Walking and Disease

The simple act of walking can decrease your chances for contracting diseases like diabetes, cancer, and osteoporosis.

A regular walking program can help you reduce your chances of developing Type II, or non-insulin-dependent, diabetes. Because a program of regular exercise is extremely helpful in weight management, by reducing the risk of obesity, you also reduce the risk of becoming diabetic.

Exercise improves your muscles' ability to respond to insulin and take up more glucose. It can help you reduce your risk of developing diabetes, as well as manage the disease if you already have it. In addition to regular exercise and proper diet, careful monitoring of blood glucose levels is important to diabetes management.

Because of the positive impact of exercise on the immune system, exercise can reduce your overall cancer risk. For site-specific cancers, exercise may have a different impact on cancer development.

Regular physical activity has been shown to lower the risk of both breast cancer and colon cancer. The mechanism for reduction of breast cancer risk may be due to hormone level changes and reduced body fat that result from exercise. Colon cancer risk may be lowered due to reduced intestinal transit time, thus decreasing the time that possible carcinogens may come in contact with the colon wall.

Osteoporosis is a relatively common disorder characterized by a decrease in the calcium content of the bones, which leaves them thin and susceptible to fracture. The causes of osteoporosis are largely unknown. However, the chances of acquiring the condition seem to increase dramatically with age, especially for women.

One prevailing theory maintains that osteoporosis results from a loss of the female hormone estrogen, which affects the calcium content of the bones. Menopause (cessation of menstruation) may lead to osteoporosis because the body's production of estrogen is greatly reduced after that time. Almost one-third of all women over the age of 60 experience osteoporosis to some extent.

People who are inactive, either by choice or due to confinement because of illness, seem more susceptible to the disorder. A diet deficient in calcium (which promotes bone development) may also contribute to osteoporosis.

Physicians urge their female patients to engage in regular weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, and resistance exercise (such as weight training) throughout their lives; in these exercises, the bones and muscles must work against gravity or another force to support the body (as opposed to swimming, in which the water supports the body), so they help to build and strengthen bones as well as muscles and thus help prevent the frailty caused by osteoporosis.

Likewise, patients who suffer from osteoporosis are typically encouraged to follow an exercise program that will strengthen the muscles supporting their weakened bones; such individuals, however, need to seek the advice of their doctor and perhaps an exercise physiologist before beginning any exercise program and should avoid certain activities, such as lifting heavy objects, in order to protect the bones in the spinal column.

Walking and other exercise can affect your total quality of life, too. Read on to discover how walking can help you sleep -- and give you more energy.

Read more...

Walking and Disease

The simple act of walking can decrease your chances for contracting diseases like diabetes, cancer, and osteoporosis.

A regular walking program can help you reduce your chances of developing Type II, or non-insulin-dependent, diabetes. Because a program of regular exercise is extremely helpful in weight management, by reducing the risk of obesity, you also reduce the risk of becoming diabetic.

Exercise improves your muscles' ability to respond to insulin and take up more glucose. It can help you reduce your risk of developing diabetes, as well as manage the disease if you already have it. In addition to regular exercise and proper diet, careful monitoring of blood glucose levels is important to diabetes management.

Because of the positive impact of exercise on the immune system, exercise can reduce your overall cancer risk. For site-specific cancers, exercise may have a different impact on cancer development.

Regular physical activity has been shown to lower the risk of both breast cancer and colon cancer. The mechanism for reduction of breast cancer risk may be due to hormone level changes and reduced body fat that result from exercise. Colon cancer risk may be lowered due to reduced intestinal transit time, thus decreasing the time that possible carcinogens may come in contact with the colon wall.

Osteoporosis is a relatively common disorder characterized by a decrease in the calcium content of the bones, which leaves them thin and susceptible to fracture. The causes of osteoporosis are largely unknown. However, the chances of acquiring the condition seem to increase dramatically with age, especially for women.

One prevailing theory maintains that osteoporosis results from a loss of the female hormone estrogen, which affects the calcium content of the bones. Menopause (cessation of menstruation) may lead to osteoporosis because the body's production of estrogen is greatly reduced after that time. Almost one-third of all women over the age of 60 experience osteoporosis to some extent.

People who are inactive, either by choice or due to confinement because of illness, seem more susceptible to the disorder. A diet deficient in calcium (which promotes bone development) may also contribute to osteoporosis.

Physicians urge their female patients to engage in regular weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, and resistance exercise (such as weight training) throughout their lives; in these exercises, the bones and muscles must work against gravity or another force to support the body (as opposed to swimming, in which the water supports the body), so they help to build and strengthen bones as well as muscles and thus help prevent the frailty caused by osteoporosis.

Likewise, patients who suffer from osteoporosis are typically encouraged to follow an exercise program that will strengthen the muscles supporting their weakened bones; such individuals, however, need to seek the advice of their doctor and perhaps an exercise physiologist before beginning any exercise program and should avoid certain activities, such as lifting heavy objects, in order to protect the bones in the spinal column.

Walking and other exercise can affect your total quality of life, too. Read on to discover how walking can help you sleep -- and give you more energy.

Read more...

Walking and Disease

The simple act of walking can decrease your chances for contracting diseases like diabetes, cancer, and osteoporosis.

A regular walking program can help you reduce your chances of developing Type II, or non-insulin-dependent, diabetes. Because a program of regular exercise is extremely helpful in weight management, by reducing the risk of obesity, you also reduce the risk of becoming diabetic.

Exercise improves your muscles' ability to respond to insulin and take up more glucose. It can help you reduce your risk of developing diabetes, as well as manage the disease if you already have it. In addition to regular exercise and proper diet, careful monitoring of blood glucose levels is important to diabetes management.

Because of the positive impact of exercise on the immune system, exercise can reduce your overall cancer risk. For site-specific cancers, exercise may have a different impact on cancer development.

Regular physical activity has been shown to lower the risk of both breast cancer and colon cancer. The mechanism for reduction of breast cancer risk may be due to hormone level changes and reduced body fat that result from exercise. Colon cancer risk may be lowered due to reduced intestinal transit time, thus decreasing the time that possible carcinogens may come in contact with the colon wall.

Osteoporosis is a relatively common disorder characterized by a decrease in the calcium content of the bones, which leaves them thin and susceptible to fracture. The causes of osteoporosis are largely unknown. However, the chances of acquiring the condition seem to increase dramatically with age, especially for women.

One prevailing theory maintains that osteoporosis results from a loss of the female hormone estrogen, which affects the calcium content of the bones. Menopause (cessation of menstruation) may lead to osteoporosis because the body's production of estrogen is greatly reduced after that time. Almost one-third of all women over the age of 60 experience osteoporosis to some extent.

People who are inactive, either by choice or due to confinement because of illness, seem more susceptible to the disorder. A diet deficient in calcium (which promotes bone development) may also contribute to osteoporosis.

Physicians urge their female patients to engage in regular weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, and resistance exercise (such as weight training) throughout their lives; in these exercises, the bones and muscles must work against gravity or another force to support the body (as opposed to swimming, in which the water supports the body), so they help to build and strengthen bones as well as muscles and thus help prevent the frailty caused by osteoporosis.

Likewise, patients who suffer from osteoporosis are typically encouraged to follow an exercise program that will strengthen the muscles supporting their weakened bones; such individuals, however, need to seek the advice of their doctor and perhaps an exercise physiologist before beginning any exercise program and should avoid certain activities, such as lifting heavy objects, in order to protect the bones in the spinal column.

Walking and other exercise can affect your total quality of life, too. Read on to discover how walking can help you sleep -- and give you more energy.

Read more...

Walking and High Blood Pressure

Regular exercise, like walking, is a proven way to reduce high blood pressure Because you can go for years without knowing you have the condition, high blood pressure has been called the "silent killer."

If you have high blood pressure, and you don't control it, your heart has to work progressively harder to pump blood through your arteries. Your heart may enlarge, and you'll be at an increased risk for heart attacks, stroke, kidney failure, and ath­erosclerosis (buildup of plaque in the arteries).

Men have a greater risk of high blood pressure than women until age 55, when their respective risks become about the same. At age 75 and older, women are more likely to develop high blood pressure than men.

People who have high blood pressure should work with their doctor to control it. Eating a proper diet, losing weight, exercising regularly, restricting salt (sodium) intake, and following a program of medication may all be prescribed to lower blood pressure and keep it within healthy limits.

Your blood pressure is a measurement of the pressure of the blood flow in your arteries. Your systolic blood pressure, the higher number, tells you the pressure in your arteries when your heart is contracting and pumping blood out into the body. Your diastolic blood pressure, the lower number, is the pressure in the arteries when the heart is relaxed.

During exercise, your systolic blood pressure increases to improve blood flow, thus increasing available oxygen to the working muscles. Your blood vessels may also become more relaxed, or dilated, to allow for the increased blood flow. This may mean a slight lowering of your diastolic blood pressure.

Right after exercise, your blood pressure is probably a little bit lower than before you started. This is a very positive response of the body. Regular exercise has been shown to result in a reduction in blood pressure for those who may be hypertensive.

It is interesting to note that when you stop exercising regularly, your blood pressure will return to its prior level, usually within a week. Therefore, you cannot "bank" your exercise, building up an account, so you can take time off. The benefits of exercise are reduced when you cease to partake of it on a regular basis. A small dose of exercise done over a long period of time has a much better result than a large amount done irregularly.

Just like you wouldn't want to overdose on medicine, neither would you want to overdose on exercise. If you miss a day or two, don't try to make up for it by overdoing it. Just start your routine again, perhaps even cutting back a little at first, depending upon how much time you took off.

So far we've looked at how walking can help prevent cardiovascular problems. But it can also lower the risk of contracting certain diseases.

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Walking and Heart Disease

Walking can help ward off a killer: heart disease. Heart disease is the number one threat to America's health. In fact, 50% of all deaths occurring in the United States each year can be directly attributed to this killer. Scientific evidence suggests that participation in regular physical activity results in a lower risk of developing heart disease.

In addition, regular exercise helps individuals recovering from heart attacks and bypass surgery and lowers their risk of suffering a second heart attack.

Heart disease is caused by the build-up of plaque in the coronary arteries. When too much plaque accumulates, blood flow to the heart is decreased. Without enough blood supply, the heart muscle may not get enough oxygen to do its work. Chest pain caused by lack of oxygen to the heart muscle is called angina.

People who have angina sometimes use a medication known as nitroglycerin that causes the coronary arteries to dilate, thus increasing the blood flow to the heart and reducing chest pain.

When ischemia (lack of blood flow to the heart) is caused by a complete blockage of an artery, part of the heart muscle can die. (Complete blockages are often the result of a blood clot that gets caught in a narrow space in an artery that already has a large build-up of plaque.) This is called a myocardial infarction, also known as a heart attack. Sometimes blockages occur in blood vessels that supply blood to the brain. An infarction in the vessels feeding the brain is called a stroke.

Reducing the risk of heart disease may be your motivation to exercise regularly, particularly if you have risk factors you cannot control. Age and family history of heart disease are both strong risk factors, neither of which are preventable. So if you have had a close family member, such as a parent or sibling, who developed heart disease before the age of sixty, you too are at increased risk. Becoming more physically active and increasing your physical fitness will improve your chances of living a longer, healthier life.

Physical Inactivity

Physical inactivity is also a risk factor for coronary heart disease. When lack of exercise is combined with overeating, excess weight and increased blood cholesterol levels can result -- and these conditions unquestionably contribute to the risk of heart disease as well.

Regular exercise has been shown to reduce your resting heart rate, thus decreasing the overall workload on the heart. Some studies show that exercise, combined with a low-fat diet and stress management, can even reduce plaques that have built up in the vessel walls.

Regular aerobic exercise plays a significant role in preventing heart and blood vessel disease. The American Heart Association recommends moderate-intensity aerobic (endurance) physical activity for a minimum of 30 minutes, five days a week, to promote cardiovascular fitness. Such activities could include aerobics, jogging, running, and swimming and sports such as tennis, racquetball, and soccer.

Even modest levels of low-intensity physical activity are beneficial if done regularly and long term. Such activities include walking for pleasure, gardening, and housework. Middle-aged or older people should seek medical advice before they start to significantly increase their physical activity.

Cholesterol

Everyone needs a certain amount of cholesterol to build cell membranes and maintain health. But too much of these blood lipids -- especially the "bad" low-density lipoprotein (LDL) variety -- can raise your risk for heart disease and stroke. Too little "good" cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein, or HDL), which helps remove fats from the bloodstream, can also pose a problem.

The risk of coronary heart disease rises as blood cholesterol levels increase.
If you smoke cigarettes or have high blood pressure, your risk for heart disease increases even more. A person's cholesterol level can also be affected by age, sex, heredity, and diet.

Nearly everyone can lower their cardiovascular disease risk by eating foods low in saturated fat and adopting an overall healthier lifestyle. Based on large population studies, total blood cholesterol levels below 200 mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter) in middle-aged adults seem to in­dicate a relatively low risk of coronary heart disease. A level of 240 mg/dl and over approximately doubles the risk. Blood cholesterol levels from 200-239 mg/dl indicate moderate and increasing risk.

High blood pressure is another risk factor for heart attack and stroke

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overview...!!! in this this article walking

Walking is widely recommended for its health benefits. According to a recent U.S. Surgeon General report on physical activity and health in America, more than half of the U.S. population does not participate regularly in any type of exercise. That physical inactivity can lead to poor health.

©2007 Photodisc Walking can help you maintain good health and prevent disease.

The Surgeon General urged Americans to "get in shape," encouraging everyone to get at least one-half hour of moderately vigorous activity (such as brisk walking) each day. The latest recommendations suggest that you should try to walk two miles at a brisk pace of three to four miles per hour nearly every day.

It is increasingly obvious that one of the best ways to maintain good health is through physical activity. Regular participation in exercise has been shown to be helpful in the prevention of such killers as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Exercise also helps to control weight. (According to the latest research, one out of three Americans is obese.)

And because exercise helps to strengthen muscles and bones, it can even decrease your risk of developing diseases such as osteoporosis and arthritis.

Some of the most interesting and overwhelming evidence supporting the need to be physically active is from the research being conducted at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Kenneth Cooper, known as the "father of aerobics," founded the Cooper Clinic in the early 1970s to investigate the effects of physical activity and fitness on health and longevity and to help people develop healthy lifestyles.

In July 1996, research from the Cooper Institute showed that participating in moderate to high levels of physical activity reduced the risk of dying from any given cause. This held true regardless of other risk factors. In other words, even if an individual suffers from high blood pressure or obesity, the chances of dying are lessened by maintaining at least a moderate level of fitness. This is remarkably good news, especially for individuals who have hereditary risk factors such as a family history of heart disease.

In 2007, Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association, published an updated report on physical activity and public health. In order to make a recommendation on the amount of exercise necessary to benefit America's health, an expert panel of scientists, including physicians, epidemiologists, exercise scientists, and public-health specialists reviewed research on physical activity and the impact of exercise on health.

Their conclusion was the same as the plea issued by the Surgeon General: "Every U.S. adult should accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, or preferably all, days of the week." The researchers determined that intermittent as well as sustained activity can be beneficial. In other words, on days when you can't fit in a 30-minute walk, you can still garner fitness benefits by taking two or more shorter walks squeezed in throughout the day.

This may seem somewhat confusing to those of you who are well acquainted with previous recommendations to exercise for a sustained period of 20 to 60 minutes. The Surgeon General's report is not meant to overshadow or replace these previously recommended exercise guidelines.

Exercising for a sustained period of time is still the best way we know to make improvements in your cardiorespiratory fitness. But for many, exercising for long periods of time can be intimidating. And most of us experience days when unforeseen events throw off our schedules and prevent us from having a solid block of time for exercise.

Significant health benefits can be realized by simply ceasing to sit and starting to move. The risk of developing heart disease, high blood pressure, non-insulin-dependent diabetes, and colon and breast cancers can be reduced just by becoming more physically active.

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