Two recent studies show the impact that walking speed can have on people’s health. A French study in the British Medical Journal (tracking 3,000+ older people for five years) found that people with the slowest walking speed had a significantly increased risk of death compared to those who walked the fastest—including a threefold increased rate of cardiovascular death. A new clinical trial from the University…
Green spaces aren’t just for nature – they boost our mental health too–New Scientist, March 24, 2021 We’re beginning to understand just how vital access to natural space is for our mental wellbeing—and the mounting research (well-presented in this article) has big implications for how we could build greener, nature-rich cities post-pandemic that could boost human health and redress social inequality. Stanford study into “Zoom…
C. Victor Brick, CEO of Planet Fitness Growth Partners and the founder of the John W. Brick Mental Health Foundation, on the Future of Wellness. C. Victor Brick has 35 years of success in the fitness industry and is CEO of Planet Fitness Growth Partners (PFGP), the largest privately owned Planet Fitness franchise with 80+ clubs in the US and Australia. He’s chairman of the…
Insufficient sleep (quantity and quality) is a global health epidemic that has serious public health and economic costs. To help tackle this crisis, the GWI has launched a Sleep Initiative, which will uncover the evidence-based strategies that contribute to restorative sleep and how to incorporate these into lifestyles, homes and hotels. The Initiative is co-chaired by Allison Howard, founder and CEO of Nollapelli, and Francisco…
A new study (on mice) by UC Riverside found that eating too much sugar and fat in childhood can alter microbiomes for life, even if you eat healthier later in life. An early-life Western diet led to a significant decrease in the total number and diversity of gut bacteria, and while regular exercise positively impacted gut bacteria, a bad early-life diet had more long-lasting effects…
The pandemic as a wake-up call for personal health–New York Times, March 10, 2021 An important reflection on what the pandemic has taught us about the cost of our failure to focus on preventative health, diet and exercise, and combatting obesity—and the “misguided reliance on medicine to patch up…our self-inflicted wounds.” With obesity the second leading risk factor for death from COVID-19 (behind age), and…
