A walk on the bright side

Walking has a bit of an image problem. It's what we do between more important things - to the car, to the shops, to the fridge. It rarely gets the credit that running, swimming or a fancy gym class do. But two studies suggest the humble walk is quietly working on parts of life we'd never think to thank it for: your marriage and your gut. Yes, in that order.

Two for the road

Every long-married couple knows the drill. One of you says "we need to talk", and the other suddenly remembers the bins. Sitting face to face across the kitchen table can feel like an interview neither of you applied for.

Researchers at Brigham Young University in the United States looked at around 1,700 married couples taking part in a long-running study of marriage. Couples who exercised together - most often simply by going for a walk - reported better communication, calmer ways of settling disagreements and less stress in the marriage than those who didn't. The biggest difference was in communication: feeling listened to and heard. And here's a surprise: around six in ten of the spouses exercised, but only about a third of couples did it together.

Now the honest part. These were young, newly married couples in America, not long-settled pairs in the Algarve. And the study shows a link, not proof - happier couples may simply be more likely to go for walks together in the first place. The lead researcher, Jeremy Yorgason, is refreshingly modest: "While the impact is not necessarily large, it is very consistent."

I like it anyway, because it rings true. There's something about walking side by side, eyes on the path rather than on each other, that lets conversation flow. Tricky subjects feel a little less tricky when you're both looking at the sea. I suspect that's half the secret.

So, if there's a conversation you've been putting off - or simply someone you'd like to hear more from - try having it on the move. A loop of the seafront, the long way round to the café. No gym membership required, just two pairs of comfortable shoes. And Portugal makes it easy: seafront promenades, riverside paths, a slow lap of the village square after dinner, just as the locals have done for generations.

Sometimes the best way to face each other is not to.

The walk that gets things moving

Let's talk about a subject this column has so far politely avoided. Constipation is something nearly all of us deal with at some point - more often as the years go by - yet almost nobody mentions it over coffee. Allow me to enlighten you!

Researchers at Fujita Health University in Japan wanted to know how quickly walking affects the gut. They asked 21 healthy young adults to lie down while an electronic stethoscope listened to their stomachs, walk on a treadmill for 20 minutes at a comfortable pace, then lie down again. Within a minute or two of finishing, the gurgles and rumbles that signal a gut at work had jumped. Their loudness nearly doubled, and they were heard far more often. "Walking can serve as an effective, immediate tool for stimulating bowel function," says senior author Yohei Otaka.

Now, the small print - and there's a fair bit of it. Twenty-one people is a tiny study. They were young and healthy, not constipated. Nobody stayed lying down for comparison, and the boost faded within minutes. Bowel sounds are also only a clue to what the gut is doing, not a direct measurement. No one has shown that a walk cures constipation.

But it fits with advice doctors have given for years, and I find it rather satisfying to hear the science behind it. If things are sluggish, a gentle 20-minute stroll after breakfast is free, has no side effects and might just help. It needn't be fast, either - the volunteers walked at whatever pace felt comfortable, more amble than march. Pair it with water and plenty of fibre - the wholegrain bread from our last column counts! Anyone with a lasting change in bowel habits, pain or bleeding should see their GP rather than lace up their trainers.

Sometimes the best way to get things moving is to get moving.

Neither study turns walking into a miracle. But together they make a lovely, cheering case for the most underrated exercise there is. It's free, it's gentle, it works on the bits we don't talk about - and it might just help us talk more. So go on - take a walk on the bright side. Ideally with someone you love.

Do you know your number?

Spotlight · Blood pressure

Here's one of the easiest health wins going: high blood pressure is very treatable - once you know you have it. The catch is that it rarely announces itself. Portugal's last national health survey with physical check-ups, in 2015, found that more than a third of adults aged 25 to 74 had high blood pressure, rising to around seven in ten of those aged 65 to 74 - and roughly three in ten of them didn't know. A new study of about 1.4 million adults in England found much the same: almost six in ten people with high blood pressure had never been diagnosed or treated. The good news?

Many pharmacies in Portugal will check yours without an appointment - just ask about any charge and sit quietly for a few minutes first. If it's high, your GP or health centre can help. If it's healthy, enjoy the bragging rights!