When everyone was on COVID lockdown in 2020, hiking became a lot more popular. According to a report, the number of hikes in 2020 was 171% higher than in 2019. The number of people hiking alone went up by 135%.
Dr. Edward Phillips, an assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School, says, "This makes sense since hiking remains one of the safest COVID activities because it is done outside and away from confined group settings." "Plus, what's a better way to get away from being stuck inside than to spend some time in nature?"
Not just a walk
Hiking is one of the best ways to feel better in both the body and the mind. First of all, it's a great way to build muscles in your legs. When you hike uphill, you work your hips and buttocks. When you hike downhill, you work your quads (the muscles in the front of your thighs).
Walking is a simple way to work out, but it's not always the best way to keep up the aerobic intensity. "Most people walk slowly and stop and start a lot, which keeps their heart rate from going up," says Dr. Phillips.
But hiking up and down uneven terrain uses more energy than walking on a flat surface. Your body has to work harder, so your heart rate goes up, you burn more calories, and your cardiovascular fitness improves.
You can also learn how to stay steady on your feet by trying to find your footing on a trail. This improves balance, which is a skill that keeps you from taking dangerous falls. As Dr. Phillips says, "When you challenge your body, it will change." So, if the hiking terrain makes you lose your balance, it will force your internal system to get better.
Hiking can also help your mental health. Studies have shown that older people who spend time in nature regularly sleep better and have less stress, less anxiety, and less depression. You can go hiking alone or with other people. Researchers have found that going on a nature walk with a group is just as good for your mental health as going on a hike by yourself.
I am sharing this because I have a young niece who loves to sleep in my room at night, where she grinds her teeth when she is asleep. Here's what you can do if you are told that you grind your teeth at night.
Clostridioides difficile (C. diff), a type of bacterium that can cause diarrhoea and colitis, is often found in hospitalised people. Even if these people didn't have any symptoms and weren't diagnosed with C. diff while they were in the hospital, new research shows that they could still bring the bacteria home and spread it to their families.
Researchers looked at data from medical insurance plans for households with at least two people on the same plan to find people who had hospital stays but were not diagnosed with C. diff. They found that once these people went home, other people in the same household were 73 per cent more likely to need treatment for a C. diff infection within 60 days than other people in the same insurance plan who did not have a family member who had recently been in the hospital. The longer a person stays in the hospital, the more likely they are to get an infection. Households, where someone spent a month or more in the hospital, had almost double the risk for C. diff than those where someone was in the hospital for one to three days.
Some individuals believe that their joints ultimately wear out like car tyres and that the more they are used, the faster they deteriorate until they must be replaced. But joints don't work like Michelins.
Most likely, this wrong comparison comes from calling osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis, "wear and tear" arthritis, which is not right.
When the smooth cartilage that lines a joint deteriorates, osteoarthritis develops. Sometimes this happens after an injury (like a broken bone), but age, family history, obesity, and diseases that cause joint inflammation to last for a long time are more common causes.
What about weight-bearing activities such as running? Shouldn't this pounding eventually affect the knees, ankles, and hips? Again, there is no supporting evidence. Multiple studies have shown that runners over 50 do not have a higher rate of osteoarthritis than non-runners of the same age.
Joints are built for movement, and patients with osteoarthritis are advised to remain active. However, because it is crucial not to place excessive stress on their joints, swimming and cycling are generally recommended.
You cannot, therefore, lose your joints by using them.
