Why Walk??? That is the Question!

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Why Walk??? That is the Question!

• Women Who Walk
• Leslie Verucci, MSN, RN, CNS, APRN-BC, CRNP

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Why Walk?

• 60 of Americans
• lead completely sedentary lifestyles
• 40 are clinically overweight
• 30 minutes a day
• is as effective in reducing risk of
• heart attack
• as high- intensity exercise

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Why is walking a good thing to do?

• Decrease your risk
• of a heart attack
• Decrease your chance
• of developing diabetes
• Lower health care costs

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Walking for a Healthier You

• Best, safest, and most natural form of exercise
• Effective form of exercise for all ages
• Effective form of exercise for all states and
  levels of health
• Increases our sense of well-being
• We are actually designed for lengthy, regular
  walking
• Need not be strenuous to reap significant health
  benefits
• You dont have to feel the burn

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What are the health benefits?

• Brisk walk of 20 minutes three times weekly
• Lowers LDL cholesterol levels and raises HDL
  cholesterol levels
• Stimulates circulation
• Strengthens the heart
• Helps control weight
• a brisk 1 hr walk burns _at_ 400 calories for the
  average person
• Helps reduce stress and depression
• Keeps you emotionally healthy and enhances your
  well-being
• Develop and maintain better coordination
• Prevents osteoporosis
• builds strong bones and slow bone loss

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What are the health benefits

• Reduces high blood pressure
• Can help ease back discomfort
• Improves your muscle tone
• leads to lean, toned muscles, keeping you
  flexible and active
• Develops strength, stamina and endurance
• slows down the ageing process, keeping you fit,
  agile and mobile
• Boosts your energy level
• Lower your incidence of illness
• Increase your metabolism
• Best exercise for the brain
• does not call for blood sugar for energy like in
  aerobic exercise

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Is it okay for me to walk?

• Has your health care provider told you that you
  have heart trouble, diabetes, or asthma?
• When you are physically active, do you have pains
  in your chest, neck, shoulder, or arm?
• Do you often feel faint or have dizzy spells?
• Do you feel extremely breathless after you have
  been physically active?
• Has your health care provider told you that you
  have high blood pressure?
• Has your health care provider told you that you
  have bone or joint problems, such as arthritis?
• Are you over 50 years old and not used to doing
  any moderate physical activity?
• Are you pregnant?
• Do you smoke?
• Do you have a health problem or physical reason
  not mentioned here that might keep you from
  starting a walking program?

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Important health tips to get you started on the
right foot

• Always check with your doctor before starting an
  exercise program.
• He or she may require a physical exam or special
  instructions based on your medical history.
• Don't overdo this program if you are a beginning
  exerciser.
• Let your body adjust to the new activity.
• For the first few weeks, do not push too hard.
• Your breathing should be elevated, but you should
  not be gasping for air. A good rule of thumb is
  the "talk test"- if you cannot answer a question,
  you are walking too fast. If you can have a full
  conversation you are walking too slow.
• Walking shouldn't hurt.
• If it does, see your family physician
• Wear a watch so you can monitor the time spent
  walking. You can also wear a pedometer to keep
  track of distance.

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Tips for healthy walking

• Drink water before and afterwards.
• If very thirsty, stop to drink during your walk.
• Dont walk right after a meal.
• Leave at least 45-60 minutes after eating before
  taking a brisk walk.
• Avoid the hottest midday hours (noon to 3pm).
• The ideal time is morning or late afternoon.
• After a good long or brisk walk, it is a wise
  idea to eat some form or carbohydrate within a
  couple of hours to restore your glycogen.

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How fast should I walk?

• Strolling walk
• walking in a relaxed way, good posture,
  shoulders down, arms swinging naturally as you
  walk
• Brisk walk
• fitness, pace or aerobic walking, stepping up
  your pace and pumping your arms as you walk
• Power walk
• for a very fit, younger, experienced walker
  walking with weights (carrying them in your hands
  and or strapping them on your waist and ankles)

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Advanced walkers

• Water walk
• walking (wading) through water. Walking hip to
  waist high in water is a very good low-stress,
  high- intensity exercise. For a higher
  intensity, run in the water, but you will need a
  vest or floatation device to keep you in an
  upright position
• Treadmill walk
• chart distance and speed and time the walk.
• good during bad weather.

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EQUATION

• For moderate walking
• Calories burned 0.029 x weight (lbs) x time
  (minutes)
• For Vigorous walking
• Calories burned 0.048 x weight (lbs) x time
  (minutes)

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Do I need special things to walk?

• Good shoes, designed for walking
• When you walk, you land with 1½ times your body
  weight on the outside of your heels then you
  roll your weight forward on the ball of your
  foot.
• A good walking shoe will allow the rolling action
  of the foot with ease.
• Older people may be more stable in a shoe with a
  thinner hard sole
• Comfortable clothes
• Dont restrict your movements
• Wear layers during cold months so that you can
  peel off as you warm up

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Walking correctly is very important

• Walk with your chin up and your shoulders held
  slightly back.
• Walk so that the heel of your foot touches the
  ground first.
• Roll your weight forward.
• Walk with your toes pointed forward.
• Swing your arms as you walk.

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Tips to Help you Stick With a Physical Activity
Program

• Wear good shoes and socks
• Stay hydrated
• Try an mp3 player
• Log your walks
• Set a schedule and keep to it.
• Make walking physically challenging
• Invite friends and family to join you.
• Motivate each other to keep it up.
• Make walking mentally challenging
• Pay attention to how great you feel!
• Enjoy those endorphins!

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Tips to Help you Stick With a Physical Activity
Program

• Tell someone about your walking commitment
• Think of your walk in three parts.
• Warm up by walking slowly for 5 minutes.
• Then, increase your speed and do a fast walk.
• Finally, cool down by walking slowly again for 5
  minutes.
• Do light stretching after your warm-up and
  cool-down
• Set goals.
• Reward yourself.
• At the end of each month that you stay on your
  exercise program, reward yourself with something
  new - new clothes, a compact disc, a new book -
  something that will help keep you committed. But
  don't use food as a reward.

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How do I stretch?

• Side Reach
• Reach one arm over your head and to the side.
  Keep your hips steady and your shoulders straight
  to the side. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat on
  the other side
• Wall Push
• Lean your hands on a wall with your feet about 3
  to 4 feet away from the wall. Bend one knee and
  point it toward the wall. Keep your back leg
  straight with your foot flat and your toes
  pointed straight ahead. Hold for 10 seconds and
  repeat with the other leg.

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How do I stretch?

• Knee Pull
• Lean your back against a wall. Keep your head,
  hips, and feet in a straight line. Pull one knee
  to your chest, hold for 10 seconds, then repeat
  with the other leg
• Leg Curl
• Pull your right foot to your buttocks with your
  right hand. Stand straight and keep your knee
  pointing straight to the ground. Hold for 10
  seconds and repeat with your left foot and hand.

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How do I stretch?

• Hamstring
• Sit on a sturdy bench or hard surface so that
  your left leg is stretched out on the bench with
  your toes pointing up. Keep your right foot flat
  on the floor. Straighten your back, and if you
  feel a stretch in the back of your thigh, hold
  for 10 seconds and repeat with your right leg.
  If you do not yet feel a stretch, lean forward
  from your hips until you do feel a stretch.

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Healthy Eating

• The new recommendations for American's dietary
  intake can be found at www.mypyramid.gov. This
  website gives the new food guide pyramid and
  provides you with individualized nutrition
  information.
• There is a definite link between good nutrition,
  physical activity and health. You owe it to
  yourself to take a few minutes to investigate
  this website and find out what you can do to
  improve your health through scientifically sound
  nutrition information

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Lets get going!!!!

• Walking is free,
• you can walk practically anywhere,
• with family or friends
• or by yourself.
• All you need is
• a pair of
• comfortable walking shoes.

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Lets get going!!!!!!

• Remember to invite the ones you love to join you
  
• Lets keep them around a little longer too.

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Women Who Walk
Walk With Us To A Healthier You