Wonders of Walking

Walking may seem to be putting minimal demand on the body to qualify as an effective endurance exercise, but nothing could be further from the truth.As a matter of fact, walking ranks among the top five aerobics activities in the benefits it can produce in the body."It just takes longer to achieve the same level of fitness with walking than with running or some of the more strenuous activities, " said Kenneth Cooper in his best seller 'Running without fear'.

Walking exercises rank 44th, 51st, 57th, 62nd and 64th in calorie loss among 78 'training and sports activities' tested by the Harvard Heart Letter, the monthly advisory on the latest developments in heart related matters.Running 16 kmph tops the list with 1, 466 calories burnt in an hour by a person weighing 84 kg.Race walking is 44th with 578 calories burnt per hour.It's behind scuba diving, sledding, touch football, rock climbing and beach volleyball.

A 15-year National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2009, concluded that people who walked 35 minutes daily weighed 8kg less than non-walkers.A separate series of 18 studies that tracked nearly 4.6 lakhs people over an average of 11.3 years concluded that walking reduced cardiovascular risk by 31 per cent and death by 32 per cent.

"You cut your risk more if you walk faster or longer, " Harvard Men's Health Watch reported.

Cooper, who started the 'running' revolution in America and also introduced the concept of aerobics to the world, in his book 'Controlling Cholesterol' said: "You should walk 3.2 km three times weekly during Week One if you are 30 to 50 years old, increase your daily walk to 4 km in Week Five to 4.8km in Week Eight, and increase your frequency to four times weekly in Week Three and five times weekly in Week Six.If you are using walking as your sole conditioner, you should work up to walking about 4.8km in 45 minutes.Also it's necessary to follow this routine four to five times a week, " said Cooper and added: "Older people should walk shorter distances four times a week."

BENEFITS OF WALKING

Walking is an outstanding activity for those who are susceptible to joint, bone or muscle injuries that may accompany running.Walking will lower blood pressure, reduce chances of a heart attack by up to 50 per cent, increase 'good cholesterol' (high density lipoprotein/HDL) and strengthen the heart (which will reduce risk of heart disease).Walking can also help in weight loss and shed excess body fat, especially during old age when the metabolism begins to slow down and weightgaining tendency increases.It can also keep one safe from osteoporosis, diabetes, all forms of arthritis and clot-induced strokes.Scientific studies have further shown that walking can help reduce depression - the fresh air that one takes in when walking outside also does the body and mind a world of good.It increases flexibility by strengthening the muscles, bones and joints, thereby toning the body and more importantly, it even ensures proper sleep at night.

ALL THAT YOU WILL NEED

"All it takes to be a walker is a good pair of comfortable, supportive walking shoes with a sole thick enough to protect your feet from bruises.Any pair of good jogging shoes will serve the purpose quite well, " said Kenneth Cooper.

WARM-UP |

This should consist of 2 to 3 minutes of exercises that are not very demanding.Stretching such as touching your toes, bending sideways, forward and backward, rotating your arms, elbows, head, upper body, pelvic region etc are quite important.Difficult exercises like pullups, push-ups or lifting weights should be avoided because it may create an oxygen debt.

COOL DOWN |

According to Cooper: The third phase of a complete conditioning programme should take a minimum of 5 minutes, and during that time, you don't just remain motionless.Rather, you should keep moving, but a slow enough pace to let your heart rate decline gradually.

HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH |

"The only consideration is that you should do the activity with intensity and for a duration which will give you and adequate aerobic conditioning effect.And that means being sure that you keep your heart rate up well above normal - at least at 130 beats per minute and preferably up close to your target heart rate - for the duration of the exercise, " said Cooper.

KEY POINT |

"Young or old, walking is good for all but it is a must for people above 60 years because one might have a strong heart but the strength of muscles decreases with increasing age, " said Parthasarathy Ramanujam, a 75-year-old retired IAS officer who does a mile in 13 minutes flat which he does three times in a week."But now, I am also thinking of stopping running and take to walking alone to maintain my fitness, " he added.