Wellness Wednesday: Not just for old folks

Nordic walking is very popular for older citizens because it's low impact. What about younger people? An interesting article that suggests Millennials approach exercise differently. How differently and where does Nordic walking fit in?  Here are some thoughts:

How Millennials want it	How Nordic walking fits
"Shorter, full-body workouts that are also fun."	Nordic walking is very efficient, involving the upper body as well as the lower body. Shorter workouts also implies higher and/or variable intensity. Variations of Nordic walking raise that intensity through intervals and overall more intense exercise. For example, Nordic running turns the run into a high intensity full body workout.
"A more holistic approach to health."	Nordic walking gets you outside into the fresh air, making it a more natural experience.
"Alternative workouts that are customizable, fun, and social."	Whether organized or spontaneous, Nordic walking is fun to do in groups.

Sunday Songs, Serenades, and Symphonies for Your Walking Pleasure

Here's something delightful that has "walk" in the title.

Friday Fundamentals: What is Nordic walking? 

A short video by an Australian rehabilitation center describing the Nordic walking technique and its benefits.

 

Wellness Wednesday: Is fat the new normal?

This summary in Business Insider of a WalletHub report that cited a JAMA Internal Medicine article declares "More than three-quarters of American adults are now overweight or obese." Part of that assessment comes from standards that have been changing over the years. The JAMA Internal Medicine study (covers 2007-2012) made these points:

• Method.
• The data covered adults 25 years or older, excluding pregnant adults.
• Body mass index (BMI) was calculated (body mass in kilograms / height in meters squared)
• Standards applied:
• BMI < 18.5: Underweight
• 18.5 < BMI < 24.9: Normal
• 25.0 < BMI < 29.9: Overweight
• 30.0 < BMI < 34.9: Obese, Class 1
• 35.0 < BMI < 39.9: Obese, Class 2
• BMI ≥ 40: Obese, Class 3

• Results:
• Overweight: 39.96% of men; 29.74% of women
• Obese: 35.04% of men; 35.84% of women

• Discussion:
• Trend shows increase in BMI.
• Higher BMI has been associated with chronic health problems.

Wikipedia has a summary of the history of the BMI, and the BMI has attracted its share of criticism. One of those criticism is BMI doesn't differentiate between truly fat people and muscular people. Another criticism is that it ignores waist size, which is a more important indicator of fat.

Wherever you come down on this debate, you can usually tell if you're overweight. Have you gained weight over the last several years but haven't been pumping iron? Chances are that extra weight isn't muscle. Have you gained weight but haven't been very active? You may not have been putting on muscle. Have you gained weight but your diet hasn't changed much and remains heavy on desserts and comfort food? Nope. Probably not muscle.

Don't fret. Any journey starts with the first step. Let's walk!

Sunday Songs, Serenades, and Symphonies for Your Walking Pleasure

A song with "walking"in the title to speed you on your way.

Basic nutrition advice

The Nordic Walking Guy's third rule is "Don't eat like a teenager!" I came across this bit of nutrition advice that reminds us of the basics.

Main points:

• Some basic questions to help you assess you current eating habits.
• Some basic tips on kinds of food to get you pointed in the right direction.

• Encouragement to do your own research.

Diet is the foundation of your health, so it pays to pay attention.

Kazakh activities

An interesting clip that illustrates the broad appeal of Nordic walking and its applicability in different kinds of weather.

Sunday Songs, Serenades, and Symphonies for Your Walking Pleasure

A song with "walking" in the title. Something for getting around outside if you're a country music fan.

Saturday Strength and Resilience: Nordic walking at Fukushima

Fukushima survivors Nordic walk as part of their recovery.

Getting through your to-do list

This has nothing to do with Nordic walking, and it has everything to do with Nordic walking. Nordic walking is the most efficient exercise I've found (I also swim and lift weights) because it's full body and allows different levels of intensity (walking to running). It stands to reason some or many Nordic walkers like being efficient and productive in other areas of their lives.

One area of productivity involves getting through your to-do list. Most systems I've seen show lists of about a dozen items. I have to manage hundreds, and most people in the workplace have to manage hundreds as well. How to do that?

The approach that has been working best for me is to use my email inbox as my to-do list because I have an obsessive desire to clear out my inbox. I just email a task to myself and treat it as an email to process. I also cc myself on emails I send to others so I remember to follow up with them.

So far so good, but what about managing hundreds of tasks? Since I don't have to do all the tasks on the same day, I set the delivery delay so the emails come to me on different days. Here are some steps:

Tasks for you to do	Following up with someone else
Send an email to yourself	Copy yourself on an email to someone else
Do what the email says to clear it out of your inbox	Forward the email to the addressee with a note to follow up
If you don't need to do the task right away, set the delivery delay to send it to yourself at a later date (example: doing something to prepare for a meeting 2 months in the future may require you to set a delay so it shows up several days before that meeting)	If you don't need to follow up right away, set the delivery delay to send it to the person at a later date (example: if someone has a deadline 2 months later, you can set the follow up for several days before the deadline)

Because I use Microsoft Outlook, I've enjoyed its integration with Microsoft OneNote. For example, if I'm taking notes at a meeting in OneNote and want to send off an email, I can either email the page or convert a specific line or lines into a task and then email that task. That gets it to my inbox for processing.

Like I said, this post has nothing to do with Nordic walking, but it also has everything to do with Nordic walking. If you're pursuing goals, you know you have to manage tasks and work with others. Nordic walkers often form walking groups, and someone has to organize the meetups. That, too, calls for completing tasks and working with others.

Give it a try.

Friday Fundamentals: How not to do it

An introduction to Nordic walking technique by showing how not to do it.

Developing the Nordic walking habit

One of the Nordic Walking Guy's 3 rules is "Be consistent!" One way to do that is to develop good habits.  Here's one person's opinion about how to do it. Keeping your goal in mind is your starting point.

Main points:

• "Reaching an imaginary number of days is not how you get results."

• "...set 'macro goals' and 'micro quotas.'"

• Forgive yourself when you get off track and get back on track.

• "...look for shortcuts (for instance, the triggers we mentioned above) that prevent you from having to use willpower and off the cuff decision making (as strange as that may sound)."

To get that Nordic walking habit off the ground, here are some tips for using those lessons about habits:

• Set your Nordic walking poles by the door so you can grab them right away. You won't have to think about looking for them when you head out for your walk.

• Put up a piece of paper and make a tick mark every time you go out. You'll enjoy seeing the tick marks add up.

• Walk with friends, so you can hold each other accountable in an enjoyable way.

Findings from the Cooper Institute

The Cooper Institute released a study to "compare oxygen consumption and energy expenditure associated with regular walking (walking without poles) and Nordic walking (walking with poles)."

The study concluded "Nordic walking significantly increased oxygen consumption, caloric expenditure, heart rate, and heart rate as a percentage of maximum heart rate for both men and women without significantly affecting the rate of perceived exertion by the participants."

The Nordic Walking Guy has experienced it firsthand. Being required to manage my blood sugar closely, the Nordic walking effort reduces my blood sugar levels in half. The levels drop from terribly high to where they should be following a 3-mile walk.

Sunday Songs, Serenades, and Symphonies for Your Walking Pleasure

Well, it does have "walk" in the title, and the beat will help you keep a good pace.

Nordic walking at Fukushima - one person's experience 

Here is a video of how the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) uses Nordic walking in community rebuilding:

Nordic walking at Fukushima - some outcomes

I posted earlier about Nordic walking as one of the activities used to help rebuild a community's emotional health. Here is a statement from one of the Red Cross workers about the outcomes of the activity as people engaged in it:

“When some of the participants first joined us, they showed obvious signs of depression,” explained Mr. Mitachi.  “After attending a few sessions, they started looking happy and were full of energy. It not only makes people feel better mentally it also greatly improves their general health. The vigorous exercise works the pain out of their joints. Using the poles softens up their stiff backs and shoulders.”

See more at: http://www.ifrc.org/en/news-and-media/news-stories/asia-pacific/japan/nordic-walking-helps-survivors-of-the-great-east-japan-earthquake-and-tsunami-cope-with-trauma-and-depression-71996/#sthash.ISBTvBnG.dpuf

Nordic walking was also highlighted in a 5-year progress report for its positive contributions to psychosocial wellbeing.