A kilometer on foot, it wears out, it wears out … The shoes, yes, but not the heart! On the contrary, scientists at the University of the State of New York in the United States have shown that the walk walking reduces short-term cardiovascular risk factors. In their study published in Creative Nursing, the researchers wanted to know the effect of a walking program on biological markers like cholesterol, weight and blood pressure.
They followed 70 women volunteers for a community walking program. They were given a programmable pedometer to wear all day for a period of ten weeks. Scientists asked them to walk at least 150 minutes (or two and a half hours) every week. They also used a computer test to determine the participants’ risk of having a heart attack in the next ten years.
Increase your activity to preserve your heart
After five weeks, the volunteers transferred the data from their pedometer to the scientists. They then invited them to increase their physical activity by at least 10%. At the end of the program, they accurately measured weight, Body Mass Index (which gives a weight distribution by height) and cholesterol level. The participants also completed a questionnaire on their physical activity, their food choices, their character traits, and more generally their behavior during the ten week period.
After analysis, the results confirm the initial hypothesis: walking well reduces cardiovascular risk factors in the short term. Scientists now want to do work to determine the best strategies to implement to encourage women to stay in physical activity for the longer term.
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