Most Americans are under orders to stay at home. Though they are allowed to go out just to exercise, gyms and other facilities where people can work out are closed. That should not discourage people who want to stay or get in shape because, as research has found, walking is often just as beneficial a workout.
It’s easy to forget that walking is actually an aerobic activity. After all, about 7 billion people do it every day. It’s low-impact, simple, natural, accessible, and has many health benefits.
A study from the University of Utah showed that the body may actually be made to walk. Walking is physically easier on the body, but the body still requires to take in more oxygen than in sedentary mode, providing the same benefits as running.
Not even a third of American adults exercise on a regular basis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Just about 23% meet the federal guidelines for aerobic activity and strength training. But people in some places are less active than others — these are the 50 laziest cities in America.
The rule of thumb is to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise a week, according to the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Breaking the numbers down, that’s 30 minutes five days a week. This sounds like a small price to pay if you want to significantly improve both your physical and mental health.
How to live longer: The simple exercise shown to extend your lifespan
How to live longer: Research suggests increasing walking pace may boost longevity (Image: Getty Images)
HOW TO live longer: A long and fulfilling life is largely contingent on the choices people make along the way. How regularly someone exercises is a useful barometer of how healthy they are, but the best type of exercise is a contested subject. A new study reveals a surprising finding.
Ample evidence shows that regular exercise is a surefire way to boost longevity, because it lowers the risk of developing a wide range of deadly conditions.
Cardiovascular disease is one of the greatest threats to longevity, for example, but it can largely be prevented by maintaining high fitness levels and following a healthy diet.
While numerous studies demonstrate the health benefits of exercise in general or focus on specific groups of exercise, there is a growing field of research that is shedding a light on the specific forms of exercise that will extend longevity.
One of those studies, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, makes the case for speeding up your walking pace.
The study found that walking at an average pace was found to be associated with a 20 percent risk reduction for all-cause mortality compared with walking at a slow pace, while walking at a brisk or fast pace was associated with a risk reduction of 24 percent.
A similar result was found for risk of cardiovascular disease mortality, with a reduction of 24 percent walking at an average pace and 21 percent walking at a brisk or fast pace, compared to walking at a slow pace.
Interestingly, the health benefits were most pronounced in older age groups, with average paced walkers aged 60 years or over experiencing a 46 percent reduction in risk of death from cardiovascular causes, and fast paced walkers a 53 percent reduction.
A fast pace is generally five to seven kilometres per hour, but it really depends on a walker’s fitness levels; an alternative indicator is to walk at a pace that makes you slightly out of breath or sweaty when sustained,” said lead author Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis from the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre and School of Public Health.
The researchers sought to establish the link between walking pace and all-cause, cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality.
To gather the findings, the researchers pooled together and analysed mortality records with the results of 11 population-based surveys in England and Scotland between 1994 and 2008 – in which participants self-reported their walking pace – the research team then adjusted for factors such as total amount and intensity of all physical activity taken, age, sex and body mass index.
“Walking pace is associated with all-cause mortality risk, but its specific role – independent from the total physical activity a person undertakes – has received little attention until now,” Professor Stamatakis said.
Walkin’ on the Sun
Smash Mouth
It ain’t no joke, I’d like to buy the world a toke
And teach the world to sing in perfect harmony
And teach the world to snuff the fires and the liars
Hey, I know it’s just a song but it’s spice for the recipe
This is a love attack, I know, went out but it’s back
It’s just like any fad, it retracts before impact
And just like fashion, it’s a passion for the with it and hip
If you got the goods, they’ll come and buy it just to stay in the clique
So don’t delay, act now, supplies are running out
Allow if you’re still alive, six to eight years to arrive
And if you follow, there may be a tomorrow
But if the offer is shun, you might as well be walkin’ on the sun
Twenty-five years ago, they spoke out and they broke out
Of recession and oppression and together they toked
And they folked out with guitars around a bonfire
Just singin’ and clappin’, man, what the hell happened there?
Some were spellbound, some were hell bound
Some they fell down and some got back up
And fought back against the melt-down
And their kids were hippie chicks or hypocrites
Because fashion is smashin’ the true meaning of it
So don’t delay, act now, supplies are running out
Allow if you’re still alive, six to eight years to arrive
And if you follow, there may be a tomorrow
But if the offer is shun, you might as well be walkin’ on the sun
And it ain’t no joke when our mama’s handkerchief is soaked
With her tears because her baby’s life has been revoked
The bond is broke up, so choke up and focus on the close up
Mr. Wizard can’t reform, no God-like hocus-pocus
So don’t sit back, kick back and watch the world get bushwhacked
News at ten, your neighborhood is under attack
Put away the crack before the crack put you away
You need to be there when your baby’s old enough to relate
So don’t delay, act now, supplies are running out
Allow if you’re still alive, six to eight years to arrive
And if you follow, there may be a tomorrow
But if the offer is shun, you might as well be walkin’ on the sun
(You might as well be walkin’ on the sun)
Songwriters: GREG CAMP,GREGORY D. CAMP,KEVIN JOHN IANNELLO,PAUL DELISLE,PAUL GERALD DELISLE,STEVEN HARWELL,STEVEN SCOTT HARWELL
Mws R Writings 