A story many of you have likely seen at some point in the last year, is how bad sitting is for our health. NPR recently did a story on it. If I had one suggestion everyone, it would be to replace 1 hour of sitting-time with a leisurely walk. You can check out NPR's story in the link below.
Walking
Why Walking Matters /
Here & Now has a piece on walking at their website. Listen to the interview below, or checkout the full post here.
“A bout of exercise is like taking a little bit of Prozac and a little bit of Ritalin,” he tells Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson. “Because it does the same thing.”
Get Happy!... And Smarter! /
There was a greater article from the Time Magazine website about the benefits of walking. Nothing new, or surprising, but still completely worth telling people about. Yes, walking will healthier, including: happier, and smarter. The article isn't very long and work the read. Check it out in the link below.
The Single Most Proven Way to Get Smarter and Happier
Coincidently, I was listening to something recently that said walking for 30 minutes, 5 times a week (or 60 minutes for 3 times a week), was 3 times more effective than Zoloft. MedlinePlus has a list of Zoloft (Sertraline) side effects that include hallucinating (seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist), and changes in sex drive or ability. I think I'd definitely choose walking.
I found supporting information on Exercise and Depression, at Harvard Health Publications, Harvard Medical School.
The NFL Offends My Walking Sensabilities /
I had read about this issue several weeks ago, and now it's popping up again, and because Seattle is in the Superbowl, I suppose it's relevant to the guy who blogs about walking. The gist of it is that the NFL won't allow attendees to walk to New Jersery's Superbowl stadium. You must be shuttled in, and that shuttle will cost you $51.
You Can’t Walk to the Super Bowl Because You Are the NFL’s Personal ATM
This hits a nerve on two levels. As is, I've been going through an intense evaluation of how I'm spending my money, and what I can do to put a little more into my savings account. I'm actually going to write a longer piece on that topic this Monday, but needless to say after food, rent, and bills there's not a lot leftover for me to squirrel away. The idea that someone like any of us, who is operating on a budget can't choose to walk to the Superbowl is ridiculous. To me it feels more like a money grab, than an issue of infrastructure & logistics, and that actually really bothers me.
On the second level of how this strikes the wrong nerve, I can't help but wonder how when we all live in America, one can't make a personal choice to walk from a hotel to the Superbowl if one wants to. Is this really an issue of infrastructure and logistics? Really? Don't get me started on the fact America's obesity epidemic is still a growing problem, and that walking should be encouraged at every opportunity, but when did America also become so dysfunctional that it can't handle foot traffic to a stadium? Something is terribly wrong, and I'm little disheartened by all of this.
Read the article linked above, and feel my outrage.