Walk this way!

In my last post, I mentioned how walking helps you improve your memory. Well, I've recently come across another bit of information about walking, that makes me even more convinced how great it is for you! But first, have you ever heard the quote by St. Augustine:

Solvitur Ambulando: It is solved by walking.

It means different things to different people but I've found personally, that when I have a problem, walking helps me see things in a new light. We all know that though. Many of us have at one time or another gone for a walk to figure stuff out. Okay on with some medical facts:

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, walking just 30 minutes a day, three times a week, reduces the risk of death from all natural causes by 55 per cent!!! Wow, now that's a good thing, as Martha would say! Walking also keeps you in the mid range of aerobic activity, where fat oxidation is most efficient. And, best of all, walking is something you can continue your entire life.

I did take Lulu, my cute beagle/basset girl for a 3o minute walk today, although it was a bloody cold day! I wore my puffy ski coat with a hood, but unfortunately the coat ends right at my butt, so after about 15 minutes I couldn't feel my legs! I did have warm boots though that go up to my knees. So after the walk I swear it took me about a good half hour before I had any feeling in my thighs! Me thinks I'd better go look for a long puffy coat so I can walk on those frigid days without freezing my nether region!

I found this article on Yahoo about walking your way to good health. It has lots of tips and info about how to pace yourself and how often you need to walk for optimum health, plus the benefits of walking.

Find the right pace
To promote health and fitness gains, try to walk at a moderate pace. That means going faster than a stroll without over-exerting yourself.

You should be able to talk without being breathless. You should also feel an increase in your heart rate and body temperature. Walking briskly burns calories and, combined with healthy eating, it's an ideal way to stay within a healthy weight range.

Walking for 30 - 60 minutes or more each day at a moderate pace can help you to:

• Feel good.
• Increase your fitness and muscle tone.
• Have more energy.
• Have less stress.
• Feel more relaxed.
• Sleep better.
• Reduce your blood pressure.
• Reduce your risk of heart disease by half.
• Improve your mood and reduce your risk of depression.
• Reduce your risk of a number of cancers, including bowel and breast cancer.
• Reduce your risk of being overweight.
• Reduce your risk of developing diabetes.
• Strengthen your bones, muscles and joints.
  

The first step
Aim to be active for 30 - 60 minutes or more each day, on most days of the week. This can seem a bit daunting at first - but you can work your way up to it. Walking for shorter periods on a regular basis will improve your stamina and make it easier to do 30 minutes at a time.

• Start with a 10-minute walk on most days.
  
• Gradually increase this to 3 times a day or 15 minutes twice a day.
  
• Think of ways of fitting more walking into your daily routine.

I hope you all get out today and walk your way to good health! I'll leave you with this cool site i found called Walk Score, which is kind of fun. All you do is type in your address and hit Go, and it will tell you all the places in your neighbourhood and how far they are to walk to. They also give you a score, I'm not sure what it means exactly. My neighbourhood had a score of 67.