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8 - Orono Weekly Times Wednesday, November 24, 2010 Basic Black by Arthur Black C'mon Canada - Do the locomotion If you think North Americans are a vigorous people...just watch the natives in the business centre of any United States town. They'd rather park illegally, pay a fine or go to jail than leave their cars two blocks away and walk to their destination. ~Armando Pires Do you ever get depressed? Angry? Tired? Confused? Then throw your hat in the air and your meds out the window because scientists at Essex University in the U.K. have identified a simple physiological cure that they claim dramatically reduces anger, confusion, fatigue and depression in humans. That's the good news. The better news is, it's universally accessible, easy to master, non-addictive, safe when taken as directed and cheap as borscht. They call it walking. Really. A team of Essex U. researchers tracked a study group of 1,252 walkers (various ages, men and women, dispositions ranging from happy to gloomy). The assignment was a simple one: get off your duff and go for a walk. Every day. In natural surroundings ­ in a park, along a river bank ­ through a forest if it was handy. The results were gobsmacking. Seventy-nine percent of the participants reported feeling more `centered'; 86 percent said they were less tense and 92 percent claimed they felt `happier' ­ even after a short walk. That was the biggest surprise. These walkers didn't traverse the Scottish Highlands or rappel down a cliff face in Wales. They went for short, gentle strolls well away from the bright lights. Researchers found that peoples' mood, selfesteem and overall mental health showed an improvement after just five minutes of simply walking in the woods. The most profoundly affected? Young people and folks with mental health issues ­ but absolutely everybody got a buzz. The Japanese have recognized this phenomenon for some time. Living in one of the most paved-over, built-up and altogether urbanized nations in the world has perhaps made them appreciate their precious green spaces more than Canadians. That's why so many Japanese have taken up the practice of shinrin-ryoho. Literally, it means forest therapy. In fact, it means going for a walk in the bush. According to a report in the Globe and Mail, there are 40 official forest therapy sites in Japan. They plan to increase that to over 100 in the next decade. Citizens are encouraged to come with their families or alone and immerse themselves for a few minutes ­ or hours ­ by going for a walk in surroundings conspicuously lacking sidewalks, roadways, vehicular traffic, concrete, neon or seething throngs of harassed humanity feverishly waiting for the lights to change. The researchers at Essex U. basically discovered what is old news to the Japanese. North America, please copy. We don't walk much on this continent. Even the urban Japanese average 7,168 steps a day. Adults in Western Australia are the world champs. They take an average of 9,695 steps a day. Americans limp in at a little better than half that ­ 5,117 steps per Yank per day. Canucks aren't exactly marathon class either. A study published in Health Reports shows that fortyone percent of us ­ nearly 11 million sluggos ­ admit to walking less than a half hour per week to get to school or work or do errands. That goes a long way towards explaining why the same study shows that one in three Canucks over the age of 20 is clinically overweight. Thirty-three percent of us. Check out the folks standing (more likely sitting) on either side of you. If they're both skinny ­ then it's you. The beauty of the walking cure is ­ it's cheap and simple. You don't have to get a doctor's certificate, join a health club or buy expensive gear. Just pull on a pair of sneakers and start putting one foot in front of the other. It's never too late ­ but a word of warning: results can be unexpected. Take my Uncle Vernon. Big smoker. Heavy drinker. Seriously overweight. On his sixty-first birthday he made a resolution to do something about it. He started out walking just one mile a day. That was just three weeks ago. Now we don't know where the hell he is. Classified Business Directory LARRY Debra Inglis Interior Design JACKSON PLUMBING & WATER CONDITIONING Automotive Specialties BRIAN COUVIER Licenced Technician 117 Mill St. Orono L0B 1M0 Custom Drapery "Energy Saving Specials" Dealer & Fine Finishes by T. 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