How to get away from hypertension and dementia
Nordic walking is called the most useful of all types of activity for people of age. If you walk "Scandinavian-style" regularly and correctly, you can cure hypertension and "escape" from Alzheimer's.One of the latest studies: Italian scientists observed patients with the initial degree of dementia. It is known that there are no reliable cures for the disease, and doctors suggest emphasizing prevention. The participants of the study were divided into groups and offered them physiotherapy, music therapy, and - one of the groups - additionally Nordic walking twice a week. At the end of the experiment it turned out that the group of "Scandinavians" better than the others passed tests on cognitive abilities, writes Daily Mail. They showed better results in assessing short-term memory, faster problem solving, in short, the progression of Alzheimer's disease in them slowed down.
Another study - it was conducted by scientists at the University of Iowa - aimed to find out how much to walk to reduce the risk of hypertension. Participants in the experiment ranged from 68 to 78 years old. The good news: the positive result is noticeable already at a load of only 3-4 thousand steps a day, and the greatest effect - with daily 7 thousand steps. At such loads systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased by seven and four points, respectively, writes the Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Diseases. So the popular recommendation of the "mandatory" 10 thousand steps gave way. Not only that such loads are not feasible for super busy people, but also an additional effect when exceeding the norm of 7 thousand steps scientists have not seen.
The secret of success of Nordic walking is in the use of sticks. On the one hand, it is a soft and safe load, sticks insure, for example, from loss of balance. On the other hand, if you work the sticks correctly (and not just drag them behind you), it provides a more intensive workout, as it involves 80-90% of all muscles of the body, compared to only 40% in conventional walking or running.