Questionnaire

The Murthy Clinic

Notes that Nourish

One

The National Library of Medicine has a research paper titled; Association of Daily Step Patterns With Mortality in US Adults.

The paper evaluated moderate walking on a few days per week as opposed to those who undertook physical activity in a more condensed way, ie at the gym for a short duration of time, the term they used “weekend warriors”. The paper discusses how…

“inactivity is one of the major public health issues worldwide, contributing to an estimated 3.2 million deaths”…

The paper illustrates why I practice taking a break with a simple exercise, walking, whenever possible, not only to get as many steps as possible into my day but also to contribute to my overall health and wellbeing by being outside among other people in daylight.

The conclusion from the paper states:

In this cohort study of US adults, the number of days per week taking 8000 steps or more was associated with a lower risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in a curvilinear fashion. These findings suggest that individuals may receive substantial health benefits by walking just a couple days a week.

Dr Vijay Murthy.

Two

After Covid you may well have heard media discussing the pros and cons of vitamin D associated with better health outcomes for people with higher levels against those with low levels.

Many of us due to lack of sunlight and/or exposure to artificial lighting, are not benefiting from those crucial early morning rays of light to produce this essential fat-soluble hormone and therefore help our bodies absorb calcium so essential for overall health.

Through research we are now starting to better understand the role of vitamin D in healthy brain function and even how a lack can contribute to some neurological problems including Parkinsons and Alzhiemers.

It is already well understood that being outside in the sunlight can help with maintaining vitamin D as well as setting our circadian rhythm ensuring our body clock is exposed to the actual time of day rather than constant unnatural light leading to a perpetual and confusing daylight mode for our minds and bodies. However, for those of us with darker skins, or fair skin covered with sunscreen, or because of the weather and lack of sun, the actual amount of vitamin D available is often reduced, this is why supplementation can be useful if appropriate for you as an individual.

Patients consulting The Murthy Clinic are provided with a health summery after their visit and this can include supplementation. I also suggest testing wherever possible to evaluate each persons actual blood-work making it easy to gauge what is actually needed for the individual and is why I say to everyone, Test don't guess.

For me I find the research and connection between brain health and supplements fascinating, but then I read papers like others devour the latest novel. Currently there looks to be evidence to actually support simple things to help ourselves such as walking, which can provide a huge value for little effort and no cost. Hopefully more research especially in the devastating neurological problems will become available very soon as there are clearly many more benefits to this essential vitamin than most are aware of.

Three

We are all creatures of habit and if these are not healthy ones they can still stick and even become habitual. You may have seen a SM post on mediation and thought, I need this and will try, but not yet started. Or looked out of your window and decided, you will exercise, but later. What I call the tomorrow approach and tomorrow never actually comes. Personally I find it easier to create new habits when I take time for myself by reseting my body and mind, moving away from whatever work-rut I am currently stuck in and embracing a few moments of movement especially walking.

Our minds crave new experiences and stimulation, which is why scrolling on Social Media is so addictive as we scroll ever quicker for the next most interesting thing. In the 70s and early 80s experiments were designed to test if rats in a fun setting (rat park) would be less likely to succumb to addictive substances than those in solitary confinement. The rats in the “rat parks” who had lots of fun activities and socialisation ate far less of the addictive substances than the fellow isolated rats in bare cages, it is thought because they were stimulated with both activity and well socialised.

While working, or even in life without work, if we take a break and walk we are exposed to different stimuli, be it urban or nature, this gives our brain a chance to stop and take in new things. Fresh air, sunlight, rain, sounds of birds or people, whatever we are exposed to by walking and being outside we are taking a pause to go inwards whilst still moving. Experiencing our reality as a human being rather than a mind carried around by a body, so in this way much like the rats, we crave social connection and activity to move away from addictive behaviours and towards health and socialisation, after all we are ill equipped to live in isolation having spent the whole of history working together in groups.

Another benefit of walking is it allows a break to just be. This is normally the realm of spiritual gurus and teachers such as Deepak Chopra and Eckhart Tolle, who often suggest sitting still and going inwards, which is fine unless you already spend your days alone and not moving from the chair. I think that we also need to move and have become as a society too sedentary, by walking and being active we can allow our body to calm as we move, taking in our actual surroundings and allowing our natural creativity to flow again.

In between my work while walking I consider patients seen and enjoy some personal space to reconnect with nature. My breathing slows, my heart rate stabilises, (I know this because my Fitbit informs me), and I am able to take in the sights, life and sounds around me. In breaking my compulsion to continue working and not stop, participating in a simple walk I return to the Harley Street Clinic refreshed and reinvigorated for the next patient and inspired from the ideas that have found a space to surface in my mind.

Next time you find yourself thinking that going for a walk is a waste of time and that completing the pile of work on your computer or desk is the sensible option, try to remember that a pause can mean your performance and creative mind will be better able to complete these tasks.