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Watch for area walking
paths as they’re posted on
Facebook. Visit
facebook.com/
faithregional
.
Walk this way
to
better health
First steps
As a beginning exercise walker, you’ll
want to start slowly. Don’t try to
set a speed record or cover a lot of
ground—even a five-minute walk is a
good start.
Find a pace that feels comfortable.
As your body adjusts to being more
active, work up to walking farther or
for longer periods of time, and aim
for a brisk pace. But if you can’t talk
while walking, that’s a sign you need
to slow down.
How much time should you devote
to your new routine?
Government guidelines recom-
mend at least 2½ hours of moderate
aerobic exercise, like brisk walking,
each week—or about 30 minutes five
days a week.
You can break up those 30 min-
utes into shorter blocks of time dur-
ing the day. For example, you might
take a 10-minute brisk walk before
breakfast and again after lunch and
dinner. You’ll still get all the health
benefits of a single, long walk.
In addition to walking, you should
try to do some activities that work all
your major muscle groups on two or
more days of the week.
To help you stay motivated once
you begin walking, you might con-
sider inviting a friend or relative to get
fit with you.
Sources: American Council on Exercise; Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention
WANT TO FOLLOW A PATH
to better health? Chances are, one
runs right through your neighbor-
hood. To find it, put one foot in front
of the other.
Walking just might be the perfect
exercise. It offers so many benefits,
yet it’s easy and cheap to do. For the
most part, all you need is a good
pair of walking shoes and some time
throughout the week in order to reap
healthy rewards.
For example, a walking program
may help:
•
Reduce your risk for developing
chronic health problems, including
heart disease, high blood pressure
and type 2 diabetes.
•
Bring your blood pressure, choles-
terol or blood sugar levels down if
they’re too high.
•
Burn calories, an essential part of
managing your weight.
•
Tone your muscles and strengthen
your bones.
•
Lift your mood and help you feel
more energetic.
Check in before lacing up
Walking for exercise is generally a
safe activity. That said, it’s a good
idea to check with your doctor first
before embarking on a walking pro-
gram if you:
•
Have an ongoing health problem,
such as heart disease, diabetes,
high blood pressure, arthritis or
asthma.
•
Experience symptoms such as chest
pain, dizziness or shortness of breath.
•
Are pregnant.
•
Are older than 40 and haven’t exer-
cised in a while.
Of course, being in any of those
categories doesn’t necessarily mean
you can’t exercise. But it’s a good idea
to make sure your activities are safe
and right for you.
Sources: American College of Sports Medicine; American
Council on Exercise; National Institutes of Health
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