Walking at moderate intensity may lower the risk of heart disease.
“We know walking is an excellent form of exercise, but research has been mixed on how successful a walking program can be in changing biological markers such as cholesterol, weight, blood pressure,” said Pamela Stewart Fahs, an associate dean, professor, and chair in rural nursing at the Binghamton University Decker School of Nursing in New York.
For the study, published in Creative Nursing, Fah tracked 70 women in a rural area of New York state. The participants, ranging in age from 29 to 79, were asked to walk briskly at least 150 minutes a week for 10 weeks.
At the end of the 10-week period, the investigators checked the weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels of the participants. All these factors had improved, suggesting that walking can help lower heart disease risk in a short time.
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