A Dozen ways To Improve Walking Workout

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From the Balanced Health Group

 

A Dozen ways To Improve Walking Workout

 

Of all the ways to stay fit, walking is the easiest, safest, and

cheapest.

It can also be the most fun: a fine day, a good companion, an

attainable

goal (say, a scenic spot) three or four miles away. On city streets,

in the

woods, or even round and round the high school track, walking is the

best

way to experience a landscape. If it's too rainy for anything but a

treadmill indoors, at least you can read or watch TV. And after your

workout

you know you've done yourself some good.

Briskly walking one mile (brisk usually means 3.5 to 4 miles per

hour) burns

nearly as many calories as running a mile at a moderate pace, and

confers

similar fitness and health benefits. Even strolling or slow walking

(about 2

miles per hour) confers some benefits. This was seen in a new

Harvard study

of almost 40,000 female health professionals, which found that

walking as

little as an hour a week, at any pace, reduces the risk of coronary

artery

disease. Longer and more vigorous walking produced a greater risk

reduction.

 

Here's how to get more out of your walking workouts and to vary your

routine:

• Try to walk briskly for at least half an hour every day, or one

hour four

times a week. If you weigh 150 pounds, walking at 3.5 miles an hour

on flat

terrain burns about 300 calories per hour. So this schedule would

burn about

1,100 calories a week (studies show that burning 1,000 to 2,000

calories a

week in exercise helps protect against heart disease). If you can't

work

that into your schedule, try more frequent, shorter walks.

•Make an effort to walk as much as possible. Skip elevators and

escalators

and take the stairs. Leave the car at home if you can walk the mile

or two

to a friend's house. Walk to work, at least part of the way.

• Another approach: get a pedometer and see how many steps you take

a day.

Aim for 3,000, and then try to work up to at least 5,000 steps

(about 2.5

miles for the average stride) in the course of your daily

activities. Some

Japanese health officials advise 10,000 steps as a goal, though

there is no

magic number. To achieve the higher goals, you'll have to include

some brisk

exercise walking in addition to walking at home and at work.

• If you want to go faster, instead of taking longer steps, take

faster

steps. Lengthening your stride can increase strain on your feet and

legs.

• Swing your arms. One good option: bend them at 90° and pump from

the

shoulder, like race walkers do. Swing them naturally, as if you're

reaching

for your wallet in your back pocket. On the swing forward, your

wrist should

be near the center of your chest. Move your arms in opposition to

your

legs—swing your right arm forward as you step forward with your left

leg.

Keep your wrists straight, your hands unclenched, and elbows close

to your

sides. The vigorous arm pumping allows for a quicker pace, and

provides a

good workout for your upper body. And you'll burn 5 to 10% more

calories.

• Add some interval training. For example, speed up for a minute or

two

every five minutes. Or alternate one fast mile with two slower

miles.

• Choose varied terrains. Walking on grass or gravel burns more

calories

than walking on a track. And walking on soft sand increases caloric

expenditure by almost 50%, if you can keep up the pace.

• Walk up and down hills to build strength and stamina and burn more

calories. Combine hill walking with your regular flat-terrain

walking as a

form of interval training. When walk-ing uphill, lean forward

slightly—it's

easier on your leg muscles. Walking downhill can be harder on your

body,

especially the knees, than walking uphill, and may cause muscle

soreness, so

slow your pace, keep your knees slightly bent, and take shorter

steps.

• Try a walking stick or poles. A walking stick is helpful for

balance,

especially for older people. To enhance your upper-body workout, use

lightweight, rubber-tipped trekking poles, sold in many sporting-

goods

stores. This is like cross-country skiing without the skis. When you

step

forward with the left foot, the right arm with the pole comes

forward and is

planted on the ground, about even with the heel of the left foot.

This works

the muscles of your chest and arms as well as some abdominals, while

reducing the stress on your knees. Find the right size poles by

testing them

in the store: you should be able to grip the pole and keep your

forearm

about level as you walk. Many poles are now adjustable.

• Use hand weights, but carefully. Hand weights can boost your

caloric

expenditure, but they may alter your arm swing and thus lead to

muscle

soreness or even injury. They're generally not recommended for

people with

high blood pressure or heart disease. If you want to use them, start

with

one-pound weights and increase the weight gradually. The weights

shouldn't

add up to more than 10% of your body weight. Ankle weights are not

recommended, as they increase the chance of injury.

• Try backward walking for a change of pace. It is demanding, since

it's a

novel activity for most people. Even a slow pace (2 mph) provides

fairly

intense training. " Retro " walking is also a good option if you're

trying to

vary your workout on a treadmill or stair-climbing machine. And if

you're

recovering from a knee injury, it may help. Be careful when going

back-wards

outdoors: choose a smooth surface and keep far away from traffic,

trees,

potholes, and other exercisers. A deserted track is ideal. If

possible, work

out with a spotter, a forward-walking partner who can keep you from

bumping

into something and help pace you. To avoid muscle soreness, start

slowly:

don't try to walk backward more than a quarter mile the first week.

Elderly

exercisers or anyone else with balance problems should not retro

walk.

• Choose the right shoes. Avoid stiff-soled shoes that don't

bend. " Walking shoes " have flexible soles and stiff heel counters to

prevent side-to-side motion. But for normal terrain, any

comfortable, cushioned, lightweight, low-heeled shoes will do.

 

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