Change your thinking and your body this spring with a daily walking program that rewards every step. It's easy to start and doesn't require special equipment. Best of all, it works.
Just ask Dorine Watson.
The New Yorker literally walked herself in half in 12 months. Dorine's weight dropped from 265 pounds to 130. Her dress size shrunk from size 28 to 5. And her self-esteem went through the roof. Before and after photographs of the 41-year-old mother of three were so dramatic, they landed her a spot on the Oprah Winfrey show last year.
Dorine, who is the same age as Winfrey, wasn't intimidated by the toned talk show host. "Many people look at her and say, `Oh, she's wealthy. She's got a personal trainer. She's got a cook. That's why she's so fit.' Well, I didn't have any of those things. But I did have desire, two good feet, and a pair of walking shoes that I used every day."
Fitness walking, or walking briskly at about a 15-minute-mile pace, has quickly become the most popular way to stay fit in this country, surpassing running, biking, aerobics, and weight lifting.
More than 16 million people take two or more walks each week, reports American Sports Data Inc. It's easy to see when consider all that walking can do for you:
* One hour of brisk walking at five miles per hour, or 12 minutes per mile, bums 530 calories versus 480 for jogging. Walkers take more steps and use their arms more.
* Walking one mile in 16 minutes lowers cholesterol levels the same amount as running a mile in seven to 10 minutes, according to research by Terry Kavanaugh, M.D., a
cardiologist at the Toronto Rehabilitation Center. Even slow walking can improve a woman's HDL, or "good" cholesterol. A study of sedentary, overweight, premenopausal women at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research showed that even those walking at a leisurely 3 mph pace enjoyed HDL gains of four to six percent.
* Walking is easier on your joints. Tests conducted at the University of Manachusetts show that a walker's foot lands with only 1.5 times the force of body weight. Running puts three times the force on your feet
Kenneth Cooper, M.D., the man credited with invent ing aerobics, even made unexpected changes in his own exercise regime after conducting several walking studies at his Dallas-based institute. "I became less concerned about getting my running in every night if I could get an appropriate amount of walking. I never would have considered that before," he says. "Now I go aerobic walking an hour after our evening meal and it doesn't bother me like a run would. Plus, I can come back the next day and run two miles in seventeen minutes. I'm walking more than ever before--probably half walking and half running--and haven't lost anything as a runner."
Getting started. To achieve the maximum benefits of walking, you must be consistent. By logging at least two miles a day, four or more days a week, at an appropriate target heart rate, your weight will decrease as your overall health increases. Be sure to check with your doctor before starting a walking program, especially if you have a history of heart disease.
"The main reason people give for not starting a walking program is they don't have enough time," says Mark Fenton, coauthor of The 90-Day Fitness Walking Program ($10, 1995, Prigee). "You hear, `I've got to pick up the kids. I've got to make lunches. I've got to get to work. I've got to work through lunch.'"
Fenton, a five-time member of the U.S. National Racewalking Team, a former research engineer at Reebok, and a senior editor at Walking magazine, recommends you start walking for 10 minutes a day for the first three weeks. Within three months, you can be walking briskly for 30 minutes a day, six days a week.
National fitness guidelines call for adults to accumulate 30 minutes or more a day of moderately intense physical activity. But the activity doesn't have to be all at once. If you can't squeeze in a 30-minute walk, take three, 10-minute walks.
James Rippe, M.D., a cardiologist and associate professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, says he doesn't recommend logging any more than five miles a day. "There doesn't seem to be much additional benefit beyond that level," he says.
You'll get the same health benefits walking on a motorized treadmill as you would if you walk outside, says Dr. Rippe. If you do your walking on a treadmill, Dr. Rippe recommends adding several degrees of incline to increase the workload and simulate walking uphill. By walking up an inclined treadmill at a normal pace, you can bum the same number of calories as a jogger on a flat surface.
While working up to a 15-minute mile is optimal, maintaining such a constant pace isn't always easy as the terrain and conditions change. A good way to tell if you're working hard enough is how well you can maintain conversation. If comfort able conversation is difficult, then you're most likely conditioning your cardiovascular system.
"If you can't just that continuously while walking, that's a good sign," says Fenton. "Don't be afraid to make it a workout."
If you or someone in your family has a history of heart problems, ask your doctor about determining your target heart rate or invest in a heart-rate monitor. The monitors, which strap around your chest, are sold in most sporting goods stores for around $100
Suit up for comfort. A comfortable pair of shoes and socks is all you really need to start walking. When buying a pair of walking shoes, try on at least three different brands, Fenton says. During the fitting, there should be a thumbnail's width between the shoe's end and big toe' The heel shouldn't slip, and the arch cushion should rest m your arch.
"Most people should walk in shoes that were designed for walking," says Fenton. "The higher heels on 'running shoes can cause shin pain m walkers while cross-training shoes tend to be a bit heavy."
Whatever you strap to your feet, be sure to do some light stretching before and after your walk. To keep your lower back, legs, and shins loose, be sure to stretch your Achilles tendon, hamstring, quadriceps, and calf muscles. Also, walk for five minutes before you start your program to warm up muscles.
And leave all the gimmicks at home. Martin Rudow, former Olympic walking coach and chief walking judge at the 1996 Olympics, (see below) says the best way to walk is empty handed.
"Walking with hand weights, ski poles, and the like adds little or nothing to a workout," Rudow says. "They might increase your heart rate a bit or build some different muscles, but they also slow down the pace and complicate things."
"Simplify, simplify, simplify," he adds. "That's my creed for keeping this fun."
RELATED ARTICLE: HOW TO WALK FOR THE BEST RESULT
Everyone knows how to walk, but most people don't know how to walk for the greatest benefit, says Martin Rudow, 1988 Olympic walking coach and chief walking judge at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
"People either overstride, thinking big steps are better, or they don't relax, which is like walking with the brakes on," he says. "Both can be easily corrected." He offers a few suggestions:
* Relax when walking. That doesn't mean going slow or avoiding hard work. It means consciously eliminating tension from your thinking and your body. And stand up straight!
* Bend your arms at an 85-degree angle and vigorously drive them with each stride for optimum balance and power. The easiest way to picture this is by standing sideways to a mirror with your arms at your side. Keep your upper arms next to your ribs while raising your lower arms until they are level with the floor, then raise them five more degrees. You should look like a cowboy who has just drawn a pair of six-shooters.
Next, practice driving both arms in opposition while they are bet at this angle. As one swings forward from the shoulder, the other drives back like an opposing piston. Your forearms should be brushing against your hips with each stride to keep energy directed forward.
To keep a compact, efficient stride, look at your hands in the mirror. When pumping forward, they should not rise above mid chest. Pumping backward they shouldn't extend behind your hips.
* Keep the heel of your leading leg from touching the ground until your body is almost directly over that leg. This makes it easier to drive your leg and hip backward with each step, which also firms up the buttocks and large leg muscles. This heel-to-toe motion may be difficult at first because of weak shin muscles. If you make this change gradually, however, your body will adapt as strength increases.
* Make a commitment to regular walking. Rudow advises keeping a separate calendar 6r recording workouts. "It's gratifying to see the days fill up with two-, three-, and four-mile walks," he says, "But what's really great is watching a body and attitude improve. Walking changes lives."
Rudow's instructional walking video, "Maximum Walking," sells for $21.70. (To order, call 800/925-5629.)
COPYRIGHT 1996 Meredith Corporation
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group
