“Walking is a man’s best medicine.”  So said Hippocrates more than 2400 years ago and it is just as true today, as the health benefits of walking have been proven repeatedly by modern scientific studies.  Any physical activity is a boon to overall heath and walking comes with a host of benefits.   Staying strong and healthy is as easy as putting one foot in front of the other, with the added benefits that you can do it anywhere, at anytime and need no special equipment. Health benefits of walking. The human body is designed for activity.  Active muscles take up glucose from the blood stream much more efficiently than inactive muscles.  Walking can have a major positive impact on various

Any physical activity or movement of some sort, “activates” most of the physiological systems in the body, such as the respiratory, cardiovascular, and musculoskeletal systems, as well as hormonal and immune responses. Regular exercise results in the inherent chemistry of these systems responding, and adapting, to the increased activity, which benefits their efficiency and capacity. What exactly happens during exercise in these various systems, and how does it promote overall health and wellness? Effects of exercise on the respiratory (pulmonary) system: The respiratory system provides oxygen to tissues in the body and removes carbon dioxide from tissues, through diffusion of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the blood and the alveoli in the lungs. Any physical activity increases the body’s need for

All the health benefits of walking for exercise along busy city streets may not be as beneficial as one would think.  A recent study done in London found that lung capacity and other health markers improved within an hour when going for a two hour walk in a park, while a similar walk along a street in a busy shopping area barely showed any benefit. This means that breathing in the traffic fumes may well cancel out most of the potential health benefits derived from exercising. The study aimed to compare the effects on cardiovascular and respiratory responses between walking down a highly polluted city street versus walking in an area with low pollution levels away from traffic.  Men and

Mechanics of the spine Most instances of low back pain is mechanical in nature, meaning there is some sort of disruption in the way the components of the back fit together and move. The spine consists of a column of bones (vertebrae) that are held together by muscles, tendons (that attach the muscles to the spinal column) and ligaments (bands of tissue holding the vertebrae in place), as well as intervertebral disks situated between the vertebrae that act as shock absorbers to cushion the bones during movement of the body. Thirty-one pairs of nerves are rooted to the spinal cord and their function is to control body movements and transmits signals between the body and the brain. Back pain can

What is strength training? Regular physical activity is essential for good health and includes walking and other activities that get the heart rate up. The value of strength training as a key component of overall health and fitness is often overlooked, especially once you reach your 50’s or beyond.  It is also referred to as weight training or resistance training and involves the use of resistance against the contraction of muscles. This leads to building the strength, size and anaerobic endurance of skeletal muscles. It is typified by training with gymnasium equipment, and exercises that use your body weight, in order to increase muscle strength by making the muscles work against a weight or force.   What are the major

Interval training is a form of exercise where the pace of the training is purposely speeded up and slowed down at regular intervals.  Burst of fast-paced walking can gradually be introduced to your walking routine. Walk as fast as you can at a pace you can maintain for a short while only, then slow down to your normal walking pace again.  As you get fitter, it would be possible to increase the intervals of fast-paced walking until you can walk for 50% of the time at the higher intensity.  Use a wrist watch with a minute hand to time the intervals, for example two minutes fast, two minutes slow. Another technique is to use street lamp posts or similar landmarks