Interesting Facts

According to a report by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), Britons spend two-and-a-half months a year sitting down. (The study revealed that most Brits only walk half a mile a day and nearly half of women and a third of men are inactive. The average man is sitting for 78 days of the year - a fifth of his lifetime, and although women tend to me more on their feet than men we do far less exercise.)

A substance found in red wine can help keep the brain young in a similar way to exercise and a low-calorie diet, scientists have discovered. Resveratrol, which occurs naturally in the skin of fruits including grapes, blueberries and mulberries, can keep muscles supple and help protect connections between neurons in the brain, according to researchers at Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute . Tests on elderly mice showed the compound significantly slowed brain ageing by preserving synapses called neuromuscular junctions, which relay movement signals from the brain to the muscles.  Mice who had been given resveratrol from one year of age had more youthful neuromuscular junction synapses at two years old than those who had not. “I believe that we are getting closer to tapping into mechanisms to slow age-induced degeneration of neuronal circuits,” said the study’s primary author, assistant professor Gregorio Valdez.  Source  - Independent

We know walking is good for us, but it seems where you walk makes a difference. (Various studies have found that urban dwellers with little access to green spaces are at a higher risk of developing psychological problems, but a recent study carried out at Stanford university found that volunteers who walked for 90 minutes through a lush, green portion of the Stanford campus were more attentive and happier afterward than volunteers who strolled for the same amount of time near heavy traffic. The volunteers were allowed to walk at their own pace, but they were not allowed to have companions or listen to music. The results suggest that getting out into natural environments could be an easy and almost immediate way to improve your mood. So, let's build more parks.) Source

You would have to run 4 miles to burn of the calories in a 500ml bottle of Coke. (Scientists are calling for this information to be printed on food labels, instead of the usual calorie count. (Do you ever read it?) For example: To burn off a double cheeseburger would take a 5.6-mile hike. Would you be likelier to chose a smaller one and go on a 2.6 mile walk instead?) 

Marathon runners and other people involved in extreme  endurance    sports like  triathlons and long-distance bicycle races have been told that too much exercise can cause scaring in the heart. (Researchers found that one in 10 athletes have signs of heart scarring.   Exercising for 30 to 60 minutes a day is the ideal, more can actually be detrimental to the health.  I'm just explaining to my dog why her walk will be halved today, it has nothing to do with the lousy weather, my decision is purely based on health.)

According to research from the Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health in France and University College London, the brain begins to lose sharpness of memory and powers of reasoning and understanding from as early as 45. (Previously it was thought that this began around the age of 60, but the researchers found that the brains of even the youngest were already in decline. There was a 3.6% decline in the mental reasoning of men and of women aged 45 to 49 and the process appeared to have sped up in the older age groups. Men aged 65 to 70 had a decline of 9.6% while women fared a little better, at 7.4%. The good news is that there are things that can be done about it. Looking after the heart has been shown to help the head, studies show that people with high blood pressure, obesity and high cholesterol who are at high risk of heart problems, are also at higher risk of dementia. Or maybe as we get older, we simply forget to exercise and eat properly.)

According to research by the British Heart Foundation, seven in eight children in the UK aren't getting enough exercise. (This means that only one child in eight is exercising for more than 60 minutes a day! What's even more worrying is that 20% of the children surveyed thought that you only need to exercise if you're fat. We're going to turn into a nation of teletubbies!)

Abdominal fat is the most dangerous. (It is known to increase the risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and some cancers. So start doing those sit ups now.)

According to a survey for the British Heart Foundation, 63% of Brits would not be motivated to do more exercise even if their lives depended on it. (Set a lion loose and watch them run!)