Walking from Alzheimer's
Nordic walking slows down the development of Alzheimer's disease. Italian scientists came to this conclusion after observing patients with mild and moderate degrees of the disease. The results of the study were reported by the Daily Mail."In recent years, keeping fit has become increasingly popular among those who want to stay active in old age and prevent heart and neurological diseases. The Alzheimer's Society says that on average someone in the UK is diagnosed with dementia every three minutes. It is impossible to reverse the disease, but new drugs are emerging that can help at least slow its progression," the publication says.
The experiment, which was conducted by Italian doctors, involved patients with the initial stage of the disease. They were offered physiotherapy, music therapy, and - one of the group - additionally exercises in the form of Nordic walking twice a week. At the end of the experiment, it turned out that the latter group performed better on cognitive ability tests compared to the other participants.
Nordic walking, which uses poles, provides an intense workout because it uses 80 to 90 percent of all the muscles in the body - compared to just 40 percent with regular walking or running. In addition, the active alternating movements of the arm and shoulder muscles act as a pump to increase blood flow to the brain (and therefore its oxygen and nutrient supply).
This increasingly popular sport has been recognized as one of the best for rehabilitation after coronavirus infection. It is as physiological and accessible as possible - you only need sticks and desire.
"It is clear that people of age cannot run marathons or go to aerobics, but Nordic walking is the best! Even if the classes will be short (10-20 minutes), but daily - it is enough," - says Dr. Zuhra Pavlova.
She notes that, as with any other type of physical activity, the correct technique in performing exercises is important. Of particular importance is the positioning of the hands. To make the exercises effective, it is better to go to a training session with a trainer at least once, says the doctor.