Walk your way to health

Now that spring is finally here it’s time to get moving! Walking is the easiest, cheapest and often the most enjoyable form of exercise. It can boost energy, lower your weight, elevate your mood and reduce your risk of heart attack by half.

Walking 10,000 steps burns about 500 calories, and this is considered the minimum number for health maintenance. Walking 15,000 steps a day is ideal. This is where research shows a major reduction in risk factors for metabolic syndrome along with major health benefits. You should aim to walk at a pace that raises your heart and respiratory rates. You should be able to speak, but it shouldn’t be easy to carry on a conversation.

The minimum prescription for good health is 30 minutes of moderate intensity walking, five days per week. If you don’t have the 30 minutes to get those steps in at once, work it into your normal routine. Break it up into 10-minute sessions throughout the day.

If you are a total beginner, add more steps to your normal daily routine. Choose to park far away when you drive to work or are out doing errands. Use the stairs instead of the elevator. Get up and move around while working and try not to sit for more than an hour at a time. Even pacing around the house while you are on the phone will add steps! It won’t get you to 10,000 steps, but it is a great way to gradually build up the number of steps you take in a day if you aren’t used to walking.

If you are already in good shape, challenge yourself by adding intervals. Instead of doing an entire 30-minute walk at the same moderate pace, alternate 1-minute bursts of faster walking followed by a minute or two of slower-paced recovery. Research shows that walking with intervals decreased BMI and increased the amount of abdominal fat loss compared to walking at one pace. Walking up hills is another way to increase the intensity of a walk.

Walking is the most widely studied form of exercise. The benefits are vast — lower blood pressure and cholesterol, better memory and cognitive function, lower stress and improved mood and even longer longevity. And the only equipment required is a good pair of shoes.

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For more information, contact Dr. Wendy at haydenhealth@gmail.com.