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WALKING BENEFITS

Ah, walking ... sublime!

Perhaps the great beauty of walking benefits is the endless possibilities. Whether it's your grandchild taking her first step, or Roald Amundsen's epic 2200 km hike to the South Pole in 1911, or Hillary and Tenzing conquering of the summit of Everest in 1953, walking offers untold unexpected pleasures and challenges. Then there's Neil Armstrongs, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

And of course, don't forget Granny, after the broken hip. Ah, walking benefits.

Question: Why not start walking before the broken hip? There is powerful research that it will then perhaps never happen.

For the privileged few there's a walk through the famed Kruger National Park, rifle in hand, just in case ... walking benefits abound.

For me walking does what most other sports can't do. It gives me space to explore my whole self, body, mind and spirit. What other sports can you enjoy, and at the same time, think, sing, pray ...?

Why is it important for the chiropractor? After injury, be it an ankle, a low back or a hip, or other, of course, the injured person has to go back to square one. The snakes are grinning, but wait, with the right ladders you will eventually sully forth from that horrid pit of despair that has accosted you - if you will give your injury time to heal, and do the correct rehabilitation. It's a great challenge for the chiropractor to motivate the athlete to start with walking after injury, or face re-injury, and months of extra rehab.

It's been said that it's not how far you travelled, but how much you saw and heard and smelt and felt along the way, that counts. Nowhere is that more true than on Shanks Pony, and to a lesser extent the bicycle. Time to pick a few wild cherries growing beside the road, save a lonely toad from a hole or watch an eagle soaring a thermal.

Ever tried gliding? That's not so preposterous as you might think, and not as expensive either. Soaring with eagles (literally) is one of the most sublime experiences of a life time. If you're tiring of walking benefits, take a break down this little alleyway. Remember to come back, hey! I'll be waiting to tell you about the benefits of walking on your cholesterol levels. Click on the picture.

Walking and Alzheimers

Alzheimers is a progressive disease in which a protein called amyloid plaque is laid down in the brain. The brain actually shrinks in size, as seen on an MRI scan.

This is a complex disease, but quite a lot is known about it. Including that a walk every day actually causes the brain to INCREASE in size. It's a greedy organ, requiring prodigious amounts of fully oxygenated blood.

More exercise = More blood to the brain = More oxygen = Bigger brain. Literally.

The jury is out: Walking reduces the incidence and seriousness of Alzheimers.

Take the one minute test. You need a second person to count. Can you name more than 20 fruit in one minute. And secondly 20 animals? Less than 10? You had better start walking!

Read more �

Walking and cholesterol

There are two main forms of cholesterol, one dubious and which should be kept low (called "low density") and the other health and life-giving (called "high density") and which should be raised as much as possible.

Most cholesterol lowering regimens lower both the LDLs and the friendly HDLs. Walking lowers LDLs, but raises the HDLs. For more about cholesterol, click here.

Walking and Diabetes

A recent study found that people with adult-onset diabetes who walked four kilometres a day lost weight and lowered their heart rate, blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

What's more, it proved twice as effective for lowering blood glucose as following a stringent diet regimen.

From the Coalface

Charcot foot

A mister Hardeman has been consulting me recently concerning pain in his left foot. What is unusual is that he is 87 and has been injecting himself with insulin for over 50 years.

'When did the pain start, Mr Hardeman?'

'About two years ago.'

'Did anything happen?'

'Not that I know of. My wife and walk about five kilometres every day - I have done ever since I was diagnosed with diabetes. About two years ago is started hurting after our walk. Walking is very painful now.'

I put the CD with the x-rays of his foot into my computer and had to suppress a little gasp. The arch of his foot has collapsed completely, and there is advanced change in the bone structure associated with a condition called Charcot foot.

Not many men have the privilege of living to 87, and extremely few diabetics. Mr Hardeman has enjoyed a long and full life, despite his diabetes, because of the habit endowed by a wise doctor who knew all about walking benefits whilst Mr Hardeman was still a young man. But now, finally his diabetes has finally caught up with him, by the looks of things.

Charcot foot (diagnosed by the radiologist) is caused by a serious softening of the bone in people with a neuropathy - and diabetes is king of the nerve diseases - blindness and weakness of the muscles, bones too. But wait. Did he have the other signs of a Charcot foot?

'Please remove your shoes and socks, Mr Hardeman. Let's have a look.' It didn't take me long to confirm that there was no warmth, swelling or redness, the cardinal signs. However, I couldn't feel the pulse behind the ankle bone, or on top of the foot. What was very evident was joint fixation in what is called the 'subtalar joint' and in the midfoot, and a plantar myofascitis.

'Encouraging news, Mr Hardeman. I think I may be able to help. I'm not making any promises but ...

The long and the short of it was that after only one treatment, he declared that the pain was 40% less, and could he start walking again? I wasn't really treating the disease, but a chiropractic problem in the foot that anyone, with or without diabetes can get.

All the walking benefits have saved him from the devastating effects of diabetes, but ultimately the softness of the bones associated with the diabetes had caught up with him. We've got him walking in soft shoes, on firm lawns, and today he is very much alive and walking. At 87 I find him an inspiration, a man who has conquered the most feared of diseases by his disciplined walking, a real tribute to the power of persistence.

Walking and Osteoporosis

There is overwhelming evidence that children, particularly girls, and women of ALL ages should be walking regularly to prevent osteoporosis. Waiting until you are old and grey is a recipe for disaster. For more details, click here.

Walking and depression

Deep inside the brain is a very tiny but so important gland called the Pineal. See it in the pic? This little gland controls your waking and sleeping through a hormone called Melatonin.

The walking benefits (in sunlight) have now been abundantly demonstated scientifically, but even the ancients knew about it. Just look at this beautiful depiction of the Pineal gland by Descartes.

Light entering the eyes sends not only images to your visual cortex (where you 'see' things) but also to the Pineal gland where it is stimulates the secretion the feel-good-hormones. Turn off the light and your Pineal puts the body into sleep mode. During the day, that's called depression. One of the first steps back on the road to recovery is a daily walk in bright sunshine.

It's no coincidence that depression soars in the long winter months in countries far from the equator. It's called Seasonally Affected Disorder or SAD. The solution is not pills, but a good walk. Walking benefits abound.

Walking and weight loss

May I be honest? If you want to lose weight primarily through walking, you've got your back up against the wall. To lose 0.5kg/ week (one miserable pound), you have to take a brisk walk for an hour and a half EVERY day. Have you got that much time and discipline?

The big plus is that you will improve your muscle tone, decrease the likelihood of osteoporosis, and be a lot more mentally relaxed.

The downside? Sore feet, no time for other (less important, it's true) things, and the sneaky feeling that you won't keep it up. It's just over the top.

You could instead, of course, take a fast one hour bike ride or an hour swimming lengths in the pool.

Done EVERY day, SEVEN days a week, and you will lose one pound. If you don't eat more, 'cause you're going to be starving!

Negative? Not really, as a chiropractor I am totally in favour of more exercise. It will do you a power of good, but as a weight loss technique, walking benefits is a dead loss. Much better, eat more sensibly and take a regular reasonable walk that you know you can manage, and keep up. For more about our weight loss program click here.

Walking and breast cancer

No one is quite sure why, but women who exercise regularly have a lower rate of breast cancer. Just another good reason.

I could list another thousand walking benefits. The unforgetable memories of my last holiday, hiking around Schwendi in the shadow of the North Face of the mighty Swiss Eiger; a hundred kilometre hike along South Africa's Wild Coast ... want to be happier, healthier, meet with God? Try a little walk. Regularly. And occasionally a really long walk.

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