Albert Lea, Minn., adopted a communitywide approach to encourage walking that included widening and extending sidewalks by more than six miles near schools, senior centers, and businesses. On a gray and chilly weekday afternoon in Albert Lea, Minnesota, the new five-mile trail around Fountain Lake draws more walkers and bikers than you’d expect in a…
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I’m 53 and about 60 pounds overweight. I want to start walking to lose some weight but don’t know where to start. What do you recommend? Would a tracking device help someone like me, or should I aim for a certain distance or number of minutes? Walking can be an excellent part…
Fifty years after Bloody Sunday, GirlTrek travels to Selma, Alabama. One in two African-American girls born in the year 2000 will get diabetes if something doesn’t change,” says Morgan Dixon, co-founder of GirlTrek. “That’s absolutely not acceptable on our watch.” Statistics like that, as well as sobering data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…
With evidence mounting that sitting for long stretches of time is unhealthy, many of us naturally wonder how best to respond. Should we stand up, or is merely standing insufficient? Must we also stroll or jog or do jumping jacks? A new study offers some helpful perspective, suggesting that even a few minutes per hour…
If you’re alive, you’ve got stress. Stress is a natural physical and mental reaction to both good and bad experiences that can be beneficial to your health and safety. Your body responds to stress by releasing hormones and increasing your heart and breathing rates. Your brain gets more oxygen, giving you an edge in responding…
Making goals to get in shape or lose weight is easy — anyone can do it! However, the hardest part for many of us is seeing those goals through and turning exercise into a consistent habit. There are many ways to stall out and lose motivation along the way, but certain strategies can actually help…
Walking could help improve the health of men suffering from prostate cancer, a new study reveals. Even walking a few hours a week was shown to have a positive impact in patients with the disease. Researchers from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine studied how different forms of exercise affect the progress of the…
A group of students at the Exploris School are learning on the move. As part of a program called The Walking Classroom, fourth- and fifth-graders plug into educational podcasts, then head out for a walk in the community near their downtown Raleigh charter school. Fifth-graders recently trekked with their teacher Leah Ruto during on a…
A working movie ranch in Agoura Hills that since 1927 has been home to the Cisco Kid, Hopalong Cassidy and Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, Paramount Ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains National Park Area is now a playground for hikers, bikers, equestrians and sightseers. 1. From U.S. 101 in Agoura Hills, turn south on Kanan…
If you want to feel good while running faster and longer — and who doesn’t? — it’s all about making the most of every movement. Whether you’re prepping for a 5K or 26.2 miles, stomping out the distance requires dedication, training and a basic understanding of mechanics. To get you off on the right foot,…
