Walk This Way
Thoreau referred to a walk in the morning as a “blessing for the whole day”. I certainly agree. Have you ever noticed how a walk can change the state of things around you and inside of you? One of the many aspects I love about walking is that it can be done anytime and anywhere. All you really need is a decent pair of walking shoes and weather-appropriate clothing and you’re good to go. Plus, walking offers numerous benefits both physically and mentally.
Walking promotes clearer and more optimistic thinking. A clinical trial published in the January 2006 issue of the Journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise showed that men and women participating in regular physical activity had a lower incidence of depression and greater overall emotional well-being. Another study featuring a large group of elderly gentlemen demonstrated statistical improvement in their cognitive function in addition to increases in their physical fitness and activity level.
Schedule a walk everyday – you don’t necessarily have to go out for hours at a time. Walking just two miles per day at a moderate pace may not only help you feel better emotionally, but it will also encourage fat burning and a healthier metabolism overall . Not only that, but the benefits of walking appear to last well beyond the thirty minutes to an hour that you’re actually out walking. During the following 24-hour period the body is more metabolically efficient than if you hadn’t walked at all.
If you are walking on a flat surface, you’ll burn a certain number of calories, about 5 calories per minute at a 3.0 mile an hour pace. When you walk this same pace but increase your incline by about 10%, the calorie burn increases to 7 or 8 calories per minute. The calorie burn increases again when you increase by 20% and so on. What also happens at the increased incline is that you get your heart to beat a little harder. This actually strengthens your heart muscle. You may even break more of a sweat.
Sweating is great. Most of the time when I see walkers on the street or in the gym, they aren’t walking fast enough. Rarely do I see a walker break a sweat. This is because walking typically doesn’t take a huge effort. Still, most walkers are physically capable and ready to increase the pace and/or level of intensity by adding hill (or incline) workouts. If you have a known heart or lung condition that may prevent you from increasing the intensity of your walking workout then by all means check with your doctor prior to embarking on a more intense program. You may need to perform a stress test on the treadmill to insure that adding intensity isn’t going to put too much stress on your heart.
You don’t need to go out everyday and find the highest mountain to climb. Alternating the flats with the hills is a great way to condition your heart and your legs. If you live in the “flats” here is an example of one walking workout that you can try indoors on a treadmill. Begin your normal walking routine at your typical pace (usually between 2.5 to 4 mph). After five minutes, try increasing your pace by about 0.5 miles per hour. After five more minutes at this quicker pace, try increasing your incline by 10%. Maintain this pace and incline another five minutes. If you notice your breathing is too labored then you can either slow the pace or decrease the incline. If you still have not started to break a sweat, then increase your incline by another 10%. To perform a similar routine outdoors, increase your pace on the flats and when you come to the hills, see if you can maintain the increased pace.
Varying the incline of your walking will also tone and shape your legs in a new way. There is a greater tendency to recruit muscles from your hips and buttocks on the hills and your calves will also thank you. Also remember to cool down for at least five minutes at the end of your walk. You can do this by slowing down your pace and continuing to walk on the flats and even lunging a bit while you walk. I also advocate stretching afterwards. A great resource for stretching is the book “Stretching” by Bob Anderson and Jean Anderson. I highly recommend it.
February 23, 2010
by Optimum WellnessComments
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