Walking is good for you.

Not only does walking help to control weight problems, it improves the efficiency of your heart and lungs as well as strengthening your bones.
And the good news is - that it can help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia as well. For more on the health benefits of walking click here.

Alzheimer’s disease affects the way people think and causes loss of memory in thousands of elderly people throughout the world.
There is no cure and as people are living longer, the disease is becoming more common and dementia is now the subject of much research.

The results of a study have been published in The Lancet by the Aging Research Centre in Sweden, (where they had been studying over a thousand people for twenty years).
They found that if men and women aged between 40 and 55 took exercise for just half an hour, twice a week then the likelihood of them actually getting dementia was reduced by half. More good news - this included people who had a family history of the disease.

Dementia has in the past thought to be linked to ailments that are occur in people who are not very active and take no exercise, illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes or obesity.

This research shows that you can help yourself stay fit and healthy in both body and brain by taking exercise during your middle years. Brisk walking is a safe way to take exercise and helps to build up your whole body’s fitness.

To find out how fit you are click here .
Brisk walking - which the researchers found was one of the most common ways of exercising - is when you are walking as if you were late for an work, an appointment or train connection.
You are walking with purpose and will feel breathless but not unable to talk.
If you can chat happily then you are not putting enough effort into your walking!
Remember to walk briskly you do not need to stride out or take longer paces (this increases the risk of injury) – instead just increase the number of steps that you take. As you walk quicker remember to push off strongly with your back leg and foot each time you take a step.

So if you haven’t started walking yet take a look through the Bellaonline walking site, read the tips and reasons why walking is good for you and get walking today.

Enjoy your walking!