I walk at least 75 percent of the time lately to get where I need to go. Not just for the exercise (though Harley Pasternak says it’s a key step to staying in shape), but also to save $ and because I have very little patience for the unreliable transit system here in Toronto. (You may have read the occasional rant-y tweet from me about streetcar breakdowns…).
And a new study from the World Health Organization has figured out that short stints on foot rather than by car or motorbike would avoid the death of 108 men and 79 women a year in Catalonia, Spain, alone.
Walking FTW.
June 29, 2012
Saw several people running on the beach today and I was feeling guilty about not running at all during my weekend beach getaway (but I forced myself to bring only a carry-on and that meant no room for running gear), and then as if to add salt to the wound, I came upon this research finding:
Exercising anywhere outdoors is linked with calmness, enjoyment and refreshment, but exercising on the coast is most beneficial and in urban parks the least, says research presented at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference.
Note to self: Make room for running gear next beach getaway.
(Image: My sunset view of the Gulf of Mexico)
April 22, 2012
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fndeDfaWCg&ob=av2e]
“Tell me why-eeeee…”
Ah, hearing this song (“I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys) fills me with such joy. I’m not exaggerating. It’s one of my favourite songs of all time — deal with it. In fact, when I’m running and my iPhone’s on shuffle and this song comes up, I take it as a good omen and run with more spring in my step.
(and don’t ask me which way it is that they want it, because I don’t know what the song means!)
And I’m thinking I need to listen to it more often — because it may help me make better health decisions.
A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that people who were encouraged to experience a sense of happiness and to practice self affirmation made better decisions when it came to their health and wellbeing.
So, for example, they were asked to think of something small that made them happy (they gave the example of a sunset, I suggest to you the Backstreet Boys) when they awoke and to continue thinking of it throughout the day. Plus, they were also asked to think of times when they were proud of themselves (such as when you graduated) as a way to help overcome obstacles.
This method seems to shift our behaviour; we will do what we need to in order to meet goals we’ve set for ourselves when it comes to our health. One researcher gives the example of not feeling like going for a run in the rain — when you’re really not feeling like getting soaked during your run, yet with these simple tools, we are able to get over this and do the exercise so that we fulfill a promise we’ve made to ourselves.
So my prescription? “I Want It That Way” on repeat.
Where’s your daily tidbit of happiness come from?
January 25, 2012
