Walking

Have you ever stopped to think how much walking you do every day? We take dozens of little walking trips just to do errands and daily chores. Walking in the moonlight can energize the spirit and add pleasure to our quality of life.

Walking can also improve fitness and trim your body. Aerobic walking increases the efficiency of your heart and lungs, lowers blood pressure and resting heart rate, relieves stress, raises metabolism, improves muscle tone, and improves the health of the bones. If your pace is too slow, however, you will not get the aerobic benefits.

If you are out of shape, overweight, or older, begin your exercise program with walking, not jogging. Keep your pace slow at first, then gradually increase the speed of walking. You need to exercise gently and then rest, exercise gently and rest, over and over. Gradually you will get fitter and your resting heart rate will decrease. Then your body will be ready to begin jogging, not before. If your goal is to lose fat, exercise for long periods of brisk walking. Duration and frequency are key factors.

If you walk at a fast pace over long distances, you need to wear good shoes with adequate cushioning. This is especially important for overweight walkers. Walking ought to be comfortable. If your knees and hip joints are constantly uncomfortable at a brisk walking pace, you may do better with hiking, bicycling, or even jogging.

Sudden demands on your muscles, like running up stairs, pedaling a bike, or lifting a heavy weight, may cause the muscles to burn. The burn indicates lack of oxygen and a build-up of lactic acid in those muscles. Slow walking is the best way to get rid of lactic acid and recover from the burn. The more aerobically trained you are, the less you will feel the burn. This means you can exercise longer and harder before getting the burn.

Always warm-up for 5 to 10 minutes. Walk slowly and stretch before you start a faster workout. Be sure to cool down for 10 to 15 minutes by strolling and stretching again.

Adults should get at least 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise most days of the week, preferably daily. (Children need at least 60 minutes a day.) Doing less than this will minimize your health benefits. Moderate aerobic exercise is generally defined as requiring about as much energy as walking 2 miles in 30 minutes.

Check with your healthcare provider before you start an exercise program. Choose exercise and fitness activities that you enjoy.

Last Reviewed: 2005

Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

HIL File EXER3117.rf2 VRS# 7469 Data Version 7.0 Copyright 1998, 2002 McKesson Health Solutions LLC. All rights reserved.