Walking serves up elixir for improved health

Walking can help people avoid a heart attack, peel off pounds and even develop a hard body. But "many people underestimate the value of walking, because it seems too pedestrian," says Mark Fenton, 39, editor at large of Walking magazine.

They don't realize how rapidly you get benefits from walking and how moderately you have to move to get those benefits, says Fenton, one of the nation's leading proponents of walking and author of a new book," The Complete Guide to Walking for Health, Weight Loss and Fitness" (The Lyons Press, $24.95).

Walking is the most popular physical activity in the United States, with as many as 82.6 million people saying they walked for recreation last year, including those who strolled occasionally, according to American Sports Data, a marketing research firm in Hartsdale, N.Y. More than 16 million people are frequent fitness walkers, walking at least 100 days a year.

The scientific research is continuing to mount on the benefits of physical activity:

• Women who do moderate or vigorous activity for at least four hours a week reduce their risk of premature death from all causes by 25 percent to 30 percent, according to a study of more than 80,000 women from Harvard's Nurses Health Study, published in the April issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

• Women who walk for at least an hour a week have half the risk of cardiovascular disease as those who are sedentary, says another Harvard study.

• People who do moderately intensive exercise consistently are more likely to lose weight than those doing hard-core, high-intensity workouts occasionally, according to yet another study.

"I'm convinced from the research that a sedentary lifestyle kills you, and moderate activity like walking can be lifesaving," says JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. She is one of the Harvard researchers studying the benefits of physical activity in women, and has written a book with Patricia Amend, "The 30-Minute Fitness Solution" (Harvard University Press, $22.95), to motivate people.

"A little exercise is better than none, but more is better than a little," Manson says.

Experts say most people aren't choosing between walking and running, they are choosing between walking and doing nothing at all. For the last few years, public health officials and others have struggled to persuade people to get moving. The latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that only 25 percent of adults in 1998 met the government's recommendation of getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most — preferably all — days of the week. That's virtually unchanged from the beginning of that decade.

Yet, doing that amount is easily attainable for most people, Fenton says. "What we are talking about is a brisk two-mile walk most days of the week. A brisk walk means walking with purpose, walking like you're trying to get somewhere. You have slightly noticeable breathing, but you are easily able to talk to someone."

'If you can just get started ...'

So if it's so easy, why aren't more folks walking?

People are in the habit of doing nothing, and they have the impression that they don't have time to walk, says Marilyn Bach, a certified personal trainer and author of "ShapeWalking" (Heel to Toe Publishing Co., $14.95) with Lorie Schleck. She recommends making walking social by going with a friend. It's a real motivator for many people, especially women, Bach says.

Manson says the most difficult part for most out-of-shape people is simply getting off the couch. "Action breeds motivation. So if you can just get started, it will be self-perpetuating."

Many people don't make physical activity a priority. They are not convinced of the importance of it, and they find it easy to make excuses, such as being too busy, Manson says. But if you set clear goals and write them down, you make time for them. For instance, you might set a goal of walking 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the afternoon. "Once you've done that for a few weeks, you begin the process of making it a habit."

Experts recommend that people who have been completely sedentary begin a walking program gradually, starting with as little as 10 minutes a day.

Within a week or two, they'll wake up feeling better, not so sore and stiff, Fenton says. They also may find they are sleeping better and regaining control of other areas of their lives like their eating habits. Six to eight weeks after starting to walk, they may have lost five or more pounds, he says.

Fenton recommends sedentary people gradually work up to the government's recommendation of 30 minutes of physical activity a day, most days of the week. Those who want to lose weight with walking will need to walk more, probably 45 to 60 minutes a day most days of the week, at the quickest pace possible. Those who want to develop a hard body will need to walk longer, and some of that time should be spent at a pace of 4.5 mph or faster, he says.

Fenton walks by himself or with his wife and two children. Sometimes he walks for an hour a day; other times if he only has 20 minutes, he moves really fast.

Manson takes a 15-minute walk in the middle of the day at work, then goes for hourlong walks with her children on weekends. She also uses exercise machines, including a treadmill and rowing machine. She says physical activity in general, walking in particular, may be one of best things you can do for your health.

"If people were offered an elixir and told it would cut in half their risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis and several forms of cancer, everyone would be clamoring to get hold of it," she says.

"That magic bullet exists, and it's called physical activity, and it only takes 30 minutes a day."

Walking do's and don'ts

Walking expert Mark Fenton offers these tips:

• Schedule your walk just as you would an appointment, so you don't skip it. Even if you can do only five, 10 or 20 minutes, that's better than doing nothing at all.

• If you're just getting started, don't try to do too much too soon, or you may get sore and become frustrated. Start with a little as 10 minutes, but try to move continuously for that whole time. Don't worry about speed at first. Just focus on making your walk a daily habit.

• Increase your walking time gradually. Don't add more than 10 percent to 20 percent in a week.

• After you've been walking for a while, focus on quicker steps. "Sauntering is better than nothing, but most people would be surprised at how easy it is to pick up the pace," Fenton says.

• Bend your arms 90 degrees at the elbow and move them when you walk. There's evidence that merely swinging your arms increases your caloric expenditure.

• Keep a record. It can be as simple as writing the number of minutes you walk on a daily calendar, so you can appreciate your progress.

• Plan your walk for the time of day that you're most likely to make it a permanent habit. There is some evidence that mornings are a little better, because people are less likely to blow it off and it can't get pushed out of the schedule as easily, but later in the day is fine too, Fenton says.

• Push vigorously off your toes at the end of every step.

• Choose comfortable footwear. Shoes shouldn't scrunch your toes or let your heel slip in and out when you take a step. Replace shoes often — at least every three to five months or 300 to 500 miles, whichever comes first. Err low if you're heavy or tough on shoes.

• Add four minutes of stretching to your daily habit. Stretch at the end of your walk or after warming up.

• Don't ignore, or exercise through, pain. Always see a doctor if pain is not relieved by several days of rest, ice, massage and elevation. Back off from activities such as walking hills or knee-bending exercises if they cause pain.