Walk this way to live a decade longer

Most Kiwis don't realise that something as simple as walking to school or work could be the best thing they do to improve their health and live longer, emergency medicine expert Dr Gary Payinda says.
Dr Payinda has been answering readers' health questions for the past six months and says many people are looking to the latest fads, such as new diets, pills or exercise routines as the panacea to their health problems.
"But what many people don't seem to realise is that walking to school or work each day, or cycling, is probably the best thing they can do for their health," he says.
"Forget your low carb, or high protein or this diet or that diet. It may, though, be avoidance.
"It may be that people are trying not to think that they smoke and that will take five to 10 years off their life, or they are overweight and that will take five to 10 years off their life, or give them weight-related diabetes.
A lot of it can be simply just changing what you put into your body or increasing your exercise."
So why don't people really recognise these things, Dr Gary?
"Well, really there's no money to be made from getting people to walk to school or work. People can make a buck from getting you to Zumba or doing the Atkins Diet to better health, but you can save a buck by just getting out for a walk instead."
He says it's important people take more of an interest in their general health this will keep them alive longer.
Dr Gary loves working in the emergency department (ED), and first got the bug while in the US.
"In the US the emergency department is the only place you can go to to get medical attention if you don't have health insurance, and one of the only places that will see you regardless of your ability to pay," he says.
"I like that very much.
"It's high energy and there's always something unexpected happening - I can't see myself doing exactly the same thing day after day. With ED you never know what's going to happen next."
Dr Gary says generally New Zealanders have a better standard of health than Americans, and although our public health system has its problems, it provides good health care for all.
"America is very much a country of extremes and the standard of health in some sectors is much lower, which I don't think would be allowed in New Zealand. If you are uninsured in the US your health care can be pretty harsh. I prefer the NZ system," he says.
"I don't think people realise how much money is saved by having a single national provider of health care services, and those efficiencies for New Zealand are immense.
"Despite it having a few problems, it seems the ones who are most critical or want to change from a public health system to a private one are the people who can profit from its failure.
"But I like your public health service."

DR GARY'S TOP 10 SUMMER TIPS
The good weather's here, moods are upbeat, and joggers are out in force. Now's a good time to think about our bodies and our health. I've put together a top 10 list of things I'm working on this season. I encourage you to come up with your own.
* Walk the kids to school and bike to work. It's hard to make time to "exercise", but not so hard to incorporate at least some exertion into your daily routine.
* Have TV-free days at home. Practise doing things instead of watching others do things.
* Don't let unhealthy choices become part of your daily routine. Indulge occasionally, not daily.
* Wear a hat while outside. Keep one in the car and one in the house. Australasia's melanoma rates lead the world. Avoid UV exposure whenever you can.
* Plan beach trips for early morning or late afternoon to avoid the brunt of ultraviolet radiation, which peaks between 10am and 4pm.
* Buy junk food in small, overpriced quantities. No economy-sized jumbo packs. The more you buy, the more you'll eat.
* Keep the fruit bowl full and the junk food cupboard empty. Make healthy foods the default option.
* Grow something. Cook your own meals. Teach your kids that healthy food doesn't not come in a wrapper or tin.
* Model good drinking behaviour for your kids. Alcohol is far and away our biggest drug threat in terms of death, disability and monetary expense, yet it's prevalent, cheap, and socially accepted. Show your kids what responsible drinking looks like.
* Avoid health fads and diets. The biggest secret to adding a decade or so to your life is to avoid obesity, alcohol abuse, and smoking.