Fitness Archives

What makes walking so great for your health and what else you need to do

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Health experts say walking is an easy way to improve physical and mental health, bolster fitness and prevent disease. Getting steps in also helps lower the risk of heart problems, high blood pressure, dementia, depression and many types of cancer. Walking also improves blood sugar levels and helps people lose weight and sleep better. The well-known goal of 10,000 steps is just a guideline, which experts say people can work up to gradually. Doctors say people should also add other activities to their fitness routines, including resistance exercises like lifting weights and doing activities that keep you flexible like yoga or stretching.… Continue Reading

Want to burn calories? Climbing stairs might be the most effective exercise for you

TOKYO (AP) — If you’re trying to lose a bit of weight and want a new way to do it, stair-climbing as a regular exercise — or just adding a few flights a day — might be for you. It’s accessible, and research shows it’s more effective than walking on level ground. You burn about 20 times more calories going up stairs than walking on flat ground. Even going down stairs you burn roughly five times more, the muscles being stretched to slow the body’s descent.… Continue Reading