Can walking and running help prevent strokes?
Strokes affect more than 700,000 people each year. We are going to cover what you can do to help prevent you and your loved one from having a stroke. However, there is at least a better chance than if you did nothing.
As with all organs in the body, the brain needs nutrients and oxygen to function properly. These life-sustaining products are delivered to the brain by the blood that travels through our circulatory system. They are a serious health disability that can affect you, regardless of your age.
Some of the major poor health decisions that can lead to a stroke are: Smoking and binge drinking are some bad habits you need to get rid of. Next on the list is if you have high cholesterol or diabetes. High blood pressure and blood clots can lead to a stroke. Obesity … is one of the leading causes that opens doors for you in the stroke department. It doesn’t matter if you are ten pounds overweight or two hundred pounds overweight, if losing a few pounds is what it takes … then let’s tackle the problem!
Sticking with a daily exercise habit is a simple matter of commitment. You must develop a daily habit of thirty minutes a day, that you do it without thinking. Every day you brush your teeth, comb your hair, go to work and dozens of other daily activities that you do as a habit. A daily walk, as simple as it sounds, will help prevent you from having a stroke.
The circulatory system of the blood that runs throughout the body carrying nutrients and oxygen is of utmost importance in our talk about strokes. Lack of adequate flow to your brain, possibly a clot, is a cause of a stroke. Here’s what you can do starting tomorrow. When you get home from work, put on some running shoes and shorts. Turn around and head back out the front door you just entered.
Make this a daily habit. At first you won’t be able to run past … two or three of your next door neighbor’s houses. It’s okay! Go slowly for a few walks. Once your breathing is back to normal, pick up the pace a bit in your jog once more. Easy, all the way around the entire city block. That is if you live in the city. If not … then get in your trusty car and mark a half mile, mile marker. Go ahead and mark another mile or two to half a mile, mile markers, as you will need them for the next few months.
As you can see, I’ve guided you to a simple running plan: walking, the daily habit of saving you from a stroke! Over time, the pounds will disappear, because your distance will increase a mile or so every month. Yes, in a year you could be running twelve miles! I did it twenty years ago, when forty-five pounds melted and stayed that way ever since. Combine this little stroke prevention plan with some good nutrition habits and you’ll be a much healthier person or runner!