Walking your way to better health - Sam's Club Healthy Living Made Simple Prevent Article

Walking your way to better health – The easy solution to a more fit you

By: Melyssa St. Michael, CPT, CNC

Easy to do, easy on your joints, and easy to learn (you already know how to do it!), walking has proven itself to be an easy way to increase the quality of your health. Sustained walking-based activity lowers bodyfat, strengthens your heart and lungs, and lowers blood pressure.

Why does walking work so well?

Walking burns calories, strengthens every muscle in your body, requires no extra equipment, and can be done anywhere! Compared to traditional exercise methods that require strength or aerobic equipment, walking provides the same benefits – without the hassle of having to go somewhere else to exercise.

Walking also acts as a wonderful stress-reducer. By raising your heart rate, walking stimulates your body to produce endorphins (those feel-good chemicals created in the brain that gives us the feeling of happiness) that can elevate your mood and help you better cope with life’s daily stresses. Walking also gives you the chance to “take a breather” – one 10-minute break away from your desk has been shown to increase mental focus and job tasking abilities by 40% upon return.

Again, walking is easy and can be accomplished almost anywhere. You already have a head start as you accumulate steps every day – each step counts!

10,000 steps a day

Research shows that 10,000 steps a day produces the biggest health benefits. (10,000 steps a day equals about 5 miles a day, depending on your stride.) A University of Tennessee in Knoxville study with pedometers revealed women who averaged more than 10,000 steps a day had 40% less body fat and waist and hip measurements that were four to six inches narrower than those who averaged fewer than 6,000 steps. (Los Angeles Times, May 17, 2004)

The average American takes about 2,300 to 3,000 steps daily, which is closer to 1.5 miles, according to a study by Novartis Nutrition.

Do you know how many steps you take a day?

Getting started

Using a pedometer, track how many steps you take each day for three days. Total all three days, then divide by three. This is your starting step count. For instance:

Day 1 Step Count + Day 2 Step Count + Day 3 Step Count = Starting Step Count

If your starting step count is less than 10,000 steps, don’t despair! The whole goal here is to increase the duration and level of your walking gradually and safely so that you will be successful over time.

Increasing your steps

Once you know how many steps you take each day, the next “step” is to set your daily step goal for the week. Try increasing your daily step count by 5% each week. For example, let’s say your starting step count is 3,000 steps. You would multiply this number by 5%, then add that number back to your starting step count to come up with 3,150 steps per day for your first week’s daily step count goal.

(Starting Step Count x .05) + Starting Step Count = Week 1 Daily Step Count Goal

(3,000 x .05) + 3,000 = 150 + 3,000 = 3,150

For each week thereafter, you would increase your daily step count by 5% per week until you reached 10,000 steps per day.

Remember, every step that you take counts, and your steps don’t have to be performed at the same time. Here are some ways you can add steps to your day:

Park further away from work or the grocery store.
Walk around at home while talking on your cordless phone.
Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
Do one lap around your office building at lunch.
Take the long way back to your office from the copier.

Power Tip: Don’t let the 10,000 steps-per-day number scare you. Start off with setting smaller, less intimidating step levels that are tied into a timeframe. For example: “I will be walking 4,000 steps a day starting eight weeks from tomorrow.” By breaking up your end goal into smaller, more achievable stages, you increase your ability to be successful in achieving your overall end goal.