Total Daily
Calories: TBD
Day 93 … Days till Weigh-In: 22
10 reasons why we
should grab our sneakers and get walking!
1. Walking prevents type 2 diabetes. The Diabetes
Prevention Program showed that walking 150 minutes per week and losing just 7%
of your body weight (12-15 pounds) can reduce your risk of diabetes by 58%.
Wow!
2. Walking strengthens your heart if you're male. In one study, mortality rates among retired men who walked less than one mile per day were nearly twice that among those who walked more than two miles per day.
3. Walking strengthens your heart if you're female. Woman in the Nurse's Health Study (72,488 female nurses) who walked three hours or more per week reduced their risk of a heart attack or other coronary event by 35% compared with women who did not walk.
4. Walking is good for
your brain. In a study on walking and cognitive function, researchers found
that women who walked the equivalent of an easy pace at least 1.5 hours per
week had significantly better cognitive function and less cognitive decline
than women who walked less than 40 minutes per week. Think about that!
5. Walking is good for
your bones. Research shows that postmenopausal women who walk approximately
one mile each day have higher whole-body bone density than women who walk
shorter distances, and walking is also effective in slowing the rate of bone
loss from the legs.
6. Walking helps
alleviate symptoms of depression. Walking for 30 minutes, three to five times per week for 12
weeks reduced symptoms of depression as measured with a standard depression
questionnaire by 47%.
7. Walking reduces the risk of breast and colon cancer. Women who
performed the equivalent of one hour and 15 minutes to two and a half hours per
week of brisk walking had an 18% decreased risk of breast cancer compared with
inactive women. Many studies have shown that exercise can prevent colon cancer,
and even if an individual person develops colon cancer, the benefits of
exercise appear to continue both by increasing quality of life and reducing
mortality.
8. Walking improves
fitness. Walking just three times a week for 30 minutes can
significantly increase cardio respiratory fitness.
9. Walking in short bouts improves fitness, too! A study of sedentary women showed that short bouts of brisk walking (three 10-minute walks per day) resulted in similar improvements in fitness and were at least as effective in decreasing body fatness as long bouts (one 30-minute walk per day).
10. Walking improves
physical function. Research shows that walking improves fitness and physical
function and prevents physical disability in older persons.
The list could go on and on, so go ahead and come up with 2-3 reasons you think walking is good for you. Or better still, take my word for it, grab your sneakers and go take a walk. J
.
Tracker (tonight)
Opinions shared are that of the blog
author. Links and other references are posted when applicable.*
http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC1370926/reload=0;jsessionid=H1Ha4toDplHnsBXtzM96.20
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199908263410904
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=199487
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1440244004802731
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=200955
