— by Cate Stevenson, BA
In a way, good health is something we earn. Ideally, we should all put aside time to invest in our health. But often we forget about the role prevention plays when it comes to feeling great. You might find that, like many people, you only work harder at being healthy once you experience a health problem. Suffering through symptoms that affect the quality of your life is often the wake-up call for you to help your body out by living a healthier lifestyle. But, really, why wait and take this route when preventative measures can be taken that are enjoyable and fun? The investment will be more than worth it.
For example, just 45 minutes a day of walking, three times a week could help prevent heart disease and stroke. A research team at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston recently studied more than 39,000 healthy women aged 45 or older enrolled in the Women’s Health Study. The women reported their leisure-time physical activity at the start of the study as well as during course of the study.
During a follow-up of nearly 12 years, 579 women suffered a stroke. The research team found that the most active women in the study were 17% less likely to suffer a stroke during follow-up than the least active women. Compared with women who didn’t walk, women who walked two or more hours a week at any pace cut their risk of any type of stroke by 30%. And those women who walked at a pace of three miles per hour or faster had a 37% lower risk of suffering any type of stroke compared to those who walked at a slower pace.
Want to get out walking now? How fast should you go? Moderately paced walking would be in the range of about six kilometers or 3.7 miles per hour. This is good enough to protect against heart disease and disability and is recommended for middle-aged and older people.
However, you can up the speed once you can comfortably achieve a moderately paced walk. A more high-intensity walking pace will also help improve your aerobic exercise capacity. If you can manage this (check with your healthcare provider if you have any health concerns), you should notice a definite boost to your overall health and energy levels.
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Make Back Pain Disappear with ChiropracticTags: Boost Energy Level, Boost Health Level, Heart Attack, heart disease, Heart Disease Treatment, Prevent Heart Disease, stroke, stroke preventative measures, stroke risk, walking
