Walk Wednesday!

 Go for a walk today!
Research has shown that walking:

• Reduces the risk of lifestyle diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke and Type II diabetes;
• Reduces risk of hypertension (high blood pressure);
• Reduces high cholesterol;
• Helps to prevent osteoporosis, by increasing bone density;
• Enhances mental well being (less prone to depression and anxiety);
• Helps osteoarthritis (joints have a wider range of motion);
• reduces mortality rates for both younger and older adults;

Recently neurologists at the University of Pittsburgh, USA have discovered that people who walk regularly on a weekly basis are less likely to suffer from senile dementia.  The study was conducted over a 13 year period and it was found that those who walked on a regular basis were half as likely to develop memory problems.

How far should you walk?  The ideal cumulative weekly distance was found to be between 6 and 9 miles a week, with no significant improvement walking any further.  At about 1 mile a day, these distances are relatively easy to cover within a week.

Dr Kirk Erickson, the professor who led the study said:  

“If regular exercise in mid-life could improve brain health and improve thinking and memory in later life, it is one more reason to make regular exercise in people of all ages a public health imperative.” 

Sources: British Heart Foundation 2000, US Dept of Health 1996, UK Dept of Health 2000, Journal of Neurology 2010

Go for a Walk - here's a few suggestions:

• Leave the car at home for short journeys;
• get off a few bus stops early and walk the rest of the way;
• if you have one, take the dog for a walk more often;
• take your time, relax and enjoy your surroundings.  

Treat walking as a natural part of the day rather than an 'exercise' regime.  This will make it easier to integrate into your everyday life, reduce stress and to help put things into perspective.

Primal Play School TakeOver

A PE teacher's response to a day with Primal Play, thanks! #playrevolution

 

Thank you Darryl Edwards! Not only were you amazing with all my classes yesterday, but you've shown me it is possible for every part of my body to literally be sore at the same time! I think even my eyes are sore if I move them too fast! You all need to check out The Fitness Explorer! One of the best workouts I've ever had!

Post by The Fitness Explorer.

Documentary: We Love Paleo

http://bit.ly/WeLovePaleo-FE

I feel privileged to be invited to participate in an international documentary called "We Love Paleo". It features Dr Loren Cordain and other luminaries from the US, Europe and Australia discussing the benefits of the Paleo Lifestyle. 

They are trying to raise some extra funds to make this worthwhile project happen, take a look at the high quality trailer to get an idea of the production quality they are aiming for and the desire to get some form of international distribution (please donate or share the link below) and let's spread the word! 

Please contribute in anyway you can to make the "We Love Paleo" documentary happen! : http://bit.ly/WeLovePaleo-FE

Testimonial : A Thoughtful and Patient Approach

I booked a health and fitness assessment with Darryl and got an interesting report on my current state of health.  It wasn't pleasant reading.  However, Darryl's thoughtful, sensitive, patient, kind but honest approach has helped me achieve goals that I never thought imaginable, for example, I used to be a sugar addict and although I have exercised for many years I did not take my health seriously enough, Darryl has helped me to change that.  His exercises are playful but challenging, he finds innovative ways to motivate me when I am finding it difficult and he ensures that health is the primary objective.

Darryl's Primal Play classes and one-to-one sessions are always fun but at the same time building strength that can not be gained from a gym. I also find it inspirational to know that he left his very well paid city job behind to follow his passion to improve people's health and if he had not then he would not have touched this many lives.

Here are a few of the changes that I have gained in the last 3 months:

A body fat% reduction from 34.6% to 27.9% (35% body fat is the level of morbid obesity, 30% is the clinical level of obesity) so dropping below this is a significant benefit to my health.

 
I am almost 44, however my metabolic age has decreased from 48 down to 38 years old.  A 10 year reduction in 3 months.

In terms of weight which I don't really focus on, this is down from 11 Stone 9lb (74kg/163lb) to 10 Stone 8lb (67kg/148lb), a significantly difference in terms of the clothes I am wearing and also in the positive comments made about how I am looking now.

Pari