Why you should be in a walking group

This article about a Harvard study reminds us of the importance of connecting. Walking groups are a good way to do that.

Main point: "Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period."

Key points:

• "...only about 50 percent of Americans have 'meaningful in-person social interactions' on a daily basis -- and the numbers are worst for Generation Z."
• "The key way that people seem to be able to break the cycle of loneliness and begin to develop good relationships is to volunteer."

Volunteering makes sense. Rather than trying to navigate unstructured situations (how comfortable to you feel when you're by yourself at a cocktail party?), volunteering puts you in a more structured environment and forces interaction. From that, relationships can grow. I've made many friends that way.

While not a typical volunteer scenario, Nordic walking groups are a great way to build and deepen relationships. Get together on your own with other Nordic walkers to walk along your favorite paths. You'll have a great time with each other and get good exercise to boot.

Virtues of the parents visited on their children

I came across this interesting article that described how (in mice at least) exercise by parents could transmit benefits to their offspring.

Key point: "...male mice who exercised produced smarter babies than their nonexercising counterparts."

Other points:

• "...factors like diet, stress and exercise can modify the behavior of the genes parents pass down."
• "Gene behavior can change when genes, which are made of segments of DNA, are activated or silenced."
• "Physical and mental exercise is known to benefit human learning, but future studies will have to determine if learning abilities can be inherited in humans."

Exercise benefits of Nordic walking

Although there is an intent to sell product, I've seen the research cited. It's uniformly positive about the benefits of Nordic walking.