| Come Walk with the Doc With each walk, I find an amazing new world. Looking ahead I see promising new buds, buds that have raced ahead to display their glory, wild flowers among the grasses and swans serenely gliding with no apparent purpose aside from setting an example of how to be at peace with the world. It’s the magic of spring. I find energy as I catch the excitement of our canine friends sniffing about with curiosity and anticipation. For them, every step seems to reveal intriguing possibilities. How amazing their world must be. Molly, our senior walking pal (81 years old in people years) expresses her curiosity in a more reserved way than our ‘grand dog’ Sam as he rushes about like the next possibility is all life is about. Understandably at age 4 in people years, Sam finds the world incredibly amazing. It’s a trick I hope he can teach me more about. With each person that walks, I find inspiration knowing all of you that come will give our paved loop their best shot. And, all are getting the potential benefits of reductions in heart disease, anxiety, depression, arthritis, and improvements in metabolism, enjoyment of life and mental well being. A daily walk is medicine for the body and the soul. Taken daily it offers amazing benefits. Plan to join me for a fun walk that’s a step toward better health. Nancy Neighbors, MD Huntsville, Alabama Did you know? • Walking one mile a day burns 100 calories. You could lose ten pounds in a year without changing your eating habits • By adding 2,000 more steps a day to your regular activities, you may never gain another pound. • In general, you need a minimum of 6,000 steps a day to improve your health, and 10,000 to lose weight • And, walking helps with over 100 health issues • Walking increases the blood flow to the brain. A 1999 study of people over 60 found that walking 45 minutes a day at a 16-minute mile pace increased their thinking skills. • A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine last year showed that older women who walked regularly were less likely to develop memory loss and other declines in mental function than women who were less active. Those who walked 18 miles or more per week fared best. In a study of Amish adults it was found that men take an average of 18,425 steps a day and women take 14,196. Compare that to about 4,000 steps for the average American adult and it is easy to see why only 4% of Amish adults are overweight, versus 31% of the general population • Transportation surveys show that about 40% of all car trips are less than 2 miles in length. For many that’s a lost exercise opportunity that could have become a 10-minute bike ride or a health building 40- minute walk. As a bonus, avoiding just 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year. |