Hack your walk with Nordic Walking Guy’s 3 rules:
- Walk with purpose!
- Be consistent!
- Remember everything count’s but not everything matters!
Nordic walkers keep a busy schedule, so rest and recovery are important aspects of well-being. An article stressed the importance of adequate sleep.
Main point: “lack of enough sleep can make the brain ‘eat itself,’ as the cells that digest cellular debris go into ‘overdrive.'”
More about it:
- “Insufficient sleep has been linked to the development of some chronic diseases and conditions such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and depression.”
- “…in the well-rested mice, astrocytes [“prune unnecessary synapses to help rewire the brain”] were active in 6 percent of the synapses. In the eight-hour group of mice, astrocytes were active in 8 percent of synapses. The sleep-deprived mice, however, showed 13.5 percent activity.”
- “…this study showed the process occurring at heightened levels in sleep-deprived mice. When this happens, the brain goes overboard, clearing out up to 13 percent more synapses than normal. This is more like the ‘brain eating itself.'”
- “…microglia [ingest waste products from the nervous system] cells were active, but only in the sleep-deprived mice. They believe these findings suggest that ‘extended sleep disruption may prime microglia and perhaps predispose the brain to other forms of insult.'”
Why it matters:
- “…researchers aim to uncover the answers to these questions, as well as how long the effects of sleep deprivation last.”
- Brain health is critical. Nordic walking can help create good sleep patterns.
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Nordic Walking Guy’s first rule is “Walk with purpose!” Walking with purpose includes living a life with meaning. Buy Your Unfinished Business: Find God in Your Circumstances, Serve Others in Theirs to learn more about faith, calling, and resilience.
