I have often wondered where the celebration of April Fools Day originated and found some interesting(but somewhat vague) information. Some believe the day is celebrated in honor of the trickery Mother Nature plays on us this time of year with her unpredictable weather. I have also read that the earliest reference to this day of potential pranking started back in the 1300’s- being noted in the Gregorian calendar. April Fool’s Day is also mentioned in Britain’s Gentlemans Magazine back in 1776! That certainly leaves for a few centuries of tom foolery!
April is also the month we celebrate National One Cent Day, Find a Rainbow Day and Hug a Newsperson Day! We have missed National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day(April 2nd) but not to worry….National Caramel Day and Deep Dish Pizza Day is April 5th!! You can also wait and celebrate National Carmel Popcorn Day or even better yet, National Sorry Charlie Day on April 6th.
Who thinks of these things???
One National Day to consider celebrating this month is on April 6th: National Walking Day. So I have decided to list the 10 top reasons for walking, according to Medicinenet.com.
1. Walking prevents type 2 diabetes. The Diabetes Prevention Program showed that walking 150 minutes per week and losing just 7% of your body weight (12-15 pounds) can reduce your risk of diabetes by 58%.
2. Walking strengthens your heart if you’re male. In one study, mortality rates among retired men who walked less than one mile per day were nearly twice that among those who walked more than two miles per day.
3.Walking strengthens your heart if you’re female. Women in the Nurse’s Health Study (72,488 female nurses) who walked three hours or more per week reduced their risk of a heart attack or other coronary event by 35% compared with women who did not walk.
4. Walking is good for your brain. In a study on walking and cognitive function, researchers found that women who walked the equivalent of an easy pace at least 1.5 hours per week had significantly better cognitive function and less cognitive decline than women who walked less than 40 minutes per week. Think about that!
5. Walking is good for your bones. Research shows that postmenopausal women who walk approximately one mile each day have higher whole-body bone density than women who walk shorter distances, and walking is also effective in slowing the rate of bone loss from the legs.
6. Walking helps alleviate symptoms of depression. Walking for 30 minutes, three to five times per week for 12 weeks reduced symptoms of depression as measured with a standard depression questionnaire by 47%.
7. Walking reduces the risk of breast and colon cancer. Women who performed the equivalent of one hour and 15 minutes to two and a half hours per week of brisk walking had an 18% decreased risk of breast cancer compared with inactive women. Many studies have shown that exercise can prevent colon cancer, and even if an individual person develops colon cancer, the benefits of exercise appear to continue both by increasing quality of life and reducing mortality.
8. Walking improves fitness. Walking just three times a week for 30 minutes can significantly increase cardiorespiratory fitness.
9. Walking in short bouts improves fitness, too! A study of sedentary women showed that short bouts of brisk walking (three 10-minute walks per day) resulted in similar improvements in fitness and were at least as effective in decreasing body fatness as long bouts (one 30-minute walk per day).
10. Walking improves physical function. Research shows that walking improves fitness and physical function and prevents physical disability in older persons.
Lets raise our wooden spoons and spatulas to National Cookie Day! According to NationalDayCalendar.com, our English word, cookie, was derived from the Dutch work ‘koekie’, which means ‘little cake’.
