Centers for Disease Control's Walking Resources

For more information and resources about the health benefits of walking, the importance of walking and how to stay safe while walking during the pandemic, click HERE to visit the CDC's walking information site.

12 Benefits of Walking

12 Benefits of Walking

What’s not to like about walking? It’s free. It’s easy to do, and it’s easy on the joints. And there’s no question that walking is good for you. A University of Tennessee study found that women who walked had less body fat than those who didn’t walk. It also lowers the risk of blood clots, since the calf acts as a venous pump, contracting and pumping blood from the feet and legs back to the heart, reducing the load on the heart. In addition to being an easy aerobic exercise, walking is good for you in many other ways.

 

1. Improve Circulation

Walking wards off heart disease, brings up the heart rate, lowers blood pressure and strengthens the heart. Post-menopausal women who walk just one to two miles a day can lower their blood pressure by nearly 11 points in 24 weeks. Women who walk 30 minutes a day can reduce their risk of stroke by 20%, and by 40% when they stepped up the pace, according to researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.

2. Shore Up Your Bones

Walking can stop the loss of bone mass for those with osteoporosis, according to Michael A. Schwartz, MD, of Plancher Orthopedics & Sports Medicine in New York. In fact, one study of post-menopausal women found that 30 minutes of walking each day reduced their risk of hip fractures by 40%.

3. Enjoy a Longer Life

Research finds that people who exercise regularly in their fifties and sixties are 35% less likely to die over the next eight years than their non-walking counterparts. That number shoots up to 45% less likely for those who have underlying health conditions.
 

4. Lighten Your Mood

Walking releases natural pain­killing endorphins to the body – one of the emotional benefits of exercise. A California State University, Long Beach, study showed that the more steps people took during the day, the better their moods were. 

5. Lose Weight

A brisk 30-minute walk burns 200 calories. Over time, calories burned can lead to pounds dropped.

6. Strengthen Muscles

Walking tones your leg and abdominal muscles – and even arm muscles if you pump them as you walk. This increases your range of motion, shifting the pressure and weight from your joints to your muscles.

7. Improve Sleep

Studies found that women, ages 50 to 75, who took one-hour morning walks, were more likely to relieve insomnia than women who didn’t walk

8. Support Your Joints

The majority of joint cartilage has no direct blood supply. It gets its nutrition from joint fluid that circulates as we move. Movement and compression from  walking “squishes” the cartilage, bringing oxygen and nutrients into the area. 

9. Improve Your Breath

When walking, your breathing rate increases, causing oxygen to travel faster through bloodstream, helping to eliminate waste products and improve your energy level and the ability to heal.
 

10. Slow Down Mental Decline

A study of 6,000 women, ages 65 and older, performed by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, found that age-related memory decline was lower in those who walked more. The women walking 2.5 miles per day had a 17% decline in memory, as opposed to a 25% decline in women who walked less than a half-mile per week.

11. Lower Alzheimer’s Risk

A study from the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville found that men between the ages of 71 and 93 who walked more than a quarter of a mile per day had half the incidence of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease than those who walked less.

12. Do More for Longer

Aerobic walking and resistance exercise programs may reduce the incidence of disability in the activities of daily living for people who are older than 65 and have symptomatic OA, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management found.

original source

Original source

Step up your walking game

A new study offers strong support for the life-extending effects of a daily walk.

Published: July, 2020

Want to lower your odds of dying of heart disease? If you don't exercise regularly, taking an extra 4,000 steps per day may help, even if you walk at a leisurely pace, a new study finds.
The study included a nationally representative sample of 4,840 Americans ages 40 and older. For about a week, the participants wore on their hips a device called an accelerometer that recorded the number of steps they took each day. Researchers found that the more steps people took, the lower their risk of dying over the following 10 years, regardless of their age, sex, or race. In fact, compared with people who walked 4,000 steps per day, those who walked 8,000 steps daily were about half as likely to die for any reason — but especially from heart disease. The findings were published in the March 24–31, 2020, issue of JAMA.
"This study supports what we know about the marked benefit of achieving about 8,000 steps per day," says Dr. Edward Phillips, assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School. Most people typically get around 3,000 to 4,000 steps per day without doing any intentional exercise, he notes. That includes things such as doing household chores, checking your mailbox, or going grocery shopping, for example. "But if you regularly walk another 4,000 steps a day to reach a total of about 8,000 steps per day, there's a dramatic difference in whether you live or die over the next decade," says Dr. Phillips.
Although these observational findings can't prove that walking helped stave off death, the study has a number of strengths, including the diverse study population and long follow-up, he adds. Also, data from accelerometers is more reliable than relying on the participant's self-reported activity.

The math makes sense

Four thousand steps equals about 2 miles, which most people can do in 40 minutes or less, since the average person's walking speed is about 100 steps per minute. But if you pick up your pace and cover a mile in just 15 minutes instead of 20, you can log 4,000 steps in just 30 minutes. That happens to be pretty close to the 150 minutes per week of physical activity recommended by federal guidelines, says Dr. Phillips. But in the study, walking speed didn't make a difference in mortality. What mattered was how far participants walked, not how fast they did it.
People who took 12,000 steps per day had an even lower risk of dying from heart disease than those who did 8,000 daily. But the added benefit was small, and walking even more didn't seem to make a difference (see graph, below).

Walking your way to a longer life Taking 8,000 steps per day may slash your risk of dying from heart disease.

Why 10,000?

Although 10,000 steps has long been touted as an ideal daily goal (it's often the default setting on fitness trackers), that specific number was apparently based on a marketing tool rather than a scientific study. In 1965, a Japanese business, the Yamasa Clock and Instrument Company, sold a pedometer called Manpo-kei, which means "10,000 steps meter" in Japanese. "Apparently, the company chose that number because the Japanese character for 10,000 looks like a person walking," says Dr. Phillips.
Some people like keeping track of their steps with pedometers or activity trackers, which are ubiquitous on smartphones and smart watches. But most people only use them for a short time. "If you want to count your steps, that's great. If not, don't bother," he says. Keeping track of the time you spend walking is just as good.
The bigger challenge may be motivating yourself to get started if you aren't accustomed to regular physical activity. Preventing heart disease and living longer may feel too distant or abstract, so focus on a short-term goal, Dr. Phillips suggests. Walking can relieve anxiety and stress, which his patients find is a good inspiration for getting outside routinely.
These tips may help make your walks more enjoyable:

• Buy a good pair of shoes. Look for supportive but flexible soles that cushion your feet. Choose shoes with "breathable" uppers, such as nylon mesh.
• Dress for comfort and safety. Dress in layers so you can peel off garments if you get hot. Light-colored clothes and a reflective vest help drivers notice you.
• Find a safe place to walk. Quiet streets with sidewalks, park trails, athletic tracks at local schools, or shopping malls are often good choices.
• Do a five-minute warm-up and cool-down. Start off at a slower pace for your warm-up. At the end of your walk, slow down to cool down.

Summer Striders starts July 1, 2020

WE ARE BACK!!!!!

Summer Striders 2020 will begin TONIGHT, July 1 at 5:30 p.m. at the Bluffton Middle School Parking Lot door #4.  Because it's going to be so hot tonight, please bring a water bottle, and a sweat towel.  Didn't register yet? No worries - just show up tonight and we'll get you the release form and collect your $10 fee.  You're also welcome to bring a friend - the more the merrier! 

The Striding Safely Steps (cute pun don't you think)...
1. Masks are optional for participants.  The facilitator will wear one when speaking to the group for pre/post announcements and when popping into different groups during the session.

2.  Walking in the parking lots will allow everyone to be able to stay 6' apart while still being able to chit-chat.  There is limited shade so be especially mindful to stay hydrated and pace yourself appropriately including rest breaks. 

3.  We will meet at door #4 for each of the 7 Wednesday night sessions.  Here is our tentative walking schedule:

Week 1 = orientation & 15 min socially distanced group walk

Weeks 2-3 = 25-30 min of walking/running time

Weeks 4-5 = 35-40 min of walking/running time

Weeks 6-7 = 45-50 min of walking/running time