Faster walking associated with reduced risk of death
Posted on 13 November 2009
Exercise is generally good for health, and one form of exercise that I advocate strongly is walking. Regular walking has been associated with protection from chronic diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. It also is an activity that tends to take people outdoors. This may have spin-off benefits in terms of, say, enhanced sunlight exposure. Other boons related to walking is that it is relatively gentle on the body, requires little or no
Published November 13, 2009 . Filed under: Exercise and Activity, Specific conditions
Thanks Dr. Briffa for another interesting newsletter.
To get slightly out of breath while walking one has to be either really old or in bad (cardiovascular)shape. Even the briskiest walking does not do that for me, it takes running of heavy cycling. So this advice is for ‘absolute beginners” (but therefore not less valuable of course).
Antje (Holland)
November 13, 2009 @ 3:19 pm
OK, there is an association between walking speed and heart health, but we can’t say which causes which. In other words it could be that a weak or diseased heart leads to slower walking speed, and a strong heart leads to (or allows) faster speed. Sounds like more research is needed to bottom this one out.
November 13, 2009 @ 11:18 pm
Very interesting. I’m a big fan of walking too. I’ve been walking 2 to 3 miles almost every day for about 4 years now. While I don’t believe it helped much in losing 40 pounds over that time, I do believe it has helped me add at least about 10 pounds of muscle. And at 57, I need all the muscle I can get. The weight loss for me came from breaking my sugar addiction and eating a fairly low carb high fat diet and including intermittent fasting.
About a year or two ago I started adding some intermittent running to my daily walk. I have had trouble with my knees for the last 20 years, so it’s been a challenge. However, about a year ago I found out about the “barefoot” running style. I noticed that I was already running that way, but not walking that way. I always walk fast and I was landing on my heels. So, I have shortened my stride and increased the pace. Now I land more on the front of the foot. So far, this approach seems to be helping my aching knees.
November 14, 2009 @ 6:03 am
Sorry to be flippant, but I did smile at your heading, ‘Faster walking associated with reduced risk of death’!!
Thanks for all the hugely informative e-mails. Would you care to add an update on Omega 3s? The Food Programme last week gave the seeds and plant-based 3s a hammering.
November 16, 2009 @ 3:00 am