Copyright scotsman
Of course, this confirmed what we already knew - that daily exercise is the key to a healthier and longer life. As someone who comes from a family where the menfolk have all succumbed to heart attacks, this is an issue I take seriously. Heart disease claimed the life of my father, who was a lifelong smoker which did not help. Having survived the war in the Royal Navy, where smoking was commonplace, he eventually passed away in his mid-fifties after suffering yet another heart attack. So, given all the evidence of the harm that smoking causes, is the habit still on the decrease? According to ASH (Scotland) “There are almost 8000 smoking attributable deaths and nearly 90,000 smoking-related hospital admissions every year in Scotland.” ASH also tells us that 11.4 per cent of adults in Edinburgh smoke and that there was an average of 95 incidents of Chronic Obstruction Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in the city, with an average of 149 hospitalisations that were attributable to COPD, and that 9 out of 10 cases of COPD are caused by smoking. Statistics show that three quarters of people who smoke start before the age of 18 and that the largest factors influencing smoking uptake are peer-group smoking, growing up in areas of high deprivation, parents/carers or siblings smoking, low educational attainment and poor mental health. I can remember the nicotine stained walls and ceilings of many pubs in Edinburgh, where a cloud of cigarette smoke would fill the air as you sat at a table with full ashtrays and cigarette ends. Thankfully, smoking has never been one of my vices and I do undertake daily exercise in the form of taking the dog for a walk along one of the many scenic routes that Edinburgh has to offer. So I was happy to note that “over 70s get a 77 per cent lower heart disease risk at 4500 steps daily.” The NHS encourages us to walk more and offers handy tips, such as walking part of your journey to work; using the stairs instead of the lift; leaving the car behind for short journeys or walking the children to school. Walking fast burns more kilojoules per hour than walking slowly, but this doesn’t mean that you have to push yourself until you’re breathless. Instead, pace yourself so that you can still talk. Try to make walking a routine - for example, try to walk at the same time each day. I’ll leave the last word to the NHS: “Walking is simple, free and one of the easiest ways to get more active, lose weight and become healthier. "Sometimes overlooked as a form of exercise, walking briskly can help you build stamina, burn excess calories and make your heart healthier.”
