WALKING "Walking is man's best medicine." -Hippocrates

Health Monthly

ALLEGHENY EAST ON THE MMMMOOOOVVVV----VVVV----VVVV----E E E E WITH WALKING!

A. Leah Scott Health Ministries

Director

AEC HEALTH MINISTRIES DEPARTMENT SEPTEMBER 2011

Jacqueline O’Bryant Administrative

Assistant

The Seventh-day Adventist Church has joined the national Let's Move initiative. Our plan is to mobilize every member and institution to get in step for life and make a significant impact on childhood obesity. The North American Division has set aside Sunday, Septem-ber 25, 2011 as Let’s Move Day. Our goal is to get as many

people possible involved in physical activity on that day. Consider what kind of event your church, school, university or hospital can sponsor and/or promote—a group walk in the park, youth sports event, organized 5K run/walk, or any other event involving physical activity. Invite other community groups, like the local health department, a university, church, or other agencies, to partner with you. Your event will create community awareness for childhood obesity and can also be used as a fundraiser for other projects, such as a community garden. You can also join an existing community event. Whatever your organization plans, remember to invite your community to join you as we move together and promote a healthier lifestyle. Your involvement is key to ensuring a healthy future for our children. Join the Adventists InStep for Life initiative, and let's work together to encourage, support, and track commitments to healthier lifestyles. For more information on how to register and report log on to http://www.adventistsinstepforlife.org

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Hippocrates must have been a smart guy! There's a wealth of research to prove that walking is good for you and the results are impressive: major reduc-tions in both diabetes and heart disease, decreases in high blood pressure, increases in bone density, and more all follow regular walking exercise.

What are the top 10 reasons to walk? 1. Walking prevents type 2 diabetes. The Diabetes Prevention Program showed that walking 150 minutes per week and losing just 7% of your

body weight (12-15 pounds) can reduce your risk of diabetes by 58%. 2. Walking strengthens your heart if you're male. In one study, mortality rates among retired men who walked less than one mile per day

were nearly twice that among those who walked more than two miles per day. 3. Walking strengthens your heart if you're female. Women in the Nurse's Health Study (72,488 female nurses) who walked three hours or

more per week reduced their risk of a heart attack or other coronary event by 35% compared with women who did not walk. 4. Walking is good for your brain. In a study on walking and cognitive function, researchers found that women who walked the equivalent of an

easy pace at least 1.5 hours per week had significantly better cognitive function and less cognitive decline than women who walked less than 40 minutes per week. Think about that!

5. Walking is good for your bones. Research shows that postmenopausal women who walk approximately one mile each day have higher whole-body bone density than women who walk shorter distances, and walking is also effective in slowing the rate of bone loss from the legs.

6. Walking helps alleviate symptoms of depression. Walking for 30 minutes, three to five times per week for 12 weeks reduced symptoms of depression as measured with a standard depression questionnaire by 47%.

7. Walking reduces the risk of breast and colon cancer. Women who performed the equivalent of one hour and 15 minutes to two and a half hours per week of brisk walking had an 18% decreased risk of breast cancer compared with inactive women. Many studies have shown that exercise can prevent colon cancer, and even if an individual person develops colon cancer, the benefits of exercise appear to continue both by increasing quality of life and reducing mortality.

8. Walking improves fitness. Walking just three times a week for 30 minutes can significantly increase cardiorespiratory fitness. 9. Walking in short bouts improves fitness, too! A study of sedentary women showed that short bouts of brisk walking (three 10-minute walks

per day) resulted in similar improvements in fitness and were at least as effective in decreasing body fatness as long bouts (one 30-minute walk per day).

10. Walking improves physical function. Research shows that walking improves fitness and physical function and prevents physical disability in older persons.

The list goes on, but if I continued, there'd be no time for you to start walking! Suffice to say that walking is certainly good for you! http://www.medicinenet.com/walking/article.htm

SEPTEMBER 2011 PAGE 2

BEGINNING A FITNESS WALKING PROGRAM You know you want to begin a fitness program, but don't know where to start. It's easy! Walking is one of the easiest and most prof-itable forms of exercise. All you need is a good pair of shoes, comfortable clothing, and desire. How to start: First of all, start out slow and easy. Just walk out the door. For most people this means head out the door, walk for 10 minutes, and walk back. That's it? Yes, that's it. Do this every day for a week. If this was easy for you, add five minutes to your walks next week (total walking time 25 minutes). Keep adding 5 minutes until you are walking as long as desired. WATCH your posture. Walk tall. Think of elongating your body. Hold your head up and eyes forward. Your shoulders should be down, back and relaxed. Tighten your abdominal muscles and buttocks and fall into a natural stride. Be sure to drink plenty of water before, during, and after walking. Incorporate a warm up, cool down and stretches into your routine. Start your walk at a slow warm up pace, stop and do a few warm up / flexibility drills. Then walk for the desired length of time. End your walk with the slower cool down pace and stretch well after your walk. Stretching will make you feel great and assist in injury prevention. The toughest thing about starting a fitness program is developing a habit. Walking daily will help (a minimum of 5 days a week is a good goal). You should walk fast enough to reach your target heart rate, but you should not be gasping for air. After you have formed the habit you will want to evaluate your program and your goals. Here are some general guidelines: If you are walking for the general health benefits try to walk 30 minutes a day, most days of the week, at a "talking" pace. (Talking pace means you have elevated breathing, but you can still carry a conversation.) To improve cardiovascular fitness you should walk 3 to 4 days a week, 20 to 30 minutes at a very fast pace. At this pace you are breathing hard but not gasping for air. If you are walking for weight loss you should walk a minimum of five days a week, 45 to 60 minutes at a brisk pace. Once you can comfortably walk for 30 to 60 minutes 5 to 6 days a week you may want to put more "umpf" or speed into your rou-tine. Follow these easy tips for walking faster (or for some real speed learn to racewalk). Zero to Sixty in Twelve Weeks - An easy to follow schedule to get you walking 60 minutes in 12 weeks. Notice: If you're new to walking, start off with slow, short sessions and build your way up gradually. If you have any health concerns or medical conditions, be sure to check with your doctor for advice before you begin a routine. http://www.thewalkingsite.com/beginner.html

ALLEGHENY EAST CONFERENCE EMPLOYEES ARE ON THE MOVVVE

Here are some of the teams that are moving on the “Keep the Trend for Summer's End Challenge”

• Get The Stepping (AEC) - Dereica Bodden-Bertus (Captain) , Pastor Duwayne Privette, Pastor Maurice Taylor, Genise Martin, Tiffany Boller,

Pastor David Franklin

• BiggMixx - Pastor Norman Miles (Captain), Pastor Emile Duvivier, Pastor Richard Campbell, Pastor Jackson Doggette, Pastor Samuel Hutchins

• AEC on the move! - LaTasha Hewitt (Captain), Doris DeGuzman, Jacqueline O’Bryant, Ronald Reeves, Kollette Bryant, Deborah Brown

• AEC Pastors Rule! - Pastor Reginald Anderson-Exum (Captain), Pastor Michael Edwards

Others on the challenge without a team are Pastor Vernon Waters, Leah Scott and Pastor Colby Matlock

Leah Scott Director

Health Ministries

Elder Robert Booker Director

Church Ministries/Communications

Doris DeGuzman Admin. Asst. Philantrophy/

Publishing

Colby Matlock Pastor

Mt. Olivet, Camden

Dereica Bodden-Bertus Staff Accountant

Treasury

Vernon Waters Pastor

Walnut Street & Grace Tabernacle

Kollette Bryant Human Resources

Treasury

LaTasha Hewitt Admin. Asst.

Youth Ministries

The U.S. General has stated that poor health as a result of lack of physical activity is a serious public health problem that must be met head on at once. Walking provides substantial benefits in health and well-being. Purchase a pedometer if you don't have one. It keeps you motivated! Keep moving AEC! A. Leah Scott, MPH. - Health Ministries Director