A history lesson


Exercise boosts brain health

From The Atlantic, an article about the change in how science views the relationship between exercise and brain health. 70-year-old Edgar Payson Weston walked from New York to San Francisco, taking 105 days to complete the trip. During that era, people believed exercise by older people diminished their mental capacity, however, it turned out we regenerate brain cells, so activity helps that regenerative process. The article lists many studies reinforcing the benefits of exercise, especially walking, on brain health.
Elements of walkable city design

  • Connectivity
  • Linkage with other modes
  • Fine grained land use patterns
  • Safety
  • Quality of path
  • Path context
What's with 30-day challenges?

An article writer likes doing 30-day challenges. What she called "challenges" were things she didn't currently do. She thinks they work to change behavior or stretch her capacity because, among other things, they present a manageable chunk of time in one's life.

Another writer doesn't think very highly of the idea but suggests a few that could work.

It turns out 30-day challenges are pretty common. There were even more when I searched "psychology of 30-day challenges."

30 days seems a convenient way to set apart a manageable length of time and seems related to how long it takes to develop good habits. However, the popular duration of 21 days isn't always the right length.

A more holistic approach seems to be more environmental. Create an environment around you that encourages permanent change. For example, if you want to change your diet, clear out your refrigerator and pantry of the kinds of food you want to avoid and replace that food with the kind you think you should be eating.
Wordsworth on the trail

Spend some time reading (slowly, mind you) William Wordsworth's "Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey, On Revisiting the Banks of the Wye during a Tour. July 13, 1798." This is what might hope to see because Nordic walking takes you outside and into nature.

Here's a sampler from his poem:
  • ...again I hear / These waters, rolling from their mountain-springs / With a soft inland murmur.—Once again / Do I behold these steep and lofty cliffs, / That on a wild secluded scene impress / Thoughts of more deep seclusion; and connect / The landscape with the quiet of the sky.
  • The day is come when I again repose / Here, under this dark sycamore, and view / These plots of cottage-ground, these orchard-tufts, / Which at this season, with their unripe fruits, / Are clad in one green hue, and lose themselves / 'Mid groves and copses. 
  • Once again I see / These hedge-rows, hardly hedge-rows, little lines / Of sportive wood run wild: these pastoral farms, / Green to the very door; and wreaths of smoke / Sent up, in silence, from among the trees!
  • Therefore let the moon / Shine on thee in thy solitary walk; / And let the misty mountain-winds be free / To blow against thee: and, in after years, / When these wild ecstasies shall be matured 
  • Into a sober pleasure; when thy mind / Shall be a mansion for all lovely forms, / Thy memory be as a dwelling-place / For all sweet sounds and harmonies; oh! then, / If solitude, or fear, or pain, or grief, / Should be thy portion, with what healing thoughts / Of tender joy wilt thou remember me, / And these my exhortations!
A scene worth contemplating with your valentine before snapping a selfie and moving on.

Happy Valentine's Day.
                              Going solo

                              William Wordsworth's "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" puts you in the mood to get out into nature with your Nordic walking poles. 

                              Some tidbits:
                              • I saw a crowd, / A host, of golden daffodils; / Beside the lake, beneath the trees, / Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
                              • The waves beside them danced; but they / Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
                              • I gazed—and gazed—but little thought / What wealth the show to me had brought:
                              • For oft, when on my couch I lie / In vacant or in pensive mood, / They flash upon that inward eye / Which is the bliss of solitude; / And then my heart with pleasure fills, / And dances with the daffodils.
                              Never say never

                              From Nordic Walking Suffolk on Facebook, a study of one person. There are questions about how much we can generalize from it, but it does demonstrate you're never too old to benefit from working out.


                              Following my smartwatch post, a counterpoint.

                              Is it smart to get a smartwatch?

                              I'm not sure. One article foresees problems with smart watch sales. The focus seems to be on smartwatches using Google's Android software. Another article suggests we aren't ready for such tech.

                              Points:
                              • "The category will morph into something else, but it will ultimately fail to live up to the promise of being a new kind of computing platform that frees us from the smartphone."
                              • "…49% of smartwatches sold in 2016 were made by Apple, followed by Fitbit at 17% and Samsung at 15%. None of Google's Android Wear partners even made the list; they were lumped into the "other" category."
                              • "People don't want smartwatches. They want an Apple Watch or a basic fitness tracker like a Fitbit."

                              The most positive statement about the Google product: "The only glimmers of hope I found were in the fitness app's ability to track reps while you lift weights or perform other strength exercises like sit-ups. I haven't seen a fitness tracker do that yet, and it could turn into a killer feature for the category."

                              Really? Tracking reps is a killer feature? Tracking reps is something people need? I get the potential for automating workout tracking. I like the idea of some watches counting swimming laps because I lose track easily if my mind wanders. However, I'm having a hard time justifying the expense of those kinds of watches. Here are some thoughts:
                              • A smartwatch can track swimming laps. However, I have a workaround to keep from losing track. I stack my warmup clothes at the edge of the pool, and when I finish a sequence of laps, I move one item to the side. That makes it a lot easier to keep track of laps.
                              • A smartwatch can keep track of heart rate. However, I can spot check my heart rate by pressing my fingers against my neck and counting heartbeats.
                              • A smartwatch can keep track of steps during the day. However, I supervise people in different buildings, so if I walk to the different buildings, that seems to take care of my steps.
                              • A smartwatch can track different sports, but do I really need to that. Isn't the important thing that I get out and do those sports? For weightlifting, I've printed the exercises out, and I tick off the sets and reps on the paper.

                              What do you think? Does a sophisticated smart watch provide a significant improvement over what I'm doing? I'd love to get one, but haven't been able to fully justify it.


                              How to deal with junk food temptation

                              You're the iquana, and you're at the grocery store.

                              You turned the corner without paying attention, and suddenly you're in the...snack food aisle.

                              Shelves full of junk food on one side. Refrigerator units full of soda pops. 

                              Keep walking and don't stop.

                              Psst! Some Kit Kats here.

                              Hey! Come get us Pringles.

                              Oy. You need us Lay's chips.

                              Yeah! That's it. Put us Chips Ahoy in your cart. Gotcha! No, don't put us back on the shelf!

                              Come grab one of us Coke cans! Only 40 grams of sugar!

                              Wait! You're getting to close to the end of the aisle! Turn around. Come check us Tostitos out!

                              Whew! You made it through the snack food aisle.

                              So how do you deal with junk food temptation? Run, baby, run!

                              Boomers at risk?

                              For employers, wellness is holistic concept, including areas like personal finances that can create health-threatening stress. An article about Baby Boomers' retirements at risk provokes thought and concern because "Baby Boomers—born between the years 1946 and 1964—are the wealthiest generation and yet the least prepared for retirement."

                              Points:
                              • "…retirement is no longer a destination; it’s an entire journey—often 20 to 30 years long."
                              • "Boomers, their employers and the country as a whole are completely and utterly unprepared to pay for their retirement."
                              • "Grossly unprepared for retirement, many Boomers are starting to think of the future with growing concern about health care expenses."
                              • "60 percent of Baby Boomers will experience more than one chronic health condition."

                              How are employers trying to help?
                              • "…employers are turning to defined-contribution health plans as a way of helping employees navigate the health care system."
                              • "…health care spending accounts (HSAs) offer consumers a more flexible way to help ease the increasing burden of paying for health care, and offer both short-term and long-term tax advantages."

                              What can Baby Boomers themselves do to prepare for retirement? Here are some random thoughts to kick around:
                              • Redefine contentment. What do we really need to be content and happy in life?
                              • Aggressively manage consumer debt. That can be a struggle, especially those with grandchildren and family living some distance away. Giving and travel can make a dent in anyone's financial resolutions.
                              • Pull together. Make close friendships, share information, and help each other. Social networks can make a difference. Senior groups in churches and lifelong learning groups have saved more than one life.
                              • Exercise regularly and with others. Exercise has numerous benefits which I periodically blog about.
                              An overview of what Nordic walking is about.


                              Nordic walking and muscle mass in older adults

                              A research article about Nordic walking and older women with sarcopenia, the decline of skeletal muscle mass with age. 45 women, aged 63-79 years old, took part in the study. They had osteopenia or osteoporosis.

                              After 12 weeks of Nordic walking, the women showed significant improvement in:
                              • Skeletal muscle mass
                              • Skeletal muscle index (where the skeletal muscle mass falls relative to the general population)
                              • Strength index of the knee extensor
                              • Strength index of the knee flexor
                              • Functional mobility (how long it takes to rise from a chair, walk approximately 10 feet, turn around and return to the chair, and sit down)
                              • Functional performance (how far the participants walked in 6 minutes)

                              The improvement included:
                              • Decrease in body mass
                              • Body mass index
                              • Percent body fat

                              There wasn't an increase in grip strength, which may be due to the use of the specially designed gloves that are part of the Nordic walking poles. The gloves are designed to allow walkers to support walkers' weight so their hands and forearms don't get tired.

                              The researchers suggested the importance of building up muscle mass to preserve balance in older people. Nordic walking was useful in increasing strength and improving posture by strengthening muscles.
                              Nordic walking for physical education programs at school

                              An article about Nordic walking class in Nottingham, England suggests Nordic walking can be a useful program for introducing children to healthy activities.
                              Nordic walking for all ages. Developing the coordination for Nordic walking technique looks like it can benefit overall motor skills. \

                              Nordic walking has positive impacts on your brain.

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