Walk Your Bliss

"Walking is man's best medicine."
Hippocrates

A University of Georgia study, published in the November 2006 issue
of the journal Psychological Bulletin, reported that regular exercise
plays a significant role in increasing energy levels and reducing
fatigue.

“A lot of times when people are fatigued the last thing they want
to do is exercise,” said professor Patrick O’Connor, co-director of
the UGA exercise psychology laboratory. “But if you’re physically
inactive and fatigued, being just a bit more active will help.”

Health professionals encourage regular exercise to prevent or
improve symptoms of conditions such as diabetes, heart disease
and obesity, but the scientific evidence on whether exercise
increases or reduces fatigue had never been reviewed
quantitatively.O’Connor, kinesiology professor analyzed 70
randomized,controlled trials that enrolled a total of 6,807 subjects.
The studyfound strong support for the role of exercise in
reducing fatigue.

“More than 90 percent of the studies showed the same thing:
Sedentary people who completed a regular exercise program
reported improved fatigue compared to groups that did not
exercise ” O’Connor said. “It’s a very consistent effect.”

Exercise was stronger than the treatment of fatigued people with
drugs such as the narcolepsy drug modafinil. Specifically, the
researchers found that exercise increased energy and
reduced fatigue by 0.37 standard deviations when compared to
control groups, whereas participants in a previous study taking
modafinil had an improvement of 0.23 standard deviations.

Nearly every group studied – from healthy adults to cancer
patients to those with chronic conditions such as diabetes and
heart disease – benefited from exercise. Why? Previous studies
have shown marked increases in the levels of energy promoting
and mood-enhancing neurotransmitters such as dopamine,
norepinephrine and serotonin.

Exercise Tips:

Visit your Chiropractor and have him/her check your alignment,
balance, placement of weight your feet, and recommend the best
walking shoes for you.

Before you begin walking 15 minutes every day, to align your
posture and internal organs:

• Stand with feet together pointing forward.

• Shoulder and neck are relaxed. Head is lifted and knees bent.

• Bring hands together into a prayer pose at the center of the chest.

• Inhale into the lower abdomen and exhale slowly. Continue
        relaxed breathing for up to five minutes.

• Send energy to any area of the body that feels stiffness,
        weakness or pain.

• Mentally Balance both sides of the body equally.

Walk early mornings before traffic pollution is highest. Avoid walking
near golf courses because they use enormous amounts of pesticides.