The Crazy Guy

By The Crazy Guy

In order to keep fit and healthy and to prolong our lives, we are supposed to take 10,000 steps a day, say medical experts. “Rubbish!” says The Crazy Guy, not one to blindly accept everything we are told.

Photo courtesy of Protein2o

Los increíbles beneficios de andar

In her recent article in XL Semanal Raquel Peláez argued that “Caminar te va a salvar la vida” (Walking is going to save your life).

“Several scientific studies have shown that the physical and mental benefits of walking are immediate,” she wrote. “Never mind achieving 10,000 steps a day, every minute spent walking counts.”

This all stems from the fact that our species is unique in that we are upright animals, bi-peds. This allowed human beings to use their fore-legs, ie arms, for other purposes, such as carrying things, making things, using their hands. But on top of this it enabled us to put one foot in front of the other, to walk, which is the most easily achievable movement at our disposal.

Photo courtesy of XL Semanal

Prolong your life

According to scientists, people who walk live longer, have better balance, are happier and more intelligent. Several scientifioc studies have shown that there is no other form of exercise that has such a positive, strengthening and healthy effect on both body and mind as walking.

According to the latest study, carried out by researchers at North Western University in Illinois, USA, and published in the summer of 2023, in people over 40, modest physical activity is the most significant factor influencing health and longevity. Walking, together with a healthy diet and sufficient sleep, can reduce the chance of a premature death by 30 per cent in this age group.

The Unidad de Investigación de Atención Primaria at the University of Bizcaya in Bilbao has found that a small increase in physical exercise, eg fast walking for 50 minutes a week (less than eight minutes a day) reduces by 31 per cent the risk of a premature death amongst people who have led a sedentary life for decades .

On top of that, the number of steps per day required to start to notice a difference in one’s health, is far fewer than the mythical 10,000 steps. According to scientists at John Hopkins University in Maryland, USA, 4,000 steps are sufficient to start to reduce the risk of premature death. Indeed, this study indicates that 2,300 steps are sufficient to benefit the heart and blood vessels.

During walking the body produces two neurotransmitters, endorphins and dopamine, the happiness hormone and the creative hormone respectively, which combat stress, prevent depression, and regularize sleep patterns. A study by Stanford University (California, USA) supports this argument by their discovery that walking increases creativity in a person by an average of 60 per cent.

As the German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche wrote: “A sedentary lifestyle is the real sin against the human spirit.”

Photo of Friedrich Nietzsche courtesy of Wikipedia

Benefits of walking

After 10 seconds - with every step the deep musculature in the body is activated and has a beneficial effect on the vertebrae and disks in the back.

After 5 minutes - even a short daily walk has a positive effect on our life expectancy.

After 11 minutes - you have burned 50 kilocalories, so in a week 350. According to a report by Cambridge University (UK), walking 11 minutes a day can help reduce cardiac disease, cerebro-vascular accidents, and certain types of cancer.

 Photo courtesy of Henry Ford Health

After 12 minutes - exposure to 12 minutes of sunshine brings sufficient Vitamin D, vital for the metabolism, absorbing calcium and phosphates in the gut and for healthy bones.           

After 20 minutes - great for reducing stress, relaxing muscles and the nervous system, and lowering blood pressure. It also helps us sleep better.

After 30 minutes - walking for half an hour per day for five days a week reduces the risk of heart disease by 19 per cent. The body starts to secrete serotonin, the happiness hormone. According to cardiologists we should walk for 30-40 minutes every day, preferably in the early evening, when our walk can improve our physical capacity, our metabolism and our blood pressure.

After 45 minutes - leading a more active life helps prevent colds. The University of South Carolina (USA) found that after a year of physical activity the average number of colds suffered by previously sedentary people fell by 23 per cent.

After 60 minutes - an hour's walk a day reduces the risk of suffering depression, according to a study by the University of South Australia which lasted 11 years and with 34,000 participants. A Japanese study concluded that a walk in the countryside is preferable to one in the town.

Acknowledgements:

Raquel Peláez

XL Semanal

Tags:

10,000 steps a day, Cambridge University, Crazy Guy, dopaminbe, endorphin, Friedrich Nietzsche, John Hopkins University, North Western University in Illinois, Raquel Peláez, Stanford University, Unidad de Investigación de Atención Primaria, University of Bizcaya, University of South Australia, University of South Carolina, Vitamin D, Wikipedia, XL Semanal, 

By The Crazy Guy

The Crazy Guy has two blogs on Eye On Spain, one eponymous and the other about "How to ....." do various things here in Spain.

The Crazy Guy is an alias for Paul Whitelock, which is no real secret.

Paul has several other noms de plume on Eye On Spain, depending on the theme of the blog.

THE CRAZY GUY

The Crazy Guy is known amongst the Spanish people where he lives as "El Loco", largely because, despite his advanced age, he's always active, doing this and that. So, he's "The Crazy Guy".

This blog is about some of the things he's been getting up to lately.

The Crazy Guy (El Loco, according to his fellow villagers) likes to keep busy. He hopes readers of this blog find his experiences interesting.

He has another blog on EOS called "How to .....?" which offers advice on how to do things here in Spain, based on his experiences.

HOW TO ..... ?

This blog is intended to be helpful to English-speaking foreign residents in Spain by explaining "how to ... " do certain things.

The Crazy Guy has lived in Spain full time since 2008. A fluent Spanish-speaker he reckons he knows his way round the bureaucracy, the indifference and sometimes downright rudeness of "funcionarios".

The Crazy Guy is known amongst the Spanish where he lives as "El Loco", largely because, despite his advanced age, he's always on the go, doing this and that. The Crazy Guy hopes his "How to ..." articles will be helpful to others.

ONLY JOE KING

A light-hearted look at life in Andalucía and Spain in general; its good points and its bad. This blog doesn't pull any punches.

Only Joe King didn't really want anybody to know anything about him. That's just gone out of the window, BTW.

He's blogging because he thinks he has valid things to say. He hopes readers appreciate the pun in the name (Only joking!).

MY COVID-19 DIARY - MARCH 2020 TO DATE

The coronavirus pandemic has hit the world hard, with over 120 million global victims.

I am British, married to a German and we live in Andalucía in the Serranía de Ronda.

This blog contains articles i've written since we both caught Covid-19 at the beginning of 2020. It was a weird life of curfews, lockdowns, masks, hand gel, rules and regulations and, for those of us who were affected directly, the vicious after-effects of the virus, long-covid, bereavement and financial ruin.

I started this blog in the aftermath of our personal experiences with the Coronavirus. Hopefully it has run its course, ie both Covid and this blog.

SPANISH MATTERS - A BLOG IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH FOR THOSE LEARNING THE LANGUAGE

This blog is entitled "Spanish Matters", because it does!

Matter, that is.

If you have committed to living in Spain, in my opinion you should also make a commitment to learn some Spanish. Your life will be enhanced.

So this is a blog about matters Spanish, as well as promoting the notion that Spanish does indeed matter.

The blog contains articles in both English and Spanish. I hope it will be helpful to those learning the language.

The name Don Pablo betrays my origins as a former Spanish (and German) teacher in the UK.

This blog will continue to be added to from time to time.

PUNTOS DE VISTA - A PERSONAL SPAIN BLOG

Musings about Spain and Spanish life by Paul Whitelock, hispanophile of some 45 years and resident of Ronda in Andalucia for the last 15 years.

This is my main blog, indicated by the number of posts I have made, already well in excess of 100.

SERRANÍA KITCHEN - RECIPES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

This blog contains a selection of recipes from all over, in particular from Andalucía, Asia, England, Germany and the wider Mediterranean area.

Contributors include Rita Drechsler, Jovan Le Knorz, Madita Schröder, Carolyn Emmett, Simon Whitelock, Julie Wilkinson and Paul Whitelock, who are mostly members of the same extended Anglo-German family. 

Rita and Paul,  Carolyn, and Julie all live in the Serranía de Ronda in Andalucía. 

Madita and Jovan live in Baden-Württemberg, near Heilbronn, Germany. 

Simon lives near Bristol, in the UK.

THE CULTURE VULTURE

A blog about cultural things: art, music, dance, literature, film and theatre.

The Culture Vulture enjoys the good things in life. These include art, music, dance, film, theatre, and books.

THE CURMUDGEON

The Curmudgeon is a miserable sod. He likes to have a moan. He tackles subjects which many foreigners living in Spain agree with but are too polite to say anything about.

The Curmudgeon is now in his early 70s now and has lived in the Serrania de Ronda since he was 58.

THE HISTORY MAN

This blog contains interesting facts about the history of Spain and things Spanish.

The History Man discovered Spain some 50-odd years ago and he fell in love with the place. He has been resident here for 15 years and takes a keen interest in all things historical, geographical and cultural.

He is blogging because he hopes readers will find what he writes interesting.

THE SPANISH FLY - TRAVELS IN SPAIN AND BEYOND

The Spanish Fly is a nom de plume of Paul Whitelock who first visited Spain at the age of 20. Now more than 50 years later, he has been to most parts of the country, including nine of the 12 islands. He has owned property in Andalucía since 2001 and has lived in the region for the last 15 years. This blog is a travelogue about some of the places he has visited.

The Spanish Fly writes keenly about his travel experiences in Spain and beyond. He hopes you enjoy sharing his journeys and are inspired to make similar ones yourself.

***

EPILOGUE

So, now you know. All of these blogs are written by li'l ol' me, Paul Whitelock.

I hope you enjoy reading them. Please feel free to comment.

© Paul Whitelock

Tags: Andalucia, blog, blogger, Coronavirus, Covid-19, Crazy Guy, Culture Vulture, Curmudgeon, Don Pablo, El Loco, EOS, Eye on Spain, History Man, How to .....?, Joe King, noms de plume, Only Joe King, Paul Whitelock, Puntos de Vista, Serrania Kitchen, Spanish Fly, Spanish Matters