{"id":4620,"date":"2023-03-18T23:16:07","date_gmt":"2023-03-18T23:16:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ronniestanglermd.com\/?p=4620"},"modified":"2023-04-29T14:22:33","modified_gmt":"2023-04-29T14:22:33","slug":"a-little-motivation-to-take-a-walk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ronniestanglermd.com\/index.php\/2023\/03\/18\/a-little-motivation-to-take-a-walk\/","title":{"rendered":"A Little Motivation to Take a Walk"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

from the Well Newsletter of the New York Times by Janice Dunn<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experts say walking is one of the best forms of preventive medicine.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I, like so many of us, spend too much time hunched over a computer – and it\u2019s alarming me a little. So throughout my day, I ask myself: Can this activity be done while walking? I\u2019ve recently taken meetings and made eight-minute phone calls<\/a> on foot, and I turned one coffee date with a friend into a ramble through the park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My incentive? The results of a literature review<\/a> published last month in The British Journal of Sports Medicine. Researchers examined 196 studies and found that a brisk walk – of at least 11 minutes a day \u2014 significantly lowered participants\u2019 risks for heart disease, many kinds of cancer and mortality overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same study found that those who did at least <\/strong>150 minutes<\/a> of moderate exercise per week slashed their risks of early death even more. A speedy 20-minute walk each day will get you close to that goal, said Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, the chair of the Division of Preventive Cardiology at the Mayo Clinic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really amazing the amount of benefits you get for a relatively minor effort,\u201d he said, adding that walking is one of the best forms of preventive medicine. But many of us still need a little nudge to get up and moving, so I\u2019ve rounded up five additional incentives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can walk off aches and pains.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s tempting to stay off your feet if you\u2019re in pain, but that\u2019s not always the best course of action. Nearly a quarter of adults in the United States<\/a> have arthritis, for instance, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate activity (like vigorous walking) to help manage symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 2022 study, published in Arthritis & Rheumatology<\/a>, involved people ages 50 and older with osteoarthritis in their knees and found that those who walked regularly had less frequent knee pain. The research also suggested that a consistent walking routine may slow the damage that occurs within the joint, said Dr. Grace Hsiao-Wei Lo, an associate professor of immunology, allergy and rheumatology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and the lead author of the study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research suggests<\/a> that activities like walking might also help relieve lower back pain. My throbbing back is more effective than any wearable device at alerting me that it\u2019s time to get up. (And walking always helps.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walking can enhance your therapy sessions.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWalk and talk\u201d therapy takes place outdoors, either in person or over the phone, and can be a refreshing alternative to more traditional sessions<\/a>, said Lynn Bufka, the associate chief of practice transformation for the American Psychological Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll that we know about the benefits of exercise – in terms of combating depression, and reducing anxiety, and helping with insomnia – are the same things we\u2019re trying to address in psychotherapy, so how can we fit them together?\u201d she said. \u201cAnd we know that walking in nature really helps with stress and burnout.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outdoor sessions are not for everyone, Dr. Bufka noted, and some patients may have concerns about physical or psychological safety, or privacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for some people, \u201cnot facing each other in the stillness of the office is more helpful,\u201d said Lori Roberto, a clinical psychologist in Sacramento who offers in-person \u201cwalk and talk\u201d sessions at a green space near her office. \u201cI\u2019ve found that the rhythm of walking leads to a different flow and kind of an ease,\u201d she said. \u201cAlthough sometimes there are external disrupters like cyclists – and sometimes turkeys.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A regular walk might help sharpen your memory.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feeling forgetful? A brisk, fast-paced walk may be useful, but \u201cbrisk\u201d is the key word, said Rong Zhang, a professor of neurology and internal medicine at the Peter O\u2019Donnell Jr. Brain Institute at UT Southwestern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Zhang and his colleagues conducted a small study<\/a> of middle-aged and older people with memory impairments and found that a half-hour walk – five days a week, over the course of a year – improved blood flow to the brain and cognitive functioning among the participants. A follow-up study<\/a>, published last year, found similar results in older adults without cognitive impairments: They experienced improved memory as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou need to make an effort to get up that heart rate, where it\u2019s a little more challenging,\u201d Dr. Zhang said, adding that you should \u201cfeel a little shortness of breath\u201d and conversation should become more difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He included another important caveat: Data from both studies suggested that it takes at least a year for improved blood flow in the brain to translate into better cognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walking may stop you from brooding.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re trapped in a worry spiral, a half-hour trek in nature can dial down ruminative thoughts. A 2020 study<\/a> in The Journal of Environmental Psychology found that a 30-minute walk significantly reduced a negative mood and \u201celicited more awe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One effective way to treat rumination is through disruption. \u201cA walk can disrupt the cycle enough to get us out of the looping thoughts,\u201d Dr. Bufka said. The scenery may redirect our attention, she added, or we might focus on the exercise itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A combination of walking and mindfulness might also help. Walking meditation, which can be done anywhere, can help clear those persistent thoughts. Try this <\/strong>introductory meditation<\/a> from the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, adapted from the mindfulness expert Jon Kabat-Zinn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can learn something new.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enjoy multitasking? You can make walking an educational experience. If you have medical questions, for instance, consider a program called \u201cWalk With a Doc<\/a>\u201d (available in 47 U.S. states), which features free, regularly scheduled walks with a local doctor. During the hourlong stroll, participants can talk with the doctors as much as they\u2019d like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also listen to a podcast. After I wrote about my favorite health podcasts recently, I was flooded with fantastic suggestions from many of you. Here are a few:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 \u201cBedside Rounds<\/a>,\u201d a medical history podcast that focuses on the \u201cweird, wonderful, and intensely human stories that have shaped modern medicine.\u201d
\u2022 \u201cMaintenance Phase<\/a>,” an incisive dissection of diet culture and the \u201cwellness-industrial complex.\u201d
\u2022 \u201cMan Up Podcast<\/a>,\u201d hosted by two chatty urologists, Dr. Kevin Chu and Dr. Justin Dubin, features men\u2019s health specialists on topics such as vasectomies and hair loss.
\u2022 \u201cDr. Streicher\u2019s Inside Information Podcast<\/a>,\u201d a frequently hilarious and always informative exploration of menopause, hosted by Dr. Lauren Streicher, the medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks, readers – time for another walk!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

adapted from article, A Little Motivation to Take a Walk<\/a>, <\/strong>by <\/strong>Jancee Dunn, in the Well Newsletter, published in the New York Times, 17 March 2023 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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from the Well Newsletter of the New York Times by Janice Dunn Experts say walking is one of the best forms of preventive medicine. I, like so many of us, spend too much time hunched over a computer – and it\u2019s alarming me a little. So throughout my day, I ask myself: Can this activity…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4622,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[231],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4620","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-good-reads"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ronniestanglermd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4620","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ronniestanglermd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ronniestanglermd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ronniestanglermd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ronniestanglermd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4620"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.ronniestanglermd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4620\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6198,"href":"https:\/\/www.ronniestanglermd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4620\/revisions\/6198"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ronniestanglermd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ronniestanglermd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ronniestanglermd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ronniestanglermd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}