Walk your way to fitness
(Page 3 of 4)
September/October 1982
By Joseph McLaughlin
Learn to swing your arms rhythmically as you go, holding your forearms at an angle of 90° to your upper arms. Walking is an exercise that involves the whole body, and good arm action is one key to obtaining overall fitness benefits and achieving a stronger stride, as well. Once you gain in strength and ability, practice locking your knee as the heel begins to make contact with the ground. You should feel as though you're pulling the earth toward you, holding each knee locked as it passes under the body.
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A serious walker, obviously, won't ever be mistaken for someone aimlessly strolling down the block, but don't let that embarrass or inhibit you. After all, you should look like a person who is intentionally exercising. If anyone stares, just smile and wave!
DETERMINING PACE AND DISTANCE
It's very important, if you've been living a relatively inactive life, to get approval from your doctor before beginning any physical fitness endeavor. Then, once you start a walking program, you'll want to work your heart rate up to 75% of its maximum capacity for 20 to 30 minutes at a stretch — and do so several times a week — in order to reap the full value of the activity. When you're able to accomplish that, you'll experience aerobic benefits (that is, a conditioning of the heart and lungs) and begin to burn the fat cells stored in your body.
Most physiologists agree that the "target rate" — that is, the heartbeat you ought to achieve at regular intervals to best develop cardiovascular fitness — should be a percentage of the number 220 minus your age . . . and that a 70 to 80% effort is right for most folks.
As an example, let's suppose that you're 60 years old (and reasonably healthy, of course). Then 220 minus 60 equals 160 . . . 160 times 0.70 equals 112 beats per minute. . . and 160 times 0.80 equals 128 BPM. Thus, your safe target rate would range from 112 to 128 heartbeats per minute. To determine whether you're achieving your goal, you'll need to monitor your pulse periodically while exercising. Beginning walkers might even want to take a reading every five minutes or so, and adjust the pace — or pause to rest — as required.
The easiest way to read a pulse, as you may already know, is to place your first two fingers under one side of your jaw. When you can feel the pulse, count the beats for a sweep of six seconds on your watch. Then add a zero to your count, and you've got your heart rate.
A STEP-BY-STEP APPROACH
When you're starting your new program, you might benefit from reading The Complete Book of Walking by Charles T. Kuntzleman and the editors of Consumer Guide (Simon & Schuster, 1980). The authors recommend that walkers operate on a time — rather than distance — basis, and they go on to outline a program that starts with 20 minutes and works up to a maximum of two hours, several times a week.
