Skeemer
02-03-2004, 09:44
I picked up the following piece off the internet and thought some of you would get a kick out of it:
It's fine to walk and chew gum, but never ever walk and talk. That's the warning from Austrailian researchers at Queensland University who insist doing both at the same time can result in serious injury. This is why: Breathing and speech are controlled by the same part of the brain, so failure to focus on one or the other increases the risk of getting hurt. (Bad news for hikers who like to chit chat with each other, especially while walking on rooty, rocky paths.) Deutsche Presse-Agentur reports that when we walk and talk at the same time, it could cause a break in the stream of signals from the central nervous system that in turn can result in the stomach muscles failing to protect the spine. The result: A spasm of back pain or even a fall. Led by Paul Hodges, the Queensland researchers came to their surprising conclusions after monitoring the tummy muscles of volunteers walking on treadmills. All was well until they started to talk. It was then that the researchers noticed less stomach muscle activity, which they say predicts an increased risk of an accident. The study findings sere presented on Friday to the meeting of the Australian Neuroscolence Society in Melborne
Geez, now I know why my hiking partners were always telling me to "shut up!"
All the time I was taking it personal and here they really cared about my safety. :)
It's fine to walk and chew gum, but never ever walk and talk. That's the warning from Austrailian researchers at Queensland University who insist doing both at the same time can result in serious injury. This is why: Breathing and speech are controlled by the same part of the brain, so failure to focus on one or the other increases the risk of getting hurt. (Bad news for hikers who like to chit chat with each other, especially while walking on rooty, rocky paths.) Deutsche Presse-Agentur reports that when we walk and talk at the same time, it could cause a break in the stream of signals from the central nervous system that in turn can result in the stomach muscles failing to protect the spine. The result: A spasm of back pain or even a fall. Led by Paul Hodges, the Queensland researchers came to their surprising conclusions after monitoring the tummy muscles of volunteers walking on treadmills. All was well until they started to talk. It was then that the researchers noticed less stomach muscle activity, which they say predicts an increased risk of an accident. The study findings sere presented on Friday to the meeting of the Australian Neuroscolence Society in Melborne
Geez, now I know why my hiking partners were always telling me to "shut up!"
All the time I was taking it personal and here they really cared about my safety. :)