Riverfront Trail journeys

Trail notes are brought to you by the Riverfront Trail Board,

a group of local volunteers who manage, help maintain and

promote The Dalles Riverfront Trail.

I grew up hearing the adage, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” The current version might be “10,000 steps a day helps keep disease away.” However, a new study out of the University of Cambridge in the U.K. combining results from over 90 studies (representing over 30 million participants!), found that the number of steps in a whole day’s activities is not as significant as the actual minutes spent in a brisk walking session. How many minutes a day, you ask, in order to get measurable benefit? Eleven. Of course, more is better but every step counts as long as you are achieving a cardiovascular effect (elevated heart rate). And the benefits are statistically shown to have broad benefits beyond improving cardiovascular fitness (heart health, cancer prevention, quality of life, anti-depressant effects, weight loss, etc.)