at higher heart rates.
Still it takes two days of strenuous routine just to lose just one pound of fat !! That's why exercise regimens are seldom followed.
BUMP
I saw Bruce Jenner on TV a while back...he said that people should quit running after the age of 40...he says all you are going to do is destroy your feet and knees...walking and riding a bike is what he suggests...i prefer ultra light backpacking myself...got a section hike planned for the Appalachian Trail this fall....as of this week i have taken a break from my training routine...tooo darn HOT!
That may be true but in my case I found walking so boring that when I quit running I wouldn't do it.
But then I started playing golf and found that walking with a purpose, even if was hitting a ball with a stick, wasn't nearly so bad.
Just an idea for others that might be in the same non-walking mode.
LOL!
So does getting laid three or more times a week. That’s a tough decision. ;-)
That's why God made MP3 players. You can listen to books, music, sermons, etc. I listen to a sermon a day during my walk.
Do what you like. But one of the reasons I walk is not just for the fact that I believe that unless a person is ALREADY!!! in shape, they shouldn't be running. I think that when overweight people start running they do double damage by making their heart work a lot harder as well as putting excessive stress on their joints and tendons. But I also enjoy walking a lot more than when I used to run. I walk in state parks where I can also observe nature and climb hills if I choose.
I believe the average out of shape person will realize far greater benefits and a lot less damage to their body by brisk walking rather than running. But each to their own.
Let’s walk more.
Today?
Maybe. Call me later.
I would recommend that you start it up again. It would make the rest of your life so much more enjoyable, and might help out with that pesky weight and cholesterol problem.
Worked for my dear old Dad (1927-2007, started smoking at age 9)
Just don't go into any medical facilities unless you have to do so.
There are sick people in there that can transmit all kinds of crap to you and do you in.
Great looking elk, BTW. The wife and I spent a week in the back country in Idaho last June and saw a bunch of them. Noble beasts.
I had been taking cholestorol-lowering drugs for a few years before my problems with the lower extremeties set in. My podiatrist said he’d shoot me if I went back to jogging.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.