How walking benefits your health

Have you heard people say, “I need to get in shape.” But then nothing happens.  Oh, they mean to join a gym someday or they join a gym and then don’t go.  Going to the gym is great but so is just going for a walk.  My sister sent me some interesting articles this week about the many ways simply going for a walk benefits your health.  

1. What if you only have a few minutes to walk.  Are there benefits to walking a mere 10 minutes a day?  Self-confidence – Research has found that a short walk, say 12 minutes (yes, a little more than 10 minutes), can lead to better attentiveness, a more positive mood, and greater self-confidence. 
2. Reduce Your Risk of Death by 15% - a short, 10- minute walk a day, can reduce your risk of an early death by 15%.  A physician, Muir Gray, in the UK states, “I’d advise anyone of any age and activity level to start to fit in at least one 10-minute brisk walk a day as a simple way to get more active, especially those who may be taking medication for a long-term health condition – you will receive even more benefits from walking briskly for 10 minutes or more a day.”
3. More focused – Know any students?  Recommend they take a brisk walk to be more focused on their studies.  Even a short 10-minute walk can improve memory and focus.  Researchers note in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, “Physical exercise is an important lifestyle intervention for promoting mental health…”  These researchers found that even very light exercise such as walking at a slow pace or yoga or tai chi improves memory.
4. Improve Your Blood Flow - When you sit, you can restrict blood flow to your legs.  Walking improves circulation and helps your arteries.  The article, The Game-Changing Health Benefits of Walking Just 10 Minutes a Day , says walking just 10 minutes a day can “safeguard your arteries”.
5. Burn Some Calories – Walking for only 10 minutes doesn’t burn many calories, about 50 depending on your weight and pace.  But 50 calories a day burns 350 calories a week.  If you can, aim for three 10-minute walks a day and then you burn about 150 calories or 1,050 calories a week.
6. Lower Your Blood Sugar – even better if you walk after a meal.  Eat your lunch and go for a 10-minute walk.  Your muscles need glucose for energy so glucose is taken from your blood as you walk which lowers your blood sugar levels.  Study results reported in the journal Diabetologia, recommend walking at least 10 minutes after meals to lower blood sugar levels, especially for those with type 2 diabetes.
7. Boost your Creativity – Many famous people swear that walking helps them think.  Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, conducted walking meetings.  The Pulitzer Prize winner, William Styron, loved to walk with his dog through the woods.  Scientific Reports noted that their study found a positive relationship between “bodily movement and creativity “and better well-being.   

 Many people say, “I have no time for exercise.”  Yet, just a short 10-minute walk a day can have huge health benefits.  A neighbor has started a major walking program – aiming for the 10,000 steps a day.  He walks every morning and says he feels better and he looks healthier.  But even if you walk only 10 minutes a day, you are doing great things for your health.  

 

 

Sources:  10 minutes a day , short walk , physician , focused , Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , blood flow , The Game-Changing Health Benefits of Walking Just 10 Minutes a Day  , Diabetologia , Creativity ,  Scientific Reports      Image Sources:  10 minute walk , Benefits of walking   , 7 benefits of walking

How to stay hydrated this summer

Summer is here and so is hot weather.  What is the best way to stay hydrated?  Some would think drinking 8 glasses of water a day is all one has to do.  But is water really the best way to hydrate?  Are there other ways to stay hydrated like eating a slice of watermelon?  What are the best liquids for hydration?  Kids aren’t always the best at drinking water so what else can parents do to help keep their kids hydrated in hot weather?

What is the fist sign that you need more fluids/water?  Believe it or not the first sign that your body needs more water or fluids is thirst.  Another sign is the color of your urine – the darker the color, the more dehydrated you are.  Here are some early warning signs that you are getting dehydrated:

• Thirst and then feeling lightheaded
• Your mouth feels dry
• You feel tired
• Urine is darker

How much water/fluids do you need?

From my post, Is water the best for hydration? , I noted the Institute of Medicine recommends women consume about 91 ounces, about 11.3 cups and men should consume 125 ounces a day, about 15.6 cups.  But this is from FOOD and BEVERAGES so you don’t need to be guzzling this much plain water each day.  This fluid intake would include all fluids, coffee, tea, juice, milk and foods high in water like watermelon.  In fact, about 20% of our “water” needs come from the foods we eat.

What beverages are best for hydration?

Ask someone what beverage would be best for hydration and most people would answer, “water”.  Nothing wrong with drinking water to hydrate but researchers have found other beverages are actually even better for hydration.  Researchers in Britain studied how long different fluids stayed in your body and they came up with an Oral Rehydration Score.  (Read more at:  Is water the best for hydration? ) Four beverages were found more hydrating than water:  Pedialyte, fat-free (skim) milk, whole milk, and even orange juice.  The researchers didn’t test fake milks like Almond Milk, but that would be an interesting study.  Apparently, the nutrients in beverages like milk and juice help your body retain water.

Beverage	Oral rehydration score
Water	1.0
Pedialyte	1.5
Fat-Free (skim) Milk	1.5
Whole Milk	1.5
Orange Juice	1.1

I am not surprised that real juice is great for hydration, as I find a glass of real orange juice on ice is a most refreshing drink after a walk on a hot summer’s day. 

What foods are hydrating?

Many foods have a high-water content.  Medical News Today has an article, Hydrating foods:  The top 20 and their benefits.  Not only high in water but the following foods have at least 85% water. 

1. Vegetables with a high-water content:  cucumbers, iceberg lettuce, celery, tomatoes, Romaine lettuce, zucchini, watermelon, spinach, kale, broccoli, carrots
2. Fruit – strawberries, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, peaches, oranges, pineapple, apples
3.  Milk – cow’s milk is a great source of water and more hydrating than plain water

Real cow's milk is great for hydration. 

How can parents/caretakers keep kids hydrated in hot weather?

1. Remind kids to drink some water – the “Y” I go to has kids bring in their own water bottles and they remind them to drink water throughout the day.
2. Foods – serve kids hydrating fruits and vegetables like those listed above.  Most kids love watermelon on a hot day.
3. Milk – serve some real milk at every meal as MyPlate recommends.  Real milk is great for hydration and great for many nutrients like calcium and vitamin D.
4. Juice – serve kids some 100% juice on ice – a very refreshing drink and if OJ, you get some vitamin C and other nutrients.
5. Popsicles – my daughter told me about some great tasting popsicles made out of 100% juice.  Outshine Fruit Bars are made from real fruit and real juice, no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial colors and my daughter says they taste great.  Only 40 calories so anyone can enjoy this treat.
6. Infused water – good for parents and kids.  Have kids help make the infused water and they will be more likely to drink it.  Check out these 23 infused water recipes.  

Feeling thirsty on a hot day?  Time to hydrate.  I always have some water with me at the gym, in the car, wherever I go.  At home, I like to stay hydrated with real juice, real cow’s milk or fruit and vegetables as well as infused water.  I met an older couple at a doctor’s office waiting room.  They each had a water bottle with a number on it.  I asked what the number was for.  The wife said they number 8 water bottles for each of them every morning and they try to drink all 8 by evening.  Now this is couple who takes their hydration seriously.  One doesn’t have to number water bottles but staying hydrated is important to good health.

 Sources:  signs, Is water the best for hydration? , Institute of Medicine , Is water the best for hydration?  , Hydrating foods:  The top 20 and their benefits. , MyPlate , Outshine Fruit Bars , 23 infused water recipes   Image Sources:  Infused-water , Popsicles   , Real milk , Hydration

Some Nutrition Myths

When you hear someone giving you nutrition advice – how do you know if it is good advice or some myth?  There is so much information on nutrition and some is reliable and some is not.  Here are 5 Nutrition Myths you may have heard of.   

• “Sugar is Addictive” – Most people know sugar isn’t healthy.  I was talking with a relative about sugar and she stated that we all need some sugar each day – some white table sugar.  Out of respect, I didn’t argue with her but no, we don’t need any white table sugar.  In fact, our bodies easily make sugar (glucose) out of the carbs we eat each day.  Some people think that if you eat foods with white table sugar or other added sugar, you will be addicted to “sugar”.  Food Addicts Anonymous recommends abstinence from sugar (along with flour and wheat which makes no nutrition sense.)  Science doesn’t back up the claim that sugar is addictive.  An article in the European Journal of Nutrition concluded, “We find little evidence to support sugar addiction in humans…”.  Although sugar may not be addictive it is a good nutrition practice to limit added sugar in our diets.  The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines recommend we limit foods and beverages high in added sugars.  Not eliminate them but cut back on them as who doesn’t enjoy some desserts?
• “Processed Foods are Unhealthy” - Many of my students note we should avoid processed foods.  But so many foods are processed foods.  Yogurt is a healthy food but yogurt is processed.  Cow’s milk is healthy but cow’s milk is processed.  Whole grain bread is healthy but it too is processed.  EatThis, NotThat! has an article on “20 Benefits of Ditching Processed Foods” which notes processed foods have lots of extra calories and lack fiber and nutrients.  But whole grain bread is processed, has no extra calories, has fiber and plenty of nutrients.  One has to be careful when putting food into a “processed food” category as many “processed foods” are very healthy.   Some processing does remove nutrients.  White bread has most of the fiber and many nutrients removed in processing.  White rice also has lost fiber and nutrients in processing.  The more food is processed, the more nutrients can be removed.  Apples are healthy, applesauce has fiber and some nutrients removed, apple juice is much less healthy as it has no fiber and many nutrients removed.  Some processing methods can preserve nutrients.  Frozen fruit, vegetables are just as healthy as fresh and maybe even more healthy.

• Drink 8 glasses of water a day – this always causes a lively discussion in class, as almost every student has heard this myth.  Yes, you need water, but this “water” can come from milk, tea, coffee, soup, juice and even fruit like watermelon or vegetables.  It doesn’t have to be plain water.  How do you know if you need more water or fluids?  If you are thirsty, you are getting dehydrated.  So, drink some fluid.  I wrote an interesting blog on what fluids are the most hydrating and water did not top the list.  Fat-free milk, whole milk, and orange juice were more hydrating than plain water.  After a walk on a hot summer’s day, I find a glass of real orange juice on ice more refreshing than ice water.

 

• "Cooking destroys nutrients…” Some health food gurus recommend eating only raw foods. I would not be a fan of this.  You may hear things like:  cooking destroys enzymes in food, cooking destroys the vitamins and minerals in food and even the proteins.  Odd claim about “enzymes” as our stomachs would destroy any “enzymes” in a food.  Cooking can affect the nutrition in foods – some in positive ways.  Cooked tomatoes like tomato soup, catsup, salsa provide more lycopene – a healthy antioxidant in tomatoes.  ScienceDaily notes:  “Cooking tomatoes – such as spaghetti sauce- makes the fruit heart-healthier and boosts its cancer-fighting ability.”  Cooking will destroy some of the vitamin C in tomatoes but boosts the lycopene content.  Some vitamins are water-soluble so cooking vegetables in large amounts of water, then draining the water, can result in loss of some vitamins.  That is why they recommend steaming, microwaving, stir-frying as ways to minimize nutrient loss when cooking vegetables.
• “Don’t Eat After 7 PM” This is another myth that many of my students have heard.  One student noted, “if you eat after 7 pm you will get fat.”  Not eating after 7 PM may indeed help some people maintain or lose weight. Why?  Because the foods many people eat after 7 PM can be high calorie foods like candy, ice cream, pie, cake or other dessert-type foods.  Eating an apple after 7 PM will not result in obesity.  Some people may find eating a big meal just before they go to sleep can interfere with their sleep and cause problems with reflux or GERD.  Others may eat a meal after 7 PM and be up for hours later and have no problems eating a later meal.  Athletes may even want a bedtime snack.  Discover Good Nutrition notes: “The right snacks at bedtime help athletes recover and also perform at their best the next day.”  The article notes how real cow’s milk or other dairy like cottage cheese or yogurt (made from real cow’s milk) are healthy bedtime snacks as they provide high quality proteins athletes need.  

Have you heard any of these Nutrition Myths?  My students usually bring up most and sometimes all of these myths in class.  Water is the one that is most controversial.  Some students will not fathom that milk or coffee can supply “water” and count as part of their 8 glasses of water a day.  And that is OK as drinking 8 glasses of plain water isn’t harmful.  Other students are relieved that they don’t have to focus anymore on counting and reaching 8 glasses of water a day to be healthy.  Many people are surprised that cooking foods like tomatoes can result in the food being healthier.  I always tell students to enjoy the salsa at it is quite healthy.  As for eating after 7 PM, I often like to eat my dessert before going to bed.  I have done so for years with no seeming ill effects.  And athletes may want to add a bedtime snack of real dairy and a carb food to their evening snack. 

Sources:  Myths, recommends, article, Dietary Guidelines, water, blog, Discover Good Nutrition  Image sources:  Water pouring , Food processing , Should I stop eating after 7 pm?