Work it – Do your kids walk to school?

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Work It

I used to walk 3 miles UPHILL in the snow every day to school! Sound familiar? Yea, my parents say it all the time, too. But a recent study shows that (not surprisingly) all that walking was doing them a lot of good. According to the new University of Buffalo study, a simple morning walk to school could reduce stress reactivity in children during the school day, curbing increases in heart rate and blood pressure that can lead to cardiovascular disease later in life.

The study showed the students who took a short walk to school in the morning reported less stress when taking exams and also experienced smaller elevations in blood pressure than students who got carted to and fro.

“The cardiovascular disease process begins in childhood, so if we can find some way of stopping or slowing that process, that would provide an important health benefit,” says James Roemmich, UB associate professor of pediatrics and exercise and nutrition science and senior investigator on the study, which he completed with graduate students Maya Lambiase and Heather Barry. “We know that physical activity has a protective effect on the development of cardiovascular disease, and one way it may be doing so is by reducing stress reactivity.”

Roemmich explains this study is the first to show that moderate-intensity exercise can reduce children’s cardiovascular reactivity during later, stressful activities.

So all of this leads me to my question…do your kids walk to school? Why or why not? If work schedules allow, it might be a nice activity for YOU to walk with them — that way you don’t worry about their safety and you get a work out, as well. What are your thoughts on this, I’d love to hear them!

7 Responses to “Work it – Do your kids walk to school?”

  1. Lisa @ I'm an Okie said:

    I never walked to school–although, I’m sure I would’ve loved to, but it was just too far.

    And if I had kids I don’t think I’d let them walk to school. The health benefits would be great, but there are too many crazies out there.

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  2. Emily @ For Sweets Sake said:

    my middle school was literally in my back yard, but we weren’t allowed to walk because there was no sidewalk! Obviously, not a problem for suburban or city living, but in the country, it’s not really an option to walk to school :(

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  3. Tina said:

    I never walked-too far. But my 16 year old has been walking to school since 6th grade. If you live within a mile from the school, you don’t get to take the bus. My 2 little ones still take it though & will for the next 3 years until they’re in 6th.

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  4. Michelle said:

    I am staying with my sister right now and we almost always walk her two children to school in the morning and I totally believe the results of this study. No matter how crazy the morning seems to be, the kids chill out during the walk to school and seem to be able to focus much better. The same applies with the walk home: they have enough time to process the things they need to do once they get home and make a mental “plan of attack”. Staying here makes me inspired to find a school my kids can walk to when I have them someday. I would just need to be able to take them because it is a scary world out there!

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  5. jassy said:

    funny comic strip! :)

    I used to walk to school when our house then was just several meters away from the school…:)

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  6. Shanna (shannalikebanana.wordpress.com) said:

    No babies yet, so no kids to walk.

    But I definitely had to walk to and from school when I was little..it was a 1 mile each way and one of those directions was completely uphill. No lie. I loved it though!

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  7. shelly@campinggirlchronicals said:

    I don’t have kids but I do teach some. Our school board has recently widened the area of our walkers to save money on busing… I secretly think that it was a good choice as far as the health of the kids is concerned. It was crazy how close the kids were that were being bused. We had MANY parents complain because it messed up their morning schedules or because they were not comfortable with the kids walking but in the end everyone adjusts and it is for the best.

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