I have often said walk out the door and you have available one of the most popular forms of exercise available. Walking! It is simple. Most of us can do it. There are so many health benefits from walking. Remember the article in Time magazine a few years ago about Alzheimer's? One of the points made was that 30 min. of walking 5 days a week can reduce your risks for Alzheimer's by almost 50%. That alone makes it worthwhile! Seven questions were addressed in the recent "Idea Fitness Journal" about walking. The second question, "What is Brisk Walking?", is one quite often asked. I have written previously that the ACSM recommends 30-60 minutes a day of moderate-intensity exercise 5 days a week. So how do we determine what is moderate-intensity exercise? Counting steps is one way. A recent study determined that walking at a pace of 100 steps per minute can meet the recommendation of moderate-intensity activity. Keep in mind that 30 minutes can be accumulative. You don't have to do it all at once. In fact, if this is all new for you I would absolutely recommend that you break it up into three 10 minute walks or two 15 minute walks. Everybody is different. You know your body better than I do and what is brisk for you might be a warm up for someone else or what is a someone else's brisk may be a warm-up for you. We are past the days of competing! Take care of yourself. So track your steps with a pedometer or an app on your phone or be old-fashioned. Look at the second hand on your watch and count 1,2,3.... and see where you stand.
Resource: IDEA Fitness Journal, October 2013 "Walking Extravaganza!" by James J. McCormick, Christine Mermier, PhD, and Len Kravitz, PhD
