Walk (or maybe just stroll) the Talk

Yesterday J and I were joined by two of our children for a brief stroll around the hills of Whalley, Lancashire. It was lovely to get out and the weather was kind to us. We were able to sit in the grounds of Whalley Abbey (ruins now) and enjoy a picnic together. Much of the way I led out front. Indeed, J has many photos of me taken from behind. It’s not that I like to lead, but I have longer legs than she does and a walking pace that is much faster than hers. Without even trying, walking at my now natural pace, I’m soon in front of her, resulting in plaintive pleas of ‘wait for me’. And so I indulge in a little mindfulness and wait.

Now one of the side effects of our different length legs, striding length and walking pace is that whilst we will walk the same distance in miles, J will always have many more steps recorded on her Fitbit than I do. It’s something guaranteed to make me irritated. Equally irritating is the knowledge that women in general glean greater benefits than men from undertaking the same amount of exercise.   

NHS England recommends that both men and women aged between 19 and 64 should try and take at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week. They also recommend we should do muscle strengthening activities at least twice a week. That might include weight lifting, push-ups, planks, skipping, running or climbing hills (my favourite) or really any type of exercise that increases the heart rate and challenges our muscles. In contrast to our house, the latest research shows that girls and women tend to do far less physical activity than boys and men.

I say ‘in contrast to our house’ as my main exercise is walking, whereas J walks and runs. This year, in our #NHS1000miles challenge, J’s combination is proving to be a winner, as she is consistently clocking up more miles per week than I am! But the fact remains that despite all her extra exercise, she may not be gaining any more physical benefit than me. Now, please don’t think I’m getting peeved by J’s higher weekly mileage (#NHS1000miles is a personal challenge not a competitive one – find out more here); there are many other reasons for exercising and it is not just about the physical benefits.

I know I feel a lot better after a brisk walk, and often walk to generate ideas, work through problems and so on. And of course, Dylan the dog needs a walk at least twice a day. Recent research (see here) suggests that even where women don’t take the recommended 150 minutes of exercise a week, lower levels might still be beneficial for most women. This is particularly the case in reducing the risks of death caused by coronary heart disease, strokes and other related cardiovascular problems.

The research showed that just 140 minutes of exercise a week reduced women’s risk of premature death from any cause by 18%, when compared to women who were inactive. Men, needed to undertake 300 minutes of similar physical activity to gain this benefit. Where women were able to undertake 300 minutes of physical activity a week their risk reduction rises to 24%. The 300 minutes of exercise was the threshold point, at which the greatest benefits were recorded for both men and women.

Interestingly, and perhaps somewhat provocatively in some quarters, the study admitted that one of the limitations they recognised was that what was studied was the relationship between exercise activity and premature death reduction. It did not take into account such activities as housework. Unlike in our house, recent surveys show that many women in a relationship with a man, still do the majority of housework. The study also didn’t take into account that fact that women will have to make a greater physical effort when undertaking the same task as a man. I can bring in an entire day’s logs for the fire in one trip, and do so by loading the logs into the crook of my arm. By contrast, J would need to make three trips to fetch the same quantity of logs.

There were two other points I reflected upon, whilst reading the study. The first was that whilst gym memberships are equally spread between men and women, men spend considerably more time exercising in the gym, and much of this is aimed at gaining that ‘six-pack body’ with highly developed and defined upper body muscles. Many men think such a body is attractive to many women, many women don’t. I think it is mainly men with a six-pack body that think other men with a six-pack body are attractive. I may be wrong, or a little envious.  The more serious other reflection is that perhaps all of us shouldn’t feel guilty that we are not always able to get those steps in or reach the 150 minutes of exercise each week – every little bit we can do helps us achieve a better and healthier life.

Last but not least, and completely unrelated to anything written above, I want to mention the latest strike by doctors. Not the five-day junior doctor strike that started yesterday morning in England, but the doctors’ strike in South Korea. It started last Tuesday and as I write this blog, it continues. They are taking industrial action, not because they want more money, but because of the South Korean government’s plan to train a greater number of doctors. The government has forecast that more than 50% of the population will be aged over 64 by 2025, and many more doctors will be required to meet the healthcare challenges these later life folk might present to the health system. The existing medical profession contend there are already enough doctors. Maybe there is a connection after all. Perhaps South Korea would need fewer doctors in the future, if more could be the done to prevent illness and disease in the first place. Regular exercise is perhaps one way to achieve this.