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Hi Friend,
A brisk 10-minute walk each day could help save millions of middle-aged Britons from an early grave, research has found. The Public Health England study showed how physical inactivity among adults contributes to one in six deaths here in the UK, and is costing the National Health Service in excess of £900 million each year!
Graham Ward was 60 when he was diagnosed with type II diabetes. It came after decades of eating and drinking too much in a high-stress, sedentary job: "It was an explosion waiting to happen," he said.
For Graham, whose wife had become disabled through multiple sclerosis, the diagnosis was a frightening alarm bell going off. "I need to be able to help her — and I need to be around for longer," he said.
Graham is not alone in his diagnosis. Public Health England estimates 42% of middle-agers have long-term health conditions such as diabetes or heart disease.
To help escape this shocking sentence, health chiefs spent last week urging Brits to ditch the sedentary lifestyle and walk more often.
When Graham was diagnosed as a diabetic, he realised he needed to make changes: "My clothes were getting tighter, and I was hearing how being overweight could affect my life and health in other ways," he said.
His doctor suggested he join a local walking group in Stockport.
"I started and I was a bit nervous. With a couple of hills, it was more walking than I'd been doing," he said. He was talked into the 1.9 mile walk by the group leader. "After the first time, I overcame all those fears."
With his growing confidence, Graham invested in a pair of new shoes and gradually ramped up his walks to reach five miles.
"It was a very quick improvement, once you realise after the first one or two that you don't become immediately breathless and that you can walk further from home than you thought. I moved on from walking with that group, to walking by myself, walking further distances and the pounds started falling off me."
He used a pedometer to ensure he was reaching the recommended 10,000 steps a day (approximately five miles). Now he does about 15,000 steps and has lost a jaw-dropping 50lb.
"My trousers were falling off me,” he gushed. “I had to throw away all the clothes I owned!”
Dr Zoe Williams, a GP and clinical champion of physical activity and lifestyle at the Royal College backs this message up. She says: “As GPs we’re best placed to talk to people about how their lifestyle affects their health. Every GP should talk to their patients about the benefits of brisk walking.”
But it’s not only the doctors who are championing the benefits of daily walks.
When ‘The Purposeful Primitive’ author and renowned strength coach Marty Gallagher isn’t hoisting iron, you can find him power-walking the hills behind his home.
Marty is smart. He knows steady-state cardio is the basis upon which all future aerobic efforts are built and makes it the backbone of his training.
Which brings me to this week’s take away.
If you haven’t done so already, you need to make brisk walking a daily habit. Walk just 10 minutes every day, and you reduce the risk of premature death by 15% and prevent or delay the onset of disability while minimising serious health conditions.
So step up to the challenge and watch your investment pay you back tenfold both outside and inside the gym.
Looking for more walking tips? Discover 4 easy-to-follow walking hacks to painlessly boost your step count…
Until next time,
Squat for Glory!
Lee
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