Our Slí na Sláinte Coordinator Tara Curran, on how walking can help restore the balance for your mental and physical health

This week is Men’s Health Week 2020, an annual event run by the Men’s Health Forum in Ireland which aims to raise awareness of preventable health problems, support men and boys to live healthier lives and encourage them to seek help or treatment early.

The theme for Men’s Health Week 2020 (Friday 12 – Sunday 21 June) is “Restoring the Balance” and one good way to restore the balance for your overall mental and physical health is to get walking.

Walking is a perfect form of activity for all ages and fitness levels. It’s free, requires no special equipment, and can be done anywhere, anytime.   It’s social, allowing us to get active with friends and has fantastic mental health benefits, helping to reduce stress and boost mood.

Walking is also brilliant for maintaining physical health. It can help reduce blood pressure, cholesterol and help manage our weight, which in turn can help reduce our risk of heart disease and stroke.

To achieve these physical health benefits, adults need to be active at a moderate intensity for at least 30 minutes, 5 days a week. Moderate intensity describes how much effort you are putting into an activity.

Your body tells you when you are working at a moderate intensity with 3 key signs:

• Breathing: You can still talk but your conversation slows down
• Temperature: You feel warmer but are not sweating profusely
• Heart rate: You can feel your heart beating faster but it is not pounding

Walking can mean different things to different people, some associate it with a stroll with friends, a hike in mountains or walking the dog.

Whatever type of walking you prefer, remember that for 30 minutes, five days a week you should feel the three key signs of moderate intensity.

Some simple techniques like adding an incline, increasing the speed, or engaging your arms will help take your walk to moderate intensity.

For more information on phsyical activity to help you get active and reduce your risk of developing heart disease and stroke please see here.

We are here for you

The Irish Heart Foundation’s nurse support line is available five days a week. Anyone living with heart disease and stroke who has concerns or questions about the coronavirus can contact the nurse support line on 01 668 5001 or support@irishheart.ie.

The Irish Heart Foundation’s new heart support group is on Facebook. Anyone who lives with heart failure or another heart condition or has a family member living with a heart condition can join here: www.facebook.com/groups/heartsupportnetwork/

The Irish Heart Foundation runs 21 stroke support groups and 5 heart failure groups around the country. All these groups have moved to telephone and online support. For more information, see https://irishheart.ie/get-support/.

The Irish Heart Foundation in conjunction with the HSE National Stroke Programme, has launched a new telephone support service for stroke patients who have recently been discharged from hospital. For more information, see here.

Please support our work

If you found this article helpful and would like to donate to the Irish Heart Foundation please see here.