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| Walking with friends lifts your spirits! |
Day 6 Walking and depression
I was just browsing around the web and checked in on one of my favorite websites www.everybodywalk.org. It is a website that promotes walking 30 minutes a day and so you can see why I might be a big fan!
They have been working hard to promote walking as a way to get people out the door and improve their health. Here is a quote directly from the Every Body Walk site:
"Walking only 30 minutes a day can make a difference in your health. We’ve brought in medical experts to offer advice on getting started; we met up with walking groups to inspire ideas to bring walking to your community; and tracked down success stories to prove that walking really can improve your overall health."
There is a series of videos here that pull together ways that you can stay motivated ... reasons to walk. One video that I watched today reinforced the idea that walking is as effective as an antidepressant in dealing with depression. The psychologist, presents a strong case for walking instead of heading to your doctor for a medication that just might have side effects that can make things worse.
Depression is not a simple matter and there are times when medication is definitely appropriate but I think that it is easy to dismiss walking as something that is just too simple to make a difference.
Research is focusing on walking and its impact on depression ... here is a quote from Psychology Today.
"There is a great deal of evidence that exercise not only improves mood and enhances well being but also is an effective intervention for depression" writes Michael W. Otto, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology at Boston University. "That is, well-conducted clinical trials have repeatedly shown mood benefit from exercise in adults with clinical depression. Indeed, there is evidence that exercise provides benefits at levels similar to that found for antidepressant medication."
Take some time to go to this link and check out the CityWalk: Walking and Depression Video at the Every BodyWalks website. There is also a great selection of other videos and information that will motivate you to walk30.
My husband and I were just talking about how wonderful it is to have a group of people to walk with every week. Walking for 30 minutes seems as though it flies by when you are walking with people, telling stories and catching up. One of the big blessings in our life is our Walk On Strong community.
If you are having trouble getting out to walk30 ... find someone to walk with. If you are anywhere near Kitchener Waterloo ... come join us.
Walk On Strong!
Sue
