Shinrin-yoku, also known as a "forest bath," originated in Japan and it's believed to enhance one’s well-being while helping “connect” with nature. It involves immersing oneself in a forest or natural environment and mindfully engaging with the surroundings through the senses. Western medicine offers “nature prescriptions” – the walk with or without the mindfulness. Does it improve our health?
exercise
With gyms closed during the height of the COVID pandemic, exercising at home became a “thing.” Not everyone had the money for a Peloton, and many of us turned to walking – after all, it was outside, we could socially distance, and it could while away some time as we “got our exercise.” A new study looks at walking and how it may trim our waistlines.
The short answer to this question is: If we consider monozygotic (identical) twins, then it's a firm somewhat. A new study looks at the impact of differing leisure time physical activity and twins' health.
"You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it's an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before." -- Rahm Emmanuel [1]
The new year brings a succession of ads prompting us to make healthy promises, to eat less and exercise more. The basis for the “science” behind those calls to healthful resolutions is called the Additive Energy Expenditure Model. But don’t be afraid; that merely means exercising more burns calories that you can use to eat something special.
Running amok is not an exercise, nor is jumping to conclusions. When it comes to exercise, we honor it more in word than deed.
A weekly look at what's also interesting, even though it didn't make it into Dispatch or onto our website.
Is there a magical prescription for how much exercise and activity eliminates the increased risk of premature death, which comes from sedentary behavior? A new paper takes a swing at an elusive target. Spoiler alert: This is an area that continues to defy precision.
While we can "fix" a hip fracture, patients just are not as mobile and independent after the injury. And that's the case even after a year of recovery. One preventative measure may be Tai Chi, a martial art that teaches defense through balance, and working with -- rather than against -- forces.
Conventional wisdom tells us that 10,000 steps per day is the "magic number" required for health benefits. But is there sound evidence behind this number? Dr. Christopher Labos, from McGill University’s Office for Science and Society, investigates.
Aging can be associated with a loss of muscle mass and functional deficits. Recent research finds that while testosterone can help older men gain muscle, just adding more protein to the diet does not. Thus, there doesn't seem to be a reason to change protein requirements for seniors.
Good news: more of us are walking than we were even 10 years ago, and over 60 percent of both adult men and women report regular walking. That still leaves us with a large proportion of couch potatoes; certain demographic groups do lag behind. Perhaps the message that needs better targeting: even moderate activity can be beneficial.