Walking is the nation’s most popular form of exercise. More than a third of us—111 million Americans—routinely go for walks to maintain our health and wellness.[1]
The benefits of walking are both profound and well-proven. Putting one foot in front of the other is linked to longer life, weight loss, stronger bones and muscles, better mood, improved lung function, and lower risk of Alzheimer’s.
If you can avoid heart disease and cancer, chances are you will enjoy longevity.
That’s because these illnesses are by far the biggest killers in the U.S. Just over 43% of Americans die from heart disease or cancer. They take more lives than all other medical conditions combined.[1]
The ways to prevent heart disease are well known: Keep your weight, blood pressure, and bad cholesterol under control.
If you have weight issues, you may have joked that you get heavier merely by looking at food. Of course, that’s impossible.
But a new study shows that simply breathing can actually cause you to pack on weight.[1]
The study was published in the journal Environment International. It found that breathing a certain kind of pollution can trigger obesity.
Scientists call it the “Goldilocks Zone.”
As you might expect, it originated with the old tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
It’s when a dose of something is effective not when it’s too small or when it’s too large…but when it’s just right.
So it is with exercise.
Researchers have found that during outbreaks of viral diseases such as coronavirus, not exercising is harmful.
Few people talk about frailty as a major disease. But it’s what destroys the quality of life for millions of seniors.
Those affected can no longer live independently or be physically active. Simple tasks like opening a jar or walking up stairs become impossible. They may became painfully thin. Their energy evaporates.
And frailty does not just mean losing your quality of life.
There was a time when walking was a standard medical treatment.
In her book Your Brain on Nature, Dr. Eva Selhub of Harvard Medical School notes that health resorts and “sanitariums” sprang up in newly urbanized America during the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s.[1]
There, doctors would treat patients with long nature walks. They saw walking as an antidote to sedentary city living.