Terry A. Rondberg's blog

For Sale: 4 bedroom, 2 bath, near bike paths

When we're out looking for a new home, we don't often think about how our choice can impact our health -- but we should! A new study provides evidence supporting a seemingly obvious, although scientifically unproven, link between walking- and cycling-friendly communities and lower levels of obesity. And we all know how obesity relates to health.

Researchers found that people are more likely to have healthy weights if they live in places where walking and cycling are more common. The link held up among nations, cities, and US states.

"It's really important to promote walking and cycling as safe, convenient and feasible modes of getting around on an everyday basis," said lead author John Pucher, a professor who studies transportation at Rutgers University.

Prof. Pucher and colleagues analyzed statistics about walking and cycling for all purposes from 14 countries, including Sweden, Spain, and Great Britain. They also looked at statistics about walking and cycling to work (it had to be the main way people got there) in all 50 US states and 47 of the 50 largest US cities.

Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Spain had the highest levels of walking and cycling among the countries, with the United States in the bottom three with Australia and Canada. Among American cities, the highest rates of walking and cycling to work were in Boston, Washington DC, San Francisco, Minneapolis, and Seattle.

The researchers tried to find links between the levels of walking and cycling and those of physical activity, obesity, and diabetes in the geographic areas. Their findings appear in the August issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

There's a connection between more walking and cycling and lower levels of obesity and diabetes, the researchers found. Not surprisingly, they also linked more walking and cycling to higher overall levels of physical activity.

The study's findings suggest that a big part of the gaps between American states and cities concerning health can be explained by differences in levels of walking and cycling, Pucher said.

While the link between more exercise and less obesity might seem obvious, many people simply don't make the connection. "As obvious as it is," he said, "it's shocking that Americans don't want to do anything about it. It's amazing how unconcerned most Americans are about this."

Lawrence Frank, an associate professor who studies transportation at the University of British Columbia, said the study findings reflect the results of previous research that show the effects of exercise (or the lack of it) on health.

"Physical activity is crucial," Frank said. "If we keep designing communities in ways that make driving the more rational choice, we can expect health care costs to go up and quality of life to go down."

So, instead of making sure your next house is close to the freeway or within driving distance of a shopping mall, check out the walking areas and bike paths!

SOURCE: "Walking and cycling to health: a comparison of recent evidence from city, state, and international studies." Am J Public Health 100(10), 2010. Abstract online

Tai Chi not just for elders

Although my preferred exercise routines are yoga and martial arts, I've always been intrigued by Tai Chi. There's something about the slow, disciplined movements that appeal to me. Regrettably, Tai Chi is often associated with elderly practitioners. The first image that comes to mind is several ancient Chinese gentlemen practicing in the park. That's too bad, because the benefits of Tai Chi rank it high on the list of exercises that can help both physically and mentally.

A report published in the May 2010 edition of BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine concluded that "Tai Chi appears to be associated with improvements in psychological well-being including reduced stress, anxiety, depression and mood disturbance, and increased self-esteem."

 

Researchers reviewed 40 prior studies involving 3,817 people that revealed Tai Chi significantly increased psychological well-being including reduction of stress, anxiety and depression and enhanced mood and emotion.

 

That mirrors what the Mayo Clinic said last year when it recommended Tai Chi. "For an investment of 20 minutes each morning, the payback is reduced stress, a sense of calm and peace, improved strength, limberness, better immune function and lower blood pressure."

 

Although you have to be careful when following Mayo Clinic advice (it's all too often locked into the old-style medical paradigm) they were absolutely correct when they explained that:

 

"An important advantage of yoga and Tai Chi is that they combine key elements of exercise -- aerobic, strength training, core stability, flexibility and balance -- into unified approaches. Certain benefits, particularly stress reduction, can be seen in as little as one day. People report better sleep and improvements in digestive health within the first few days. Better digestive health can mean better bowel function and decreased constipation. Practiced regularly, yoga and Tai Chi may help reverse some effects of aging, such as restricted and narrowed movements. After 10 to 12 weeks of regular sessions, practitioners often notice significant health benefits in other areas. For example, a study of yoga and people who experience migraines found that those doing yoga had less frequent and less intense headaches than did those taking medication."

 

For information on Tai Chi, check out the following:

 

Tai Chi Research

 

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Tai Chi paper

 

Wikipedia

 

U-turn at age 50

There are many good things about growing older, including (hopefully) increased wisdom. Now, researchers have found that the over-50 crowd has another thing going for it: life perceptions are more positive and feelings of worry or stress decline. It doesn't appear to matter whether we're married, have kids, or even a job -- after age 50, we perceive life more positively.

The findings of the survey -- conducted by Arthur Stone, Ph.D., distinguished professor and vice chairman of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Stony Brook University and colleagues at Columbia University, Princeton University, and the Gallup Organization -- were reported online in the June 1 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The research findings confirm earlier evidence that between ages 18 and 50, perceptions of global well-being tend to decline but once we hit 50, perceptions become more positive, creating a U-shaped curve when ratings are plotted by age.

"The study is important because it compares patterns of response using two distinct methods for measuring well-being," explained Dr. Stone, Lead Investigator. "One is a single measure of global well-being, as in how satisfied are you with your life, and the other a series of measures of positive and negative aspects of emotional well-being, as in how did you feel yesterday."

Two negative emotions -- stress and anger -- showed declines throughout life. The pattern for another negative emotion, worry, showed a different pattern. It tended to hold steady until about age 50, when it took a sharp decline.

The complete report is available online.

Hug two trees and see me in the morning

"Get out of the office and go to a park." Now there's a prescription I like!

A series of articles in the June 2010 issue of the Journal of Environmental Psychology (JEP) all agreed that being in touch with nature makes people feel more alive and full of vitality, even more than can be attributed to simply the physical activity involved.

"Nature is fuel for the soul," said Richard Ryan, lead author and a professor of psychology at the University of Rochester. "Often when we feel depleted we reach for a cup of coffee, but research suggests a better way to get energized is to connect with nature."

A "nature fix" helps both our mental and physical health. "Research has shown that people with a greater sense of vitality don't just have more energy for things they want to do, they are also more resilient to physical illnesses. One of the pathways to health may be to spend more time in natural settings," Ryan added.

This isn't the first time that research has shown being in nature can increase our energy and heighten our sense of well-being. Studies have already proven that people on wilderness excursions report feeling more alive and that even just recalling the outdoor experiences increased their feelings of happiness and health.

Other research showed that getting out into a natural environment helps ward off feelings of exhaustion -- 90% of people studied experienced increased energy when placed in outdoor activities.

In the JEP study, researchers found that being outside in nature for just 20 minutes was enough to significantly boost vitality levels.

The paper built on earlier research by Ryan, Netta Weinstein, a psychologist at the University of Hamburg, Germany, and others showing that people are more caring and generous when exposed to nature. "We have a natural connection with living things," said Ryan. "Nature is something within which we flourish, so having it be more a part of our lives is critical, especially when we live and work in built environments."

So, next time you're feeling droopy, don't reach for the coffee pot. Find the nearest park and commune with nature.