Why is brisk walking better than running and gymming?

Keep that brisk walk routine . Studies say this fitness regimen is better than running and gymming

Take the sports shoes out and get into exercise mode. And that does not mean you have to trudge to the gym or take up a fancy workout class. Studies are increasingly showing that a brisk stroll is more valuable than running. This is not only a cheap option, but is also easier on your joints. While running and gymming are also intensity-based work outs that target muscle groups, studies say it is walking that beats all else. Here's a lowdown on these...

BRISK WALKING
You're relying on your own two feet, so make them as comfortable as possible. Wear light flexible shoes that are not too fitting. Start with a warm up and a few stretches. Beginners can start with 20 minutes power-walks at least thrice a week and increase the pace slowly. The right walking action is, land on the heels, rolling through the step and push off again from the toes. Also, raise the chin upwards and don't slouch. For a stronger stride, bend the elbows till they are at 90 degrees with the body and closing the fists, swing your arms from the waist to your chest. You can also do an interval training walk where you break into a quick burst of speedy stride for a minute and then slow down.

Different walking workouts
- Hold an exercise band in your arms while you walk to tone the upper body
- Tighten the butt as you take steps to firm up
- Do lunges as you cool down the walk for a great stretch
Study: For healthy adults, a heart association recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise, like walking, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity (or a combination of both).
Advantages: Walking wakes up even the tiniest muscles and does not put much strain on the joints. It lowers the BMI and the risk of Type II diabetes as well as heart disease.
Disadvantages: It may not have such an intense calorie burn.

RUNNING
This is one of the most popular regimens, but studies say otherwise. "Today, people as young as 20 are getting heart attacks on the treadmill. Also, having low endurance levels and being unprepared can be detrimental to the heart," warns cardiologist Dr Rahul Gupta. "If the heart is untrained and the adrenaline increases, inflammation may occur in the coronary arteries. The increase in blood flow to the heart leads to microtears or plaque rupture. Also, if someone has minor blockages (plaques) they aren't aware of, and they get a tear, it can lead to a clot and blood supply to that place becomes obstructed; this causes heart attacks. Thus, if you feel tightness and breathless, stop immediately. Brisk walking is safer, but if you want to run, see that your body is well prepared first," he adds. How much? An average run burns roughly 10 calories a minute.
Advantages: Running can keep the heart healthy, boost the mood and burn calories. It's also good for those crunched for time.
Disadvantages: Running is more tiring than you realise. It also increases the risk for joint injuries and can stress the body.

Lunchtime walking groups on the rise
Sitting for long hours has been called a 'silent killer' in offices and to combat this, more corporates are taking up a power walk in the middle of the day. Several offices have kicked off a 'lunch hour walking group' where a different person leads the group every day. It was found that this activity boosted productivity and motivation levels, decreased fatigue and elevated the mood.

Hitting the gym
Want to lose the kilos? Ditch the gym. A new study says a brisk stroll is better than a workout. Scientists found 30 minutes of 'high impact' walking is more effective for fighting the flab than the same time spent on doing weights and pounding the treadmill. Dr Grace Lordan, who led a study on this, compared exercises that raise the heart rate and cause sweating — such as brisk walking, swimming, cycling, gym workouts, dancing, running, jogging, football and squash. And the study found that those who did a half-hour stroll had lowest body mass index and smaller waists. He said, "We show that individuals who walk at a brisk or fast pace are more likely to have a lower weight when compared to individuals doing other activities."
Advantages: Gym workouts improve blood circulation. Also, these workout plans are tailored as per your body and capacity so they have many benefits. Doing weights and kettlebell as well as squats also increases bone and muscle strength.
Disadvantages: Treadmill and other cardio workouts can get boring if you do the same thing each time. Often, people use the wrong stride length on the gym belt as it may be because the treadmill is short or too long. With temperatures set to turn pleasant soon, time you got into your tracks and started walking?

Know your breakfast.

Eating walnuts may lower heart disease risk

 

 

Walnuts, can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

 

WASHINGTON: Consuming about 60 grammes of tree nuts, such as walnuts, daily may lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, a new study has claimed.

After conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of 61 controlled trials, Michael Falk from Life Sciences Research Organisation in US, found that consuming tree nuts lowers total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL (bad) cholesterol, and ApoB, the primary protein found in LDL cholesterol.

These are key factors that are used to evaluate a person's risk of cardiovascular disease. Walnuts were investigated in 21 of the 61 trials, more than any other nut reviewed in this study, researchers said.

"Our study results further support the growing body of research that tree nuts, such as walnuts, can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases," said Falk.

"Tree nuts contain important nutrients such as unsaturated fats, protein, vitamins and minerals. Walnuts are the only nut that provide a significant amount (2.5 grams per one ounce serving) of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the plant-based form of omega-3s," Falk said.

Beyond finding that tree nuts lower total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol and ApoB, researchers also found that consuming at least two servings (two ounces or 57 grammes) per day of tree nuts, such as walnuts, has stronger effects on total cholesterol and LDL.

Additionally, results showed that tree nut consumption may be particularly important for lowering the risk of heart disease in individuals with type 2 diabetes.

Of 1,301 articles surveyed, 61 trials met eligibility criteria for this systematic review and meta-analysis, totalling 2,582 unique participants.

Trials directly provided nuts to the intervention group rather than relying solely on dietary advice to consume nuts.

The dose of nuts varied from 5 to 100g/day and most participants followed their typical diet.

More than two decades of research has shown that walnuts may help lower cardiovascular risk factors by decreasing LDL (bad) cholesterol by 9-16 per cent and diastolic blood pressure by 2-3 mmHg, as well as reducing total cholesterol, raising HDL cholesterol, reducing inflammation as measured by C-reactive protein, and improving arterial function.

These factors are major contributors to heart disease risk, and reducing them is a critical step towards a healthier heart, researchers said.

In addition to providing omega-3s, walnuts also deliver a convenient source of fibre (2 grammes per ounce) and protein (4 grams per ounce).

Standing for at Least a Quarter of the Day Reduces Odds of Obesity, New Study Finds

You may want to reconsider keeping that standing desk after all. A new study published Tuesday shows that people who stand for at least one-quarter of their day appeared to have a significantly lower likelihood of obesity.

The research, led by the American Cancer Society in cooperation with The Cooper Institute, University of Texas and University of Georgia, involved analyzing data from more than 7,000 adult patients who visited the Cooper Clinic in Dallas from 2010 to 2015. Most of the participants were white and college-educated. They were also pretty healthy, without a history of serious conditions like heart attacks, stroke or cancer.

For the first part of the study they were asked a number of fitness questions including this one about standing: "For those activities that you do most days of the week (such as work, school, and housework), how much time do you spend standing?" The answers were grouped into five categories -- almost all of the time; approximately three-quarters of the time; approximately half of the time; approximately one-quarter of the time; almost none of the time.

The second component of the study involved measuring the study participants' body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage and waist circumference and determining whether they had metabolic syndrome (a cluster of symptoms that includes high blood pressure or elevated blood sugar).

The results, published in this month's Mayo Clinic Proceedings, were striking for both genders.

In men, standing a quarter of the time was linked to a 32 percent reduction in obesity and standing half the time with a 59 percent reduced likelihood of obesity. Interestingly, standing three-quarters of the time did not appear to be associated with reduced obesity. In women, standing a quarter, half, and three-quarter was associated with 35 percent, 47 percent and 57 percent respective reductions in obesity.

In both sexes, there appeared to be no association between standing and metabolic syndrome.

Based on the study, "clinicians and public health practitioners should consider encouraging patients to achieve the physical activity guidelines and increase standing time for chronic disease prevention," Kerem Shuval, director of physical activity research for the American Cancer Society, and his colleagues wrote in the paper.

However, Shuval noted that there's still "insufficient evidence specifically focusing on the public health and medical implications of increasing daily standing time as a potential tool for health promotion."

The new study itself is limited by the fact that it's impossible to conclude from the data "whether more standing reduces the risk of obesity and [metabolic syndrome] or whether being obese or having [metabolic syndrome] leads to less standing."

If you're confused about the health benefits of standing vs. sitting you're hardly alone given the recent flurry of news about the topic. Last month, after a widely-shared study published in October in the Journal of Epidemiology found that sitting is not associated with an increased risk of dying, a number of office workers tweeted that they would be saying goodbye to their standing desks.

Shuval's study supports previous research that points to the dangers of being too sedentary. In a 2010 study in the American Journal of Epidemiology, for instance, scientists found that people who sat more than six hours a day had a much higher mortality rate than those sitting less than three hours. Earlier this year, experts writing in the British Journal of Sports Medicine recommended that people stand, wiggle and otherwise move or take breaks for at least two hours -- or a quarter of of the typical eight-hour work day.

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Crash diets, rapid weight loss affects back

 

Percentage of protein, carbohydrates, and fats should be taken according to the body requirement and needs. Along with this, an exercise regime comprising aerobics and weight training should be included.

                                                                                                                                                                                 
* Undernourished body, weak muscles

Cutting back on essential food items such as grains and fruits by following low carbohydrate diets can make you lose out on some of the vital nutrients required by the body. This type of under-nourishment affects the whole body. Muscles are not able to function properly causing them to become easily strained.

How it affects the back: Your lower back and abdominal muscles provide a base of support for your spine, holding your body upright. The muscles of the lower back and abdomen are meant to work together to support the upper body and the spine's alignment. As these muscles might not get the essential nutrients required, their ability to repair may become poor. At the same time the amount of time taken for these muscles to recover from injury may increase. Also the muscles fatigue early if the nutrition is not as per the requirement.

Solution: A well balanced diet including appropriate amount of protein, carbohydrates and fat should be taken. The diet depends on the body type, Body Mass Index and Basal metabolic rate. Percentage of protein, carbohydrates, and fats should be taken according to the body requirement and needs. Along with this, an exercise regime comprising aerobics and weight training should be included.

* Dehydration and spinal discs

Some of the low carbohydrate diets are meant to increase water loss in the body for quick weight reduction. If followed without proper guidance, the body can easily become dehydrated while following these diets. Major content of spinal discs are water. Dehydration could occur in the discs as well.

If your body's water content drops by as little as two percent, you will feel fatigued. If it drops by 10 percent, you will experience significant health problems, such as arthritis and back pain.

How it affects the back: Our body is made up of about 70 percent of water. Weight loss that results in a significant amount of water and mineral loss contributes to decreased bone density. Weaker bones can cause spinal misalignments and result in pain. Spinal discs in the body need fluid to maintain height and their ability to absorb shock. Dehydration can lessen the fluids available to spinal discs, which could lead to speedy disc degeneration, bulging or herniation.

Solution: Make sure you drink eight to 10 glasses of water daily. Dehydration is no form of weight loss. Also, it doesn't aid in weight loss. With dehydration, you also lose many important nutrients which are required for the body and the spinal discs.

*Over-exercising and back pain

In addition to crash diets, when you are over-exercising, without the correct nutrients, you are accelerating the process of bone loss and muscle loss.

How it affects back: Calories are a source of energy and repair for the body. If your body is working your muscles extra hard without minimal fuel, then it becomes susceptible to strains. Not resting enough can also add to the back pain. Not to forget that the high intensity workouts lead to a lot of pressure on the spine in turn jelly i.e. the disc.

Solution: Over-exercising and poor nutrition adversely affects your back and may cause back pain. One should also know the right form and extent of exercise required. Wrong forms of exercise loads the spine and could affect the discs and the muscle.

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Fast asteroid to zoom past Earth on Halloween

An asteroid that was discovered on October 10 is set to zoom past Earth on Halloween, marking the closest encounter our planet has had with one of the massive speeding rocks since 2006, according to NASA.

An asteroid is anticipated to come within 310,000 miles of Earth – about a third longer than the average distance to the moon – its nearest approach is estimated at 11:14 a.m. Eastern on October 31, according to NASA.

Called 2015 TB145, the asteroid was spotted by astronomers on October 10 using the Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) at the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy. NASA estimates the space rock measures between 984 and 1,542 feet in diameter and is traveling “unusually fast,” according to the space agency, at about 78,000 miles per hour.

The Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System — is an innovative design for a wide-field imaging facility developed at the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy.

“The flyby presents a truly outstanding scientific opportunity to study the physical properties of this object,” NASA said in a statement. An asteroid 2009 FD first noticed by the La Sagra Sky Survey on in March 2009, but precovery observations were also found in data from Spacewatch data from February 24, 2009.  The Minor Planet Center credits both search programs with the discovery.

2009 FD is not classified as a “Potentially Hazardous Asteroid” because its absolute magnitude is slightly fainter than the cutoff of 22.  WISE and radar observations discussed above show that the diameter is probably at least 300 meters, so it’s large enough to be “potentially hazardous” even though it isn’t classified as such.

Described as having an “extremely eccentric” orbit and appearing “cometary in nature,” NASA said this asteroid is incredibly fast and predicts it will zoom past Earth at 78,000 miles per hour.

“The flyby presents a truly outstanding scientific opportunity to study the physical properties of this object,” NASA officials wrote. It’s worth noting this asteroid was only discovered days ago, but its next close encounter with Earth is expected to happen in a dozen years from now, in August 2027.

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So sex is what men will go for, even at expense of food: Study

Food or sex? If men are given this choice, men will do what they have always done – go for sex. That’s what a study has proved through analysis of neurons in brain of male nematode worms.
According to researchers at University College London (UCL), UK and Albert Einstein College of Medicine (USA), there is a direct relation between how male and female worms behave and the differences in brain development and structure in areas involved in higher order processing. Researchers found through their study that the genetic and developmental differences in the brain of male and female worms causes structural differences in the brain during sexual maturation.
This is what causes the difference in behavior as far as sex is concerned. Brain of males tend to remember previous sexual encounters and when given an option, opt for sex over other choices.
Researchers further identified that this behavioral change is a direct result of previously unidentified cells. Researchers say that these two neurons are born from cells calls glial cells, which are companion and support cells of neurons.
Researchers have named the two newly identified neurons as ‘mystery cells of the male’ or ‘MCMs’. These cells bring about behavioral differences between the two sexes by changing a brain circuit common to both. Whether the neurons are born or not depends on the genetic sex of the glial cells from which they arise and not on the sex of the animal or on hormones. The MCM neurons are only made from glial cells that have male chromosomes.
“Our findings suggest that differences in learning and perception depend not just on the sex of the animal but also on the sex of the individual neural progenitor cells”, says co-senior author Dr Richard Poole, UCL Cell & Developmental Biology. “This means that different aspects of an animal’s behavior may well develop independently of each other in some circumstances, instead of through the co-ordinated action of hormones.”
The effect of the cells on the worms’ (males and hermaphrodites) behaviour was tested using classic conditioning behavioural assays in which worms learn to associate aversive or pleasant experiences (such as starvation or mates) with another stimulus (salt) and change their behavioural responses to that stimulus. Worms that were previously starved in the presence of salt, learned to move away from areas with high concentrations of salt when placed in a new environment that had various different salt concentrations. This indicated that worms had learned to perceive salt as a sign for the absence of food.
Both males and hermaphrodites perform this type of learning. In contrast, when males were starved in the presence of salt and mates (i.e. sexual partners), and then placed in a new environment that had different salt concentrations, males sought areas of high concentrations of salt. This indicated that the association of salt with sex was stronger than and preferred over the association of salt with lack of food. This change in behaviour does not occur in hermaphrodites. Importantly, it also does not occur in males whose MCM neurons were surgically removed – demonstrating that these neurons are required for sex-based differences in learning.

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