Walking to Reduce The Risk of Heart Disease
Just about anyone can enjoy brisk walking as a
means of staying physically fit, it requires only basic footwear.
Taking A Walk Provides The Following Benefits:
- Stamina: it will improve your conditioning
and overall stamina level.
- Weight Maintenance: as part of a weight maintenance
program it helps to burn excess calories and modulates your appetite.
- Healthy Heart: it will help reduce the risk
of developing Coronary Heart Disease, the leading cause of death.
- Hypertension: It will reduce hypertension and
blood pressure, taking a daily walk helps to reduce hypertension
(high blood pressure) by as much as 8 to 10 mg Hg.
- Stress: as a form of exercise walking causes
the body to release a chemical known as endorphins. Endorphins
act as a natural pain reliever, and are effective at releasing
stress related feelings.
- Social Enjoyment: Taking a walk with friends
or as part of a club is a great social activity; it becomes more
enjoyable and offers a form of encouragement and support for maintaining
a healthy lifestyle.
Brisk Walking
To enjoy the cardiovascular and weight reducing benefits, it must
be done at a pace that elevates the heart above normal levels. This
is known as brisk walking, and typically involves maintaining a
pace that keeps you at your target heart rate for cardiovascular
development for at least 20 minutes.
What should be your target heart rate?
One of the simplest ways of determining your target heart rate
is to subtract your age from 220 and multiply that by 70%. An example
of the target heart rate for a 35 year old would be (220 –
35) * .70 = 129 beats per minute. Checking your pulse for ten seconds
and multiplying by 6 will determine your heart rate during vigorous
activity. By maintaining a heart rate of 129 beats per minute for
a minimum of 20 minutes, a 35 year old person would be improving
their cardiovascular conditioning.
Before You Start
Although it is a low impact activity that involves little risk
for injury, your ability to participate in a daily routine to maintain
a healthy lifestyle depends on your age, weight, and your overall
level of health. Most people, especially those who are overweight
or have not participated in vigorous activity for quite some time,
should consult their physician before beginning any exercise routine.
Your doctor can advise you of any precautions that you should be
aware of and may make recommendation for starting and improving
upon your exercise routine.
Where to Walk? Anywhere, Under Any Conditions
Outdoors can include city sidewalks, rural or low traffic roads,
public parks that include trails or winding roads, or even along
the shoreline of your favorite beach. As any other exercise when
done for prolonged periods of time or on hot or humid days, it is
a good idea to bring a water bottle with you to stay hydrated.
Taking a walk indoors is a great alternative for days of inclement
weather. Many people enjoy laps around their favorite mall. By climbing
stairs to change levels, you increase the difficulty level and help
to build up your leg muscles.
You can get more information about the benefits of walking and
physical activity at 10000steps.org
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