What would you do if you are late to a job interview or trying to make it to a train? You'll definitely ditch your regular walk and quicken your steps to arrive on time.
A new US study published in American Journal of Preventive Medicine suggests that people should practice brisk walking for 10 minutes a day, whether they have an appointment or not.
In a study conducted as part of the National Osteoarthritis Initiative, researchers from Northwestern Feinberg University, School of Medicine in Chicago analyzed over 1500 adults who all had pain, aching or stiffness in lower extremity joints from osteoarthritis but were free of disability when they began the study.
Four years after the start of the study, 24 percent of adults who did not get the weekly hour of brisk physical activity were walking too slowly to safely cross the street, and 23 percent reported problems performing their morning routine (such as walking across a room, bathing and dressing).
However, the weekly hour of exercise reduced the risk of mobility disability by 85 percent and their risk of activities of daily living disability by almost 45 percent.
The one hour of weekly brisk walking suggested by the study is considered a moderate physical activity, and came in contrast with the former guidelines that recommend older adults with arthritis to participate in low-impact activity.
Lead author Dorothy Dunlop, professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine said in a report published on the university's website that "10 minutes a day is a good deal and helps people stay free of disabilities."
