Walk this Way

Strolling toward a fit, healthy body takes 10,000 steps a day, a little off-roading and a lot of arm action

By Anna Sachse
CTW Features

For most people, the word “exercise” conjures visions of fruitless hours in a crowded gym. But exercise can come as easily as opening the front door and stepping out into the sunshine. There’s no expensive equipment required for this full-body workout. The key is to take it 10,000 steps at a time.

A notion originally popularized in Japan, many doctors have become proponents of taking 10,000 steps (about five miles) a day for general health and weight loss. However, according to TheWalkingSite.com, the average American takes only 1,000-3,000 steps a day, which represents a grave lack of physical activity that plays heavily into the obesity epidemic. Dr. Bill Kohl, an academician in the division of nutrition and physical activity at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, recommends a minimum of 30 minutes of activity at a moderate intensity at least five days a week. “Walking two to three miles at a 15-17 minutes per mile pace is a reasonable goal,” Kohl says, “But the 30 minutes can be broken down into three increments of 10 minutes and still produce substantial health benefits.”

Those benefits, according to experts at the Mayo Clinic, include reducing your risk of heart attack and type 2 diabetes, managing blood pressure and lowering stress. And the benefits to the body’s musculature can extend far beyond the major muscles of the legs.

Kristin Haanstad is a personal trainer and fitness instructor at Capital Fitness, Madison, Wis., the city recently ranked the best walking city in the United States by the American Podiatric Medical Association. In order to engage muscles in the entire body, Haanstad suggests a little off-roading. “Anytime you walk on uneven terrain, your core (the muscles from your shoulders to your groin and everything in between) has to kick in to keep you stable. As your body tries to maintain balance, you also work the smaller, more refined leg muscles that can get lazy,” she says.

When it comes to working your arms, Haanstad advises against using hand weights. “Little 2-pound weights aren’t going to make much of a difference in your strength and could actually distract you from maintaining the proper posture and upright form that fully engages the core.” Instead, keep your arms bent at a 90-degree angle at your sides, and allow them to swing back-and-forth in a straight line. “Focus on driving your loose fist forward and then bringing the elbow straight back,” she says.

As added incentive for pumping your paws, Haanstad points out that the more body parts that move, the more calories you’re going to burn.

It’s easy. All you have to do is put one foot in front of the other.

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