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17 Oct 2016

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Processed food is getting cheaper because industrial conglomerates have become more efficient in taking cheap ingredients and turning them into food that is “tasty but high in fat, energy, sugar and salt”, Wiggins said.

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THIS IS NOT GOOD!

Let’s face it: Too much of fatty foods, delicious meals and indulgence with alcohol creates a beer belly or in short a big fat abdomen.

If you’re the butt of jokes it might seem trivial to have a beer belly but do you know that a beer belly is more than a joke? Seriously, men with beer bellies are more prone to diabetes, heart attacks and strokes.

Generally, fat is stored in two different ways – subcutaneously and viscerally. Subcutaneous fat refers to fat stored below the skin while visceral fat as the name implies is stored in your abdominal cavity and around internal organs in your abdomen such as your intestines, liver and pancreas and contributes to that special shape called beer belly. However, visceral fat may not be obvious.
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Studies have shown that excess visceral fat is a major risk factor for the development of type II diabetes mellitus. Genetics may play a role plus being obese but visceral fat lurking in your abdomen doesn’t always make you look fat.

Click on this to read the rest of the article:

http://yourhealth.asiaone.com/content/whats-lurking-inside-your-pot-belly/page/0/1

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Baolishi and Monaliza

MANILA, Philippines – A watchdog group against consumer products containing toxic substances on Tuesday warned the public against two lipstick brands found to contain dangerously high levels of lead.

EcoWaste Coalition said it found five tubes of lipstick of the Baolishi and Monaliza brands to be contaminated with lead in the range of 2,204 parts per million to 2,487 ppm, which is way above the 20 ppm threshold for lead under ASEAN cosmetics guidelines.

The lipstick was being sold for P28 (S$2.65) to P35 each in Quiapo, Manila, stores selling beauty and personal care products.
…

EcoWaste said the five lipstick tubes found with high lead content were Baolishi no. 20, 2-in-1 lipstick in old rose canister with 2,419 ppm lead; Baolishi no. 20, 2-in-1 lipstick in golden canister with 2,394 ppm lead; Baolishi no. 20 lipstick in yellow canister with 2,361 ppm lead; Monaliza no. 20 lipstick in green canister with 2,298 ppm lead; and Monaliza no. 20 lipstick in black canister with 2,274 ppm lead.

http://women.asiaone.com/women/beauty/two-lipstick-brands-found-contain-high-levels-lead

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Cigarettes were promoted as being good for health, till early 1950s.

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Some methods of cooking should be avoided entirely. Grilled meat may taste delicious but think twice because it can significantly increase breast cancer risk. The high heat of grilling causes the meat to create heterocyclic amines that are linked to cancer. Also, cancer-causing compounds are produced when grilling meat as the meat juices drips and comes into contact with the charcoal, which will then rise in smoke and stick to the meat.

A healthy diet can work its magic against breast cancer. With good nutrition and weight management, breast cancer can be prevented as well as the recurrence of the disease by 67 per cent*. Here is a list of super foods that may enhance breast health and boosts the immune system.

Broccoli
Sulforaphane that is found in these tiny tree-looking vegetables is found to help prevent the spread of breast cancer if it occurs, hence blocking tumour growth.

Parsley/Celery
Apigenin, a compound abundant in parsley and celery, assists to inhibit breast cancer cell growth and increases the immunity to develop cancerous tumours.

Plums/Peaches
Having high antioxidant levels, plums and peaches contain polyphenols that can help to get rid of breast cancer cells and at the same time, leaves healthy cells unharmed.

Walnuts
Anti-inflammatory properties such as omega-3 fatty acids in walnuts may help to slow the growth of breast cancer tumours even after diagnosis.

Beans
Barley, lentils, peas and artichokes have possible anti-cancer nutrition benefits. Increasing your fibre intake can help decrease the risk of breast cancer.

Read more:

http://yourhealth.asiaone.com/content/foods-lower-risk-breast-cancer

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More and more Malaysians, it is reported, are getting overweight. OBESE.

More about that later.

Now, watch this video. Wait several seconds for it to come on.

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Enjoy this video!

Colon VS Colon: Dr Koh’s New Campaign

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YAHOO! NEWS SINGAPORE

The video aims to educate people on the three steps in dealing with colorectal cancer: screening, early diagnosis and effective treatment.

Though not the main character, Koh cameos as the doctor providing medical advice on behalf of Fortis Healthcare, who opened the first single-specialty hospital, Fortis Colorectal Hospital, in July 2012 on Adam Road.

There is even a passing reference to his by-election campaign earlier this year, as he is being garlanded, but the producers of the video were careful to remain politically neutral.

Since it was uploaded on Monday, the video has received just over 1,000 views.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/what-is-buzzing/former-pap-punggol-east-candidate-back-funny-health-165420692.html

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Star

• 25 Feb 2013
• Metro South & East
• By QISHIN TARIQ metrobiz@thestar.com.my

The healthier ‘doughnut’

Gambian baker introduces bagel production to Malaysia

SULAYMAN Cham is trying to build a business model out of offering Malaysians a healthier food alternative.

When asked what bread product is shaped like a wheel, goes well with coffee and is the breakfast of choice for millions of Americans, most people would answer “doughnuts”.

But Sulayman, a baker, is trying to move Malaysian mindsets to bagels, a healthier alternative bread that is boiled then baked and no oil or frying is required.

While the doughnut doppelgänger has been available here for some years now in supermarkets and cafes, including San Francisco Coffee and the Bagel N’ Coffee Station, Sulayman says Cham’s Bagel Bakery is the first and only bakery in town to make fresh bagels from scratch.

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Free Malaysia Today

The top 10 worst foods to eat

Some types of food with the worst reputations.

True, we are surrounded by junk foods, packed with sugar, fat and salt and generally processed to the extreme — but which ones are the real worst foods to eat, the foods that you really should avoid?

1 Pork scratchings (pork rind or crackle)
Heavy and hard, we are talking fatty pig skin deep fried and then doused in salt.

2 Fried desserts
Fried desserts feature high up on the list of worst foods to eat as essentially you are dipping something in batter that is already high in sugar and fat, and then deep frying it. Fried bananas (pisang goreng) imncluded!

3 Cheesy fries
A plate of fried potato is carbohydrates; and layering it in cheese, which contains over 10 times as much saturated fat as fish and white meat, is suicidal.

4 Fizzy drinks
They pack massive amounts of calories. Studies link fizzy drink consumption to osteoporosis, tooth decay and heart disease.

5 Coloured alcopops
Alcopops are big calorie culprits as they are packed with sugar and calorific alcohol. The brighter the colour of the alcopop, potentially the worse it is for you.

6 Liquid meals
Don’t let them replace the real foods in your diet.

7 Processed meats
Burgers, ham, bacon, sausages and salamis have all the unwanted bits (heads, knees and toes, plus a few other less-desirable body bits) churned up with fat and salt.

8 Chicken nuggets
First off, chicken nuggets that are not made from fillets are the real bad guys. All the leftover carcass bits mixed up with bulking agents so manufacturers can crank out more portions.

9 Doughnuts
Coated, filled, glazed, sugared, jam crammed or plain old ring, they are not great for your body. The refined flour, refined sugar and the frying in the refined oil make them bad for you.

10 Canned soups
Many canned varieties are high in salt, so if you must have soup, avoid the canned ones or make your own

The top 10 worst foods to eat

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THE HEART ATTACK GRILL

Some food can be BAD for you but if you want it, they will serve it..as long as you pay for it.

Heart Attack Grill owner Jon Basso poses with a Quadruple Bypass Burger

Basso said Alleman’s death was a “wake-up call,” but that he would not stop serving “Flatliner Fries” and their famous “Quadruple Bypass Burger” — billed as the world’s “most calorific” at 9,982-calories — as long as there is a public appetite for them.

To all who’ve given hopes and prayers for John’s struggle in the cardio vascular unit, it ended humanely this morning at 10am. Dr Andy and Dr Jon were at bedside as John slipped into the next world. WE LOVE YOU BROTHER!

John was such a part of the HAG family. It’s hard to look at our menu today without getting teary eyed. He’s in the hospital gown in the second row on the far left. He came into HAG so often that we gave him his own clothing line: http://www.printfection.com/heartattackgrill/Patient-John/_s_523521

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Sundaily

America’s famed ‘Heart Attack Grill’ claims another victim

WASHINGTON (Feb 17, 2013): The Heart Attack Grill, the Las Vegas restaurant whose slogan proudly boasts that its artery-clogging fare is “worth dying for,” appears to have claimed another victim.

Less than two years after its unofficial spokesman, 575-pound Blair River, died of health-related causes, another loyal customer succumbed to a heart attack while standing at a bus stop in front of the establishment.

John Alleman, 52 — who like River served as a public face of the restaurant — was taken off life support earlier this week, three days after suffering his heart attack, according to the Las Vegas Sun newspaper.

Alleman, who worked as a security guard, was the inspiration for the “Patient John” caricature that adorns grill’s menu and merchandise.

Unlike his predecessor as the eatery’s unofficial mascot, Alleman was a relatively trim 180 pounds — proof, said the restaurant’s owner, that heart attacks can happen to anyone.

America’s famed ‘Heart Attack Grill’ claims another victim

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Nightline from ABC News : The Heart Attack Grill

Uploaded on Mar 9, 2011

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A Meal To Die For

Uploaded on Nov 25, 2008

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FLU (INFLUENZA) CAN BE DEADLY SERIOUS!!!

HAVING THE FLU IN WINTER IS A SERIOUS MATTER. I KNOW. I EXPERIENCED IT MYSELF WHEN I WAS IN NEW ZEALAND IN 1976-82.

It was winter in Timaru, a city in the South Island of New Zealand. I was there on assignment, as a student of the Baptist Theological Seminary in Auckland.

My wife and I stayed in a house that would have been wonderfully cool in the heat of summer due to the tall, shady trees around the house of our hosts but this was winter,  so the house was like a deep freeze at night and early morning. In the afternoon, it was still cold enough for me to put on a think coat, and if I were in bed, I would have to snuggle under the woollen blankets.

I got sick on my 3rd day there. I knew it was flu, from the familiar symptoms including painful shins. (When I was in Form One in St Michael’s Institution, Ipoh, Malaysia, I had flu. Almost at the end of the school day, the symptoms were terrible, including severe pain in both shins. Two teachers had to fetch me home after school as I could not walk the 2km home on my own. Because of the incident, I was nicknamed FLU.)

I saw the doctor and got medication. I lay in bed day and night, trying to stay warm, which was imposible. I vomitted everything I ate. IT WAS JUST TOO COLD! At one point, I sincerely believed that I would die there, right in that house in the wintry cold of Timaru!

For some reason, some people in the church where I was on assignment heard about what I was going through. Suddenly, they turned up, this husband and wife. They explained that they had come to take me to their house. It was WARM, they explained, just the right place for someone with flu. I could not even say, “I’ll think about it.” They took all my bags, and those of my wife’s, and we left for their house.

If Heaven were a warm house in winter, it would have been their house. IT WAS WARM!!! The sun, weak though it was in mid-winter, came in through the window pane and WARMED my bones. At night, it was warm as they had A CENTRALIZED HEATING SYSTEM.

On the 2nd day, I felt great, and I recovered.

A warm house is so important when you are sick with flu in winter.

Incidentally, the couple came to visit us in Ipoh in the 1980s. We were so pleased to meet up with them again!

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NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said the Big Apple is facing a flu epidemic this winter as cases increase in the city’s hospitals. “It’s a bad year,” Farley said in a New York Post report. Flu-related cases shot up to 5% of emergency room visits this season, more than double last year’s rate of 2%. Farley said this year’s Type A-H3N2 strain is similar to one that struck in 2004, another bad flu year. New York is part of a larger U.S. trend of a rough flu season.

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In New York state alone, 19,128 cases have been confirmed this season, a jump from the total of 4,404 during the 2011-2012 flu season. So far, 20 children have died from the flu.

Sundaily

New York declares flu emergency

NEW YORK (Jan 12, 2013): New York’s governor declared a health emergency Saturday over a flu epidemic that has sickened more than 19,000 people, allowing pharmacists to immunise infants and children.

Governor Andrew Cuomo’s move comes amid a nationwide epidemic expected to last several weeks.

There have been at least 28,747 cases reported across the country so far this season, and 20 children have died from the flu, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, the true number of cases is likely far higher as many who fall ill do not go to the doctor to get tested.

In hopes of curbing the spread of the potentially lethal virus, Cuomo said it was critical to suspend, for the next 30 days, a legal limit that usually only allows New York pharmacists to administer flu vaccines to patients 18 years of age or older.

New York declares flu emergency

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DIABETES
Once viewed as a Western problem, the disease is also spreading rapidly in poorer countries, alongside urbanisation, and four out of five diabetics now live in low and middle-income countries.

Malaysian Insider

LONDON, Nov 14 — Diabetes is running at record levels worldwide, and half the people estimated to have the disease are, as yet, undiagnosed, according to a report today.

The number of people living with diabetes is now put at 371 million, up from 366 million a year ago, with numbers expected to reach 552 million by 2030, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) said.

Diabetes is often viewed as a Western problem, since the vast majority of people have type 2 disease, which is linked to obesity and lack of exercise.
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China alone has 92.3 million people with diabetes, more than any other nation in the world, and the hidden burden is also enormous in sub-Saharan Africa, where limited healthcare means less than a fifth of cases get diagnosed.

The IDF estimates that, globally, 187 million people do not yet know they are suffering from the condition.

Diabetics have inadequate blood sugar control, which can lead to serious complications, including nerve and kidney damage and blindness. Worldwide deaths from the disease are running at 4.8 million a year.

Diabetes cases hit record, and half go undiagnosed

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Free Malaysia Today

10 surprising health facts

10 facts you may not know about health and fitness.

There is so much information around when it comes to health and fitness that it can be difficult to know all the facts. Here are 10 health facts that may surprise you.

Blogger’s note: If you want the explanations for these ten tips, click on the link at the end of the Post.

1 Sugar is as bad for you as cigarettes
2 An hour’s sleep could make you happier than $60,000
3 Exercise won’t make you thin
4 Chewing gum boosts your brain power
5 Coffee can help ward off depression
6 Being optimistic can save your life
7 Cash machines are as dirty as public toilets
8 Women are nine times more likely to suffer from a  broken heart
9 Less than one per cent of bacteria cause disease
10 Stretching before running may lower your endurance

LINKS

7 shocking food facts

Follow realbuzz on Facebook

[This content is provided by FMT content partner realbuzz.com]

10 surprising health facts

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WALK FOR BETTER HEALTH AND A LONGER LIFE!

ALL THAT IT TAKES IS A REGULAR, BRISK WALK TO BE HEALTHIER AND LIVE LONGER!

That’s because it strengthens your heart, and that, eventually, benefits the rest of your body.

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VITALS on msnbc.com

Walk 3 mph or faster to outpace the Grim Reaper, scientists say

Seniors who walk briskly may be able to delay death, essentially outrunning the Grim Reaper, a new study suggests.

Australian researchers with a wry sense of humor say they have calculated the average walking speed of the specter of death — and it’s about 2 miles per hour.

Walk faster than that and you may outrun the Grim Reaper, too, they argue in a new study published in the latest issue of the British Medical Journal.

“As none of the men in the study with walking speeds of [3 miles per hour] or greater had contact with Death, this would seem to be the Grim Reaper’s most likely maximum speed; for those wishing to avoid their allotted fate this would be the advised walking speed,” the authors wrote.

The team of researchers, based at Concord Hospital in Sydney, followed more than 1,700 older men for five years, studying the walking speeds of those who died and those who didn’t.

The men were timed with a stopwatch as they walked about 20 feet at a normal pace. During the five years that the men were followed, 266 died. Overall, their pace was slower than that of those who survived, leading the researchers to determine that people need to walk at least 3 miles per hour if they want to outrun death.

Despite its tongue-in-cheek style, the report still sends a serious message: Slow walking can be a sign that death is nipping at your heels.

Slow walking is probably both a marker for poor health and an alert that some things need to be changed to improve the health of a senior, said Dr. Anne Cappola, a gerontologist and a professor of medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Researchers are looking into the theory that you can get people to live longer if you can get them moving faster, Cappola said.  “People are trying things like resistance training and getting people to walk more,” she added. “That can be difficult when older people are living in confined living spaces or are afraid to go outside because of where they live.”

While other researchers have noticed that slower movers tend to die sooner, the approach of the humorous new study might spur more seniors to speed up their pace, Cappola said.

”People need to walk faster,” she said. “And if they’re doing it to outrun death that works just fine.”

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11 benefits of brisk walking

Walk for a healthy body
Walking is one of the easiest ways to stay fit. You may have a busy life, but try and introduce physical activity in your life. A moderate dose of physical exercise for 30 minutes (if you can’t manage that much, even 15 minutes is okay to begin with) a day is enough to keep you healthy. This form of aerobic fitness can lift your mood, make you physically fit, and improve the quality of your life.

Before you start
Wear the right pair of walking shoes and comfortable clothes. Also remember to carry and drink water while you walk, to hydrate yourself. Walk for 15-20 minutes for the first three days, and then gradually increase the time. You can use a pedometer to count the steps you take.

Walk your way to a healthy heart
Walking can lower your cholesterol levels and decrease the risks for cardiovascular diseases. It can also strengthen your heart, muscles and lungs. A strong heart with an increased heart rate is able to carry more blood to the rest of your body. Brisk walking every day lets you burn up to 200 calories and reduces body fat.

Cuts your risk of hypertension and diabetes
According to a study, regular walking improves the BMI (body mass index) and blood pressure levels in people with diabetes. Allowing muscle movement leads to more use of glucose by the muscle cells. This also involves utilization of more insulin, which improves blood sugar levels. Low blood pressure levels can also protect against kidney failure, heart attack and stroke.

Reduces risks and effects of cancer
Research shows that in colon cancer, a speedy walk can give less time to the carcinogens present in the food to come in touch with the intestinal lining and reduce the risks of having cancer from the start itself. With improved blood circulation, walking brings in positive energy within the body and therefore lessens the side effects of chemotherapy.

Protect against miscarriages
Despite the several body changes during pregnancy, regular walking can benefit you in many ways. It can reduce fatigue and related pains, help lose weight easily, and lower risks of gestational diabetes. Walking can also prevent spontaneous abortions by lowering down the hormonal fluctuations which cause uterine contractions.

Walk for better sexual health
A regular habit of brisk walking can improve your performance in bed. Walking two miles a day boosts blood circulation which cuts down on the risk of impotency. You can be healthy and fit, and need not rely on medicines to keep your love life active.

Rejuvenate your mind and spirit
Walking benefits not just your body but also your mind. Brisk walking helps ease stress and anxiety, reduces depression and imparts a positive kick-start to your day. It improves your self-esteem, charges up the mood and helps to keep you energetic, positive and happy throughout the day.

Manage extra kilos
Proper exercise coupled with a nutritious diet can help to burn calories which would otherwise end up as fat. You can burn up to 100 kcal of energy by walking a mile and for every two miles you walk, three times per week, you are guaranteed to lose 0.5 kg every month. With a habit of brisk walking 45 minutes a day, a slimmer waistline will not remain a distant dream.

Improves brainpower
Walking stimulates the blood flow, and provides oxygen to the brain. This leads to improved functioning of the brain and better ability to recall. Besides, a moderate dose of physical activity is also known to lower the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in seniors.

Add years to your life
Exercising can add to longevity. Thirty minutes of daily physical activity is said to extend your life by 1.3 years. More importantly, it can keep you fit by preventing, or delaying, the onset of age-related conditions such as osteoarthritis. Walking with peers can also cheer you up and motivate you.

Last word: Consult your doctor
If you happen to suffer from any condition, and intend to start walking, it is always better to consult your doctor first. Discuss whether you need to take any precautions and follow his suggestions about whether you should go for brisk walk, and also how you should go about it.

Powered by Bolohealth

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BBC News One-Minute World News

Good exercise

A good brisk walk is enough to strengthen your heart, researchers have found.

Some experts believe that only strenuous activity has any beneficial effect.

But a study of obese adults found moderate exercise was enough to raise the heart beat to recommended levels.

The researchers, from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, reported their findings at a meeting of the American Heart Association.

Advisory groups recommend that exercise must push the heart rate up to at least 55% of its maximum to have any positive impact.

Many believe that vigorous exercise is the only way to do this – but the latest study suggests this is not necessarily true.

You really can get your heart rate up to the level that your doctor would recommend, and you don’t have to jog or run to do it Professor Kyle McInnis

Rather than the old adage that there is “no pain, no gain”, they believe that “if the pace feels right, it probably is”.

Lead researcher Professor Kyle McInnis said: “A large segment of the population still believes exercise must be vigorous, demanding or involve more complicated activities than walking to adequately raise one’s heart rate.

“This perception of ‘no pain, no gain’ can discourage people from starting to exercise at all.”

Treadmill tests

The researchers studied 84 obese adults who were seeking professional advice on a safe level of exercise.

At the first visit, researchers measured heart rate and oxygen use, while the subjects walked on a treadmill with a gradually increasing steepness until they felt tired.

On a different day, the subjects walked one mile on the treadmill with instructions to maintain a “brisk but comfortable” pace.

Participants completed the walk in an average of 18.7 minutes, at an average speed of 3.2 miles per hour.

During the self-paced walk, all the participants achieved the recommended levels of exercise intensity, based on their previous heart rate measures.

Thirteen were at moderate intensity (55-69% of maximum heart rate), 58 at hard intensity (70-89%) and 13 at very hard intensity (90-100%).

Professor McInnis said: “Comparison with the treadmill tests showed that when participants self-selected a speed that was comfortable but brisk, their heart rate and level of exertion was in a safe range but high enough to improve their cardiovascular fitness.

“You really can get your heart rate up to the level that your doctor would recommend, and you don’t have to jog or run to do it.”

Forget the gym

Dr Kevin Channer, a consultant cardiologist at the Royal Hallamshire, told BBC News Online he was concerned that many people thought it was too tough to try to get fit.

“If you do nothing at all then your cardiovascular risk is higher than somebody who takes exercise, but if you are obsessive about exercise and run for 15 miles every day, then your risk starts to rise again,” he said.

“Being healthy isn’t difficult. People don’t need to play sport or go to the gym, they simply need to get out of their cars and go for a walk.”

Dr Hugo Crombie, of the Health Development Agency, said everybody should try to take a minimum of 30 minutes moderate activity on at least five days of the week.

He said: “Walking is excellent exercise – not only does it provide the sort of activity to benefit health but it does not need any special skills, equipment or access to a gym.

“The evidence shows that people can be encouraged to walk more and that this increase can be maintained over the years.”

A British Heart Foundation cardiac nurse said: “Brisk, regular walking is the ideal way for people to get the exercise they need to benefit their health: it’s free and easy for most people to fit into their daily life and can influence weight loss, blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol levels.

“It also provides a cardiovascular workout without putting too much strain on the heart.”

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