GOOD NEWS ABOUT WALKING!
9 spots bursting with wildflowers in East Bay and beyond
Here are walking trails where you can experience beautiful flowers.
10 Amazing Benefits of Walking
Walking for exercise may become increasingly important as we age and our risk for dementia and other brain disorders increases. It can even help reverse the effects of aging. One study published in the Annals of Neurology found that the 69 participants ages 55–88 who who met the exercise guidelines set by the American Heart Association showed a significantly lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
The physical and psychological benefits of walking
A recent study by a Southern California university professor shows that the more people walk each day, the more energetic they feel and the better their mood.
"People seem to be interested in walking as a health benefit, but here, we're seeing it's not just cardiovascular health and other kinds of physical health that are important, but psychological health as well," explained Robert Thayer, a professor of psychology at California State University, Long Beach. "The more a person walks has a very real and immediate psychological effect that an individual can experience every day."
How Walking in Nature Changes the Brain
A walk in the park may soothe the mind and, in the process, change the workings of our brains in ways that improve our mental health, according to an interesting new study of the physical effects on the brain of visiting nature.
Most of us today live in cities and spend far less time outside in green, natural spaces than people did several generations ago.
City dwellers also have a higher risk for anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses than people living outside urban centers, studies show.
A ONE-HOUR WALK THREE TIMES A Week
Exercise may bolster the brain function and thinking skills of people with dementia, according to a new report. The study’s findings suggest that walking a few times per week might alter the trajectory of the disease and improve the physical well-being of people who develop a common form of age-related memory loss that otherwise has few treatments.
The study looked at vascular cognitive impairment, the second most frequent form of dementia worldwide, after the better-known Alzheimer’s disease. The condition arises when someone’s blood vessels become damaged and blood no longer flows well to the brain. It is often associated with high blood pressure and heart disease.
The Science of Why You Do Your Best Thinking While Walking
Charles Darwin, Friedrich Nietzsche, William Wordsworth, even Aristotle: The list of great minds that were also obsessive walkers is long. Why is the connection between wandering feet and a productive brain so strong and so long-lasting?
It's a topic I've come across several times before, noting individual studies or lines of research that give partial answers. Any form of exercise has been shown to light up the brain, for instance, so it's no surprise that walking would have a positive effect on thinking. Other studies confirm that walking is also a creativity booster.
Exercise Might Increase Your Self-Control
For most of us, temptations are everywhere, from the dessert buffet to the online shoe boutique. But a new study suggests that exercise might be a simple if unexpected way to increase our willpower and perhaps help us to avoid making impulsive choices that we will later regret.
Self-control is one of those concepts that we all recognize and applaud but do not necessarily practice. It requires forgoing things that entice us, which, let’s face it, is not fun. On the other hand, lack of self-control can be consequential for health and well-being, often contributing to problems like weight gain, depression or money woes.
Depression and anxiety: Exercise eases symptoms
When you have depression or anxiety, exercise often seems like the last thing you want to do. But once you get motivated, exercise can make a big difference.
Exercise helps prevent and improve a number of health problems, including high blood pressure, diabetes and arthritis. Research on depression, anxiety and exercise shows that the psychological and physical benefits of exercise can also help improve mood and reduce anxiety.