Walking to School!: an early start for fitness

Starting simple

When beginning a walking school bus, remember that

the program can always grow.

It often makes sense to start with a small bus and see how it works. Pick a single neighborhood that has

a group of parents and children who are interested. It’s like a carpool—without the car—with the added benefits of exercise and visits with friends
and neighbors.

For an informal bus:Invite families who live nearby

to walk. Pick a route and take a test walk. Decide how often the group will walk together.

Have fun!

I thought I was hearing something new when my NPR station in Seattle WA, (KUOW) broadcast the hour about kids walking or biking to school and then when I searched Google to learn more, 10 pages out of thousands were showing!

I might conclude that I wasn't well informed on the subject and I'm afraid I have lots of company... not many people I talk to seem to show much interest in the subject!

We know how difficult it is sometimes to maintain a satisfying state of wellness even as

adults... it does seem very important to help children start out with good habits.

I hope the concept grows - it would be so much fun to see children walking in our neighborhoods

again!

More information can be obtained at Walking School Bus.org

Study: Tai Chi May Help Prevent Shingles

By Alicia Chang, AP Science Writer

LOS ANGELES - Tai chi is already known as a good low-impact exercise for older people.Now a recent study suggests it offers benefits beyond improving fitness and balance:It may help prevent shingles, a painful skin condition.

Researchers found older people who performed the slow, graceful movements of tai chi had a better immune response against the virus that causes shingles than those who only got health education,according to the most rigorous test to date.

It's unclear how tai chi, an ancient Chinese martial art that has become increasingly popular in the West, affects the immune system. But health experts were encouraged by the positive results.

"The message is that older people need to maintain healthy behavior," said Andrew Monjan of the National Institute on Aging, which helped fund the research. "It's nothing that ourmothers haven't told us, but we're seeing it certainly holds up to scientific inquiry."

The study appears in the April issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society and was led by Dr. Michael Irwin of the University of California, Los Angeles.

Shingles is a painful skin rash that can pop up in people who have had chickenpox. The chickenpox virus can remain dormant in the body and resurface as shingles years later. It usually starts with pain and itching on the skin that later turns into an irritating rash.

An estimated 1 million Americans are afflicted with shingles every year and it commonly occurs in people 50 years old and older.

The UCLA study involved 112 healthy adults, ages 59 to 86, who have had previous cases of chickenpox.

Half of them took tai chi classes three times a week for three months and the rest attended health education classes where they were taught good diet habits and stress management.

Then both groups were vaccinated with a chickenpox vaccine. Researchers took periodic blood tests before and after vaccination to determine their level of immunity against shingles.

After six months, the tai chi group had nearly twice the level of immunity against shingles than the education group.

Those who performed tai chi before vaccination had an immune response that was similar to what a vaccine would produce in a younger population. Tai chi combined with the vaccineshowed a 40 percent increase in immunity than the vaccine alone, researchers found.

The results weren't surprising to tai chi instructor Howard Chuck, who owns a tai chi academy in Sunnyvale, Calif.

Although none of his students are trying to ward off shingles, Chuck said the exercise is popular among his older people who prefer tai chi's meditation aspects.

"Tai chi requires a lot of mind power not just muscle power," he said.

On the Net:
Shingles page: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_he_me/storytext/fitness_tai_chi_shingles/22566832/SIG=11kjt63sj/*http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/list_varicl.htm
UCLA: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_he_me/storytext/fitness_tai_chi_shingles/22566832/SIG=10lbtmfq3/*http://www.ucla.edu

Exercise May Fend off Arthritis in Women

By MARGIE MASON, AP Medical Writer Tue Apr 3, 11:38 PM ET

Get moving, Grandma! Exercise isn't just about improving your heart and fighting flab that comes with aging. It may also be the answer to preventing stiff, achy joints that can lead to debilitating arthritis.

An Australian study suggests the more time older women spend exercising, the better their chances are of staying pain-free from one of the biggest chronic conditions plaguing developed countries.

Even exercising as little as one hour and 15 minutes a week now can make a difference over the next three years, according to findings recently published in the journal Arthritis Research & Therapy.

"I don't think the results are suggesting that you should just become this maniac exerciser," said lead author Kristiann Heesch from the University of Queensland, Australia. "What it does suggest is that just adding some walking and moderate activity to your life can make a big benefit."

Doctors have long encouraged exercise among aging patients to keep joints flexible, muscles strong and to keep off weight, which is a leading risk factor for arthritis. This is the first study that focuses specifically on middle-aged and older women who did not have a history of stiff and painful joints.

It looked solely at pain and symptoms reported by more than 8,700 Australian women over a three-year period, and could offer a vital clue about prevention.

Women in their 70s who exercised 75 minutes a week reported fewer symptoms of arthritis than those who did less, while more spry women who were active at least 2 1/2 hours weekly had even less pain in the three years that followed.

Although there appeared to be a direct correlation between exercise and lower joint pain, the reasons why were less clear.

"Maybe the exercise directly benefits the joints. Maybe exercise makes you lose weight and the latter benefits the joints. Maybe exercise causes pain sensing receptors to become less sensitive so one feels less pain," said Dr. John Hardin, chief scientific officer at the Atlanta-based Arthritis Foundation, who did not participate in the study.

Conversely, exercise had no effect on arthritis symptoms reported by middle-aged women. Heesch said it's unclear why the results differed among the two age groups.

The findings also contradict some earlier research, which found no direct link between fitness and arthritis.

The Australian study, published last week, focused on specific age groups of fairly healthy women predominantly from rural areas who had not been diagnosed with arthritis, which may partially explain the difference, Heesch said.

"If we could put out a pill that would solve a lot of problems, it would be physical activity, but we can't wrap it up into a little pill and give it to people," she said. "Particularly with the baby boomers getting older, there's going to be a lot more griping and need to address this."

She said walking, swimming, yoga, tai chi and even some weight training were all great ways for older women to exercise after getting their doctors' approval. More women than men suffer from arthritis, and the risk increases greatly with age.

"The fact that the study showed change in a short time speaks to the fact that exercise shows benefit quickly and is another reason to encourage people that exercise has a payback sooner than many people think," said Dr. Patience White, chief public health officer at the Arthritis Foundation.

One in five American adults has been diagnosed with arthritis — half of those over age 75 have reported it — costing billions of dollars each year. In both the United States and Australia, it is the No. 1 cause of disability.

Margie Mason covers medical issues for The Associated Press across the Asia-Pacific region.
Link to the study: http://arthritis-research.com/imedia/1872211849112069_article.pdf?

random801