The Wide World of Walking Equipment

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A recent study conducted in Brisbane, Australia and published in the Arthritis Research & Therapy Journal, demonstrates that a 30 minute walk at least three times a week along with a daily regimen of glucosamine sulfate supplements reduces the pain of osteoarthritis in the hip and knee.

Walking is often recommended as a way of reducing pain and improving mobility of persons suffering from mild osteoarthritis and glucosamine sulfate has also been recommended to lessen the pain and slow the disease process.  The goal of this study was to see what the effect would be of combining them together in a single therapy.  In addition, two levels of walking frequency were measured, 3 vs. 5 times a week along with three step levels; 1500, 3000 and 6000 steps per outing.

Methodology

The study was conducted on 28 middle aged to elderly arthritis suffers.  Each was given 1500 mg of glucosamine sulfateper day.  After 6 weeks of receiving the supplemental regiment, they began a 12 week walking program, continuing to take the glucosamine.

A little over half the participants walked 5 days a week, while the rest walked 3.  They used pedometers to measure their step counts.  The step levels were gradually increased; the first six weeks began at 1500 and increased to 3000 steps per trip.  The second six week the target went from 3,000 to 6,000 steps.

Results

The study found that glucosamine sulfate by itself did help improve the objective measures of physical activity and function.  In addition, improvement was seen in suffers ability to manage their arthritis pain.  Walking 5 days did not seem to appreciably improve the situation.  Among the three times a week group, the 3,000 step level increase the physical activity scores by 125% and pain reduction by 17%.  Moving to 6,000 steps resulted in an additional 57% increase in physical activity and function. Most of the improvements came between weeks 6 and 12.

Although a small pilot study, the finding did show that arthritis suffers can get significant relief by combining a glucosamine regiment with a walking program, with the maximum improvement achieved by talking 1500 mg of glucosamine sulfate and walking 6,000 steps 3 times a week.

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The evidence just keeps on coming.  An organized walking program can and will improve your health.  It’s a fact.  A recent study appearing in the American Heart Association’s journal Stroke is the latest.  We all know that exercise is good for you but this study specifically zeros in on the walking benefits as a critical exercise routine, even when compared to other forms such as running, swimming and biking.

The study was conducted with 39,000 female health workers 45 or older who participate in a comprehensive life style study called Women’s Health Study.  A 12-year-old research program that, among other things, monitors the participants’ physical activity, comparing it with various health related problems.

Results

The study looked at three factors: Generally how women classified their normal everyday walking speed (slow, moderate or brisk).  Identifying those who participated in an organized walking exercise program.  Finally, ascertaining those that participated in an exercise programs other than walking. The study found that women who said they walked briskly as part of their daily activities had a 37 % lower risk of a stroke than those who said they didn’t.  Women who reported walking a minimum of two hours a week at any pace had a 30 % lower risk of stroke.  The researchers found that a reduced risk of stroke was not evident with those women who engaged in other forms of physical exercise.   This seems a bit counter intuitive and may have been the result of too small of a sample size.  They adjusted their figures to take into account other things that might skew the results, such as age, smoking, family history, etc.

Implications

While the study didn’t establish the reasons behind the risk decline, lowering blood pressure for example, it does present some pretty clear implications. The study would seem to suggest that women, in particular, receive significant health benefits from engaging in even a modest walking program of two hours a week.  The other inference is that we need to “pick up the pace” in our everyday lives.  Simply put, whenever possible, walk at a brisk pace.  Don’t plod from A to B.  Get there quickly, with a bit of snap.  It’s not only good for your health but it projects an image of strength and energy as well.  So start now to maximize your walking benefits.

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Many fitness walkers rely upon the pedometer as their primary piece of walking equipment/gear when attempting to measure and monitor the intensity of their exercise activity.   Fewer used an equally important devise, the heart rate monitor.

What are they and what do they do?

Obviously, as their name would imply, they are a devise similar to the electrocardiograph at your physician’s office.  A piece of gear that monitors your heart rate, measured in beats per minute, taken during your walking or other exercise routines.  This provides you with a standard to measure the intensity level of your work out.  More than simply a recording devise, a monitor can help you design and structure your exercise routine to maximize its’ efficiency, enabling you to get the most from the time you spend.

How do you use one?

The best way to use a heart monitor is in conjunction with your own personal “target heart rate zones”.    A target heart rate zones start with establishing your “maximum heart rate” (MHR) which is a somewhat theoretical but useful measure of the fastest rate at which your heart can beat.  I say its’ theoretical because it is based on math formulas, although there is a procedure for verification.  The most commonly used formula is 220 minus your age.  So if your 40 years old you MHR is 180 beats per minute.  There are more precise formulas but I’ll save that for another post.  Once you’ve determined you MHR, the zones are simply a percentage of that number.  In our example a 50-60% zone would be 90 to 108 beats per minute (180X50%/60%).  Training experts generally establish 5 target heat rate zones and associate them with specific exercise goals.

1. 50-60% Zone – heart strengthens, you reduce your body fat and   blood pressure.  Overall health improves but not strength or endurance.
2. 60-70% Zone – At this level your fat burning increases significantly strength and endurance begin to improve.
3. 70-80% Zone – More body fat burning and increased strengthening of the heat and lungs.
4. 80-90% Zone – Here you’re beginning to burn muscle since the heart can’t pump enough oxygen.
5. 90-100% Zone – You don’t want to go there.

Most exercise routines focus on numbers 1,2,3 and don’t venture into the last two.

Again, in our example, Zone 1 would be walking at a pace that gets your heart rate into the 90 to 108 beats per minute range.  Exercise walking at that rate would improve your overall health but wouldn’t do much for your endurance.

Developing a Heart Rate Based Exercise Routine

The idea here is to design a walking routine that varies its’ speed to increase or decrease your heart rate to help you quickly achieve your overall exercise objectives ie. lose weight, increase endurance, etc. For those who are interested in simply improving their overall health and those just starting out, Zone 1 should be the target.  For anything more, a variation of 1, 2 and 3 would be appropriate.  For example, a third of your total exercise time spent in each of the first three zones.  Changing the zone allotment as your strength and endurance goes up or down. Note:  During a routine it’s always best to break them into some sort of a warm-up, increase, max, warm-down configuration.

Once you’re established your target heart rate zone and programed them into your heart rate monitor, it will do the rest.  Informing you when you’ve reached your target and how long you’ve maintained it.

Brands

There are a wide variety of monitors on the market with a wide array of features, at a wide array of prices.  Have a good idea of what type of routine or goals you want to pursue and then match them the brand or model as best you can.  Consumerresearch.com ranks the Timex T5G971 Unisex Sports Personal Heart Rate Monitor Watch and the Omron HR-100C Heart Rate Monitor as two of the best monitors on the market.

Monitoring your heart rate can give you the tool you need to maximize the effectiveness of you fitness walking activities.  It helps you better plan your walking pace to get maximum effect for each minute your out on the road.  Thereby helping you achieve your goals with less time and effort.  Its’ a piece of walking equipment that gives you a real bang for the buck.

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In keeping with the season and the strong interests shown in some of the recent blog posts, there are a couple of additional issues and tips about walking and exercise during the winter months we ought to review.  As mentioned in a number of posts, slacking off in winter is not the best thing for your waistline, your stamina or your motivation.  You’ve spent all spring, summer and fall working hard to stay fit.  Suddenly because of bad weather and the holiday feasting and stress, you’ve found yourself back where you started 8 months ago with all the accrued walking benefits lost.  All that hard work and effort has been for naught.  Talk about demotivating.  Here is some info and additional tips to help you stay active and engaged during this rough patch. 

Winter walking is Great

On the plus side, walking outdoors during cold weather is highly effective in working off the excesses of the holiday season. When the temperature drops your body works hard just to say warm.  Add that to the effects of exercising outdoors and you get a significant boost in calorie burn during your outdoor walking routine.  In addition we all know that getting outdoors for a walk helps “clear the head” and reduces the stress generated the by all the holiday preparations.

Winter Walking Needs Extra Care

That’s great, but remember you do need to do a bit of preplanning before you hit the road.  Be sure to warm up before you head out.  Pop your walking clothes in the clothes dryer to warm them up.  It might help take a bit of the chill out of the air.  Be sure to layer your clothing with a shirt of wicking material (polyester or silk) next to your skin. Your main heat releasing body parts are your head, feet and hands.  Be sure to keep them well covered.

Keep in mind that walking is a low intensity exercise and its’ benefits tend to be accumulative.  This means that you can get close to the same benefits from two 30 minutes sessions as with one that’s an hour long.  If it’s too cold, break your walking session in two.  By simply increasing your speed a bit, the caloric burn/fitness outcomes will be close.

It’s Just Too Cold

If the elements outdoors are just too much to bear, check around the neighborhood.  See what other fitness opportunities or programs may be available. In keeping with our general exercise theme, mall walking or stair climbing would be two excellent alternatives.  But you may want to broaden your horizons a bit. There may be yoga, aerobics, pilates or dance programs that you can join on a month to month basis to help get you through the winter doldrums.  Schools, Park Districts, and Recreation Centers often sponsor winter exercise programs, usually at little or no costs. 

Ice skating is a great alternative to walking.  A thirty minute session on skates burns the same number of calories as thirty minutes of stair climbing or an hour of walking. It’s a low impact exercise so your joints will thank you as well.

Finally, you may want to consider buying a piece or two of inexpensive home exercise equipment.  A jump rope or stability ball would be two items to consider. 

Winter weather can be frustrating even to the most motivated walker.   But when the cold weather and dark nights set in, don’t put your walking/exercise routine on ice.  Take a look at other programs are available locally.  Find those that interest you and mix and match to your heart’s content.   Beat the winter blahs.  If walking outdoors is out of the question find a substitute or two.  The important thing is to keep going and preseve all the walking benefits you’ve earned. 

If anyone has any additonal thoughts or tips about winter exercise drop me a line or leave a comment and share with everyone.

Technorati Tags: cold weather walking, exercise, exercise equipment, fitness, ice skating, mall walking, winter walking

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Well winter and the holidays are full force upon us. The weather is uninviting and we ate and drank way too much. Most certainly, the last thing on our mind is to get all bundled up and head out for our daily exercise walk. “I’ll do it tomorrow” the common refrain. The ultimate result of this calorie induced lethargy…REGRET. To avoid these post-holiday blues it’s important that we try and maintain some semblance of our normal exercise routines. But what can we do to generate the all the benefits of walking without having to face the prospect of frost bite and snow blindness? One option…get yourself to the nearest set of stairs.

Walking up and down a set of stairs is a very plausible and efficient alternative to your daily outdoor exercise routine. Like walking, you burn calories and tone your muscles, however, you’ll find it a bit more intense than your typical 3 mile, hour long exercise walk. In fact it’s twice as intense. 30 minutes on the stairs burns 300 calories, about as much as you would burn on your hour long walking excursion. It’s hard work, no question about it, but does have some advantages to recommend it.

What are the benefits of stair walking?

• As just mentioned , it’s something one can do during inclement weather, when it’s just too cold or too wet to handle you regular routine.

• Or it can be a fill-in regiment to help alleviate boredom that eventually affects most every exercise walker.

• You can do it anywhere and at any time; at home, office or store.

• Like walking, you don’t need any special training or equipment beyond what you use during your regular walking activities.

• The activity places stress on muscle groups different from those involved in a standard walking gait. The quadriceps (front of you thigh) and buttock are the primary beneficiary of stair walking. Note: It’s always a good idea to give a workout to muscle groups that aren’t heavily involved in your normal exercise routine. Doing this helps prevent injury, promotes better balance and improves overall performance.

• It can be done at work and throughout the day by simply taking the stairs rather than the elevator or exchanging your 15 minute coffee break for a quick exercise break.

• You only have to spend half as much time to get the same caloric reduction and other walking benefits as your typical walking routine.

There are however a couple of added issues that come into play.

• If walking in a public building make sure that the stairs are clean, safe, well lit and ventilated.

• Start slow. Because stair walking is more a more intense activity and works different muscle groups, even the most fit exercise walker will find the going rough at the start.

• Use the railing to help you maintain your balance

• Make sure that the doors to the stairs don’t automatically lock. In some building only doors on certain floors lock and others remain open. Know the pattern and save yourself some time and perhaps a touch of panic.

• Your knees take a real pounding when your going down stairs. So if you have knee problems walk up but take an elevator down.

Stair Walking Technique

Proper, safe stair climbing posture means leaning forward slightly from the hips with the back straight. At no time, should you be rounded in the lower back area. Look forward, glancing at the stairs from time to time but without looking down with your neck bent. Avoid over-straightening your knees as you climb up. Place your whole foot on the step. Avoid climbing with your heels hanging off the edge because you can injure your Achilles tendon.

Motivation

As you can imagine, boredom is much more of a issue with stair walking that outdoor walking. One way to alleviate it is by changing the pattern of you climb. Take two stairs a time for a short burst. Hop up the stairs. Use the hand rail to pull yourself up. Climb sideways or do leg crossovers. For many, keeping a log and setting goals helps keep them motivated. You can also fall back on my favorite piece of walking equipment, my MP3 player, to help wile away the time.

The winter months will soon be behind us and the outdoors will become more accessible for our walking routines but we need to get there without sacrificing our stamina and without carrying extra holiday pounds. Stair walking, when the weather is daunting, is an alternative that we can help us get through this difficult time and accrue all the typical walking benefits. Keep in mind, to burn the same amount of calories takes half the time with stair walking and, as we all know, time is another thing that is in short supply during the holidays. Resist the impulse to “sit the winter out”. Stay active and engaged with you exercise program. Give stair walking a try and you may find your stairway to heaven.

Technorati Tags: exercise, fitness, posture, safety, stair walking, walking, winter

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Received a couple of emails regarding the post on tips and tricks to help keep you motivated. In it I mentioned that an Ipod or MP3 player is an excellent addition to your walking equipment assortment. It helps you pass the time and maintain your walking pace . A couple of readers ask how or where they could find the BPM for their music collection since most of the popular music services (Itunes or Winamp for example) don’t automatically provide this bit of information. The following is the results of some research looking into what third party applications are available to analyze your song list and provide the BPM data. I personally have used only one on this list (beaTunes) so I’m not certain how effective the others may be or what limitations they may have..

How to Find the BPM for Your Music File

The following third party applications actually listens to each individual song on your list and calculates its’ BPM. They then automatically write that info into your desktop music file:

beaTunes — This is the one I’ve used and found that it works reasonably well. beaTunes is specifically designed for the Itunes application. You start the process by downloading the software from the home page and then syncing it with your Itunes music library. Once that is done simply hit the analyze button. It does the rest, calculating the BPM of each song and adding that info to your desktop music file. Unfortunately it’s not free. A license costs $31.95. However they do have a two week trial offer. so you can get your existing music file analyzed at no cost. Since it listens to each song, if you collection is extensive, it can take a while to get everything coded. The software does however have an accuracy/speed adjustment that can hurry things along if needed. Both Mac and PC compatible.

Tangerine –(Mac only) This is another Itunes based application. Haven’t used it but I assume that it works similar to beaTunes. It too isn’t free. A license is $24.95. It has a 15 day trial period but with a nasty limitation. The BPM export feature is not available during the trial. Which means that you’ll have to manually add the BPM information to your file song by song. Not good.

MixMeister – (PC and Mac)Here we have good news and bad news. The good news is that it’s freeware. The bad new is that it doesn’t work with Itunes, just MP3 and WAV formats. Now I suppose that you could convert your Tunes to MP3, run it through MixMeister and then reconvert it to Itunes and perhaps the the BPM info would transfer as well. I’ll leave that to the more adventurous of you. If anyone tries this let us know in the comments section.

How to Put Together a Motivational Song List

A bit more on assembling a motivating music list. The following BPM numbers should be considered as a starting point, assisting you in aggregating a suitable music assortment. Remember, everyone’s walking pace is different. You’ll have to play around with your list’s BPM structure until you figure out what’s right for you. Simply use these numbers as a reference.

Walking Style                                                              BPM

Recreational walking and /or                                       115

warm up/cool down period

Fitness walking                                                          120-130

Power Walking                                                              130+

Establish BPM levels that are a bit of a stretch, but yet you find reasonably comfortable. . Once you’ve found your personal BPM ranges customize your music list to your taste and workout needs. Consider varying the rates to motivate you to walk faster or slower. Incorporate warm up and cool down periods in your walking and music routine. For example, play songs at 115 BPM for the first 5 minutes, ramp it up to 125 for 50 minutes and then back it down to 115 at the end of your walk. You may want to create more than one list to account for variations in time spent walking and workout intensity. Don’t get too comfortable with your music list, create a new one to push yourself to increase speed. Occasionally change some of the songs to maintain variety. It’s up to you to make it work.

Music appeals to us on a subliminal, emotional level and is hard wired into our psyche. It works well as an exercise motivation tool. We enjoy keeping beat with music and that manifests itself by our tendency to walk at a pace that does just that, keeps the beat. An Ipod or MP3 player is a worthwhile walking gear investment that will help keep your pace where you want and need it to be.

If anyone knows of other applications leave a note in the comments section.

Technorati Tags: beats per minute, BPM, Ipod, motivation, music list, walking, walking exercise, walking music

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Water, you simply can’t live without it and you shouldn’t walk without it either. You wouldn’t start your walk without lacing your shoes and you shouldn’t start your walk without considering your hydration needs. Why the fuss? As you walk your body heats up and, in an effort to regulate this heat build up, it releases moisture in the form of sweat. Sweat is composed of water, salts and minerals all critical component to our health and well being. .Depending upon weather conditions, a brisk walk will generate up to 16 ounces of sweat, the equivalent to a pound of water, If you’re not carrying the proper walking equipment and the water loss becomes serious, muscle cramps, nausea, heart palpitations and lightheadness may result. In the case of sever dehydration, serious conditions such as confusion, weakness and even coma and organ failure can occur. Obviously it’s critically important to store and replenish the water lost during our walking activities.

Why Drink Water?

Taking care of your hydration needs begins before your walk begins. Drink 8 to 16 ounces water before you start. Don’t drink too much beforehand, it may cause nausea problems while you’re on the road. As you walk take brief sips every 15 minutes even though you many not feel thirsty. You should always error on the side of over rather than under hydration. So no matter what the time, if you feel thirsty, drink. When you’ve completed your walk, resist the temptation to drain a gallon of ice water . Just drink about a pint and sip some more a bit later. If after about 15 or 20 minutes if you’re still feeling thirsty, drink another tall glass of water. That should do the trick.

How Much Water?

How much should I drink while I walk? Well it depends on several factors: How fast you walk? How long you plan to walk? How much you typically sweat? How hot it is the day you walk? As a general rule, taking a recreational walk, a nice and easy stroll about the neighborhood, you will cover about 3 miles per hour, give or take. If you are fitness walking at brisk pace, four miles per hour would be a good rule of thumb. Power walking figure 5 miles per hour. These distances will of course vary depending upon your level of conditioning. If in doubt, measure your walk distance with a pedometer or calculate your mileage with a route map. Once you’ve estimated how far you plan to walk the rest is just a little bit of math. The International Marathon Medical Director’s Association 2006 guidelines for walkers is 3 to 6 ounces of water per mile. Using this as a benchmark you can guesstimate your own water replacement needs. If for example you are planning a recreational walk of 1 hour, your mileage should be somewhere in the 3 mile range.(if a half an hour 1 1/2 miles). Based on one hour/3 mile estimate, 9 ounces (3 miles X 3 ounces) of water should be a good minimum water quantity to carry with you. However if you’re a prolific sweater or it’s exceptionally hot and humid that day, you should consider the top range of 6 oz per miles for a total 18 oz (3 miles X 6 ounces). Conversely if you are covering 4 miles during your 1 hour fitness walk, you should carry a minimum of 12 ounces (4 miles X 3 ounces) and 24 ounces (4 miles X 6 ounces) on a hot day.

Walking Equipment Requirements

What should you drink? If you’re recreational or fitness walking for an hour or less plain water should do the trick. If you’re power walking or walking for more than an hour a sports drink would be the most appropriate. What type of walking equipment is best for carrying water? For most applications a simple plastic water bottle is sufficient. I’d recommend one with a strap or conversely wear a fanny pack with a bottle holder. This just to keep your hands free while you walk. There are a variety of hydration packs on the market for those instances where walking distances are significant. Its always a good idea to carry a couple of dollars with you as you walk. You might underestimate you water requirements and need to purchase more along your route.

Walking and water go hand in hand. Even for the most casual of walkers taking the shortest of walks it’s always a good idea to carry a small bit of water along with you . And always remember you body is the best gauge of your hydration needs so listen to what it tells you.

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In my last post I mentioned that boredom was the greatest single impediment to a successful walking routine, and it’s no wonder. You’re doing a repetitive activity, often, and for a not inconsequential length of time. One could compare it to working on an old fashioned assembly line where all you did all day was tighten a single bolt. Probably not quite that bad, but you get the idea. People need variety and change to make their activities compelling and keep them motivated and enthused. Last post I suggested that learning and applying new and different walking styles was one way to “change the dynamic” and add a bit of variety to your walking activity. But are there other ways to “spice things up”. The answer, “you bet there are, more than you would think”. We’ll discuss a few below. A word of caution before we begin, not everything listed will work for everyone. How people deal with and overcome boredom will vary. There’s no “one size fits all” here. You’ll probably have to experiment with these and others to find out what works for you and what doesn’t. Or you may have to come up with an approach all your own. Just be aware that after you’ve begun your walking routine you will at some point hit the wall of boredom. So think about and plan for it before it happens.

So what are some walking motivation tips, tricks and equipment.

Ipod/MP3 Player

Probably the greatest boon to walking since the walking shoe. Many walkers go it alone and listing to music, podcasts or audio books can melt the miles away. Which of these three you decide to use will depend greatly on your personality and objectives. If your trying to maintain or pick up your walking pace music is the best choice. As a benchmark. good walking music has 115 to 120 beats per minute. You can program your song selection to match a varied walking routine. If you walk for an hour you may want to start with a slower beat for 10 minutes to warm up, build the beat and your speed for 40 minutes or so and then slowing it down for the last 10 to you cool down. You’ll need to change the songs occasionally. If you are of a more cerebral bent, your favorite podcasts may be just the thing to keep you walking day after day. Audio books can be a great motivator. If you find a good read, or in this case a good listen, you’ll begin to look forward to you walks to catch the next installment. There are some safety concerns about the inability to hear cars and other potential dangers as you walk, so it’s probably advisable to wear only one ear bud.

Walk with Others

Many people enjoy social interaction while walking. It could be a friend, neighbor or family member. It’s important to select someone at your conditioning level, with the same walking style and pace. Consider varying your walking partner as well. Schedule a walk with someone different on the weekend. Instead of meeting for coffee or going out to eat, call up a friend and suggest a walk in a nearby park or mall. Finding a good walking partner or partners can be a real boon. There will be scheduling issues that may make things a bit more complex but the benefits of having someone to talk too and the additional motivation you’ll provide one another will more than tip the scales to the positive. Having two of you present, should any sort of problem arise, is a plus as well. If your having difficulty finding a partner you may want to consider calling or joining a local walking club.

Pedometer

For those of us who need to work toward a goal to stay motivated, a pedometer is an indispensable piece of walking gear. The process begins by setting goals for yourself. They can be in miles walked, calories burned, weight lost, steps taken, calculated by the day, month or year. These metrics can be monitored and measured by a pedometer. providing instant feed back on your performance against the goals you’ve set for yourself. The level of sophistication of these little gadgets is improving daily. An item call the Fibit was recently introduced. It clips onto your clothing and tracks all your movements all day and night, It uses the information it gathers a to help you determine in the aggregate how much exercise you’ve been getting and how many calories you’ve burnt. Enabling you to vary your food consumption and/or exercise routine in real time. All this data gets automatically synchronized to your computer and then the web through a wireless base station, Once synced, you can view your health dashboard online and get compensation suggestions to keep you in the trim or help you get there.. Cool, No? The fifth generation Ipod nano also incorporates a pedometer, killing two birds with one stone.

Vary your route

Seeing the same sites day in and day out is boring, no question about it. When planning a walking routine, one of your first tasks should be to take a look at Google maps and plot out as many routes as possible ( I’d suggest a minimum of 10) within a short drive distance from your home. You’ll notice I said drive distance. Yup that’s right. Who said that your starting point always has to be your home. Click here to see how the mapping is done. Try to set them up so the scenery is as different and varied as possible. You may also want to consider incorporating a difficulty level ( walking up hills) to a route or two to vary the impact of your walk. Mix the routes as much as possible during the week. Picking them out of a hat would be the best approach.

Bring a Camera Along

For those with an artistic streak, bring along a small digital camera. Commit to taking a minimum of one or two pictures during each walk. How does that help? Well once you start looking at your surroundings with the idea of taking a picture you begin to look at things differently, more intensely. You begin to find even the mundane interesting. You start to notice lighting and consider possible picture compositions, In general you become more aware of where you are and what’s happening around you. The walks fly by and you begin to look forward to the next outing . Keep a photo journal,. if you like,. as a record of you daily walks It helps with that sense of accomplishment that keeps us all motivated.

There are many, many others that I could list but these is just a few of the more interesting and widely effective . As with walking itself, staying motivated takes a bit of time and effort. Time to select the music and load the old Ipod, time to plot out the walking routes, buying the walking equipment but spending that time will pay dividends making your walking routine more pleasant… and who doesn’t want to do pleasant things.

I’d be interested in hearing from you regarding what tips, tricks and equipment you use to while away the hours during your walking excursions. Take a moment and share them in the comments section below..

Technorati Tags: digital camera, exercise motivation, google maps, Ipod, pedometer, walking, walking clubs

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Walking is walking, right? Well walking is walking if it isn’t recreational walking, fitness walking, power walking, nordic walking or race walking. The goal of each is to get from A to B but their differences lie in why your doing it, how you get there and what kind of walking equipment you need. Each method has its’ own set of standards, methods and requirements. I’ve detailed the most common styles below.

Why?

But before I start, let me answer the question,”Why should this interest me, I’m not a race walker or a power walker?”. Boredom is the principal impediment to an ongoing walking program. It is the number one reason people give for abandoning their walking efforts. Changing walking styles can provide much needed variation to your routine, providing you with a whole set of new goals and objectives. Mastering a specific technique takes time and effort which can, in turn, help you stay active and engaged. In addition each style works a different set of muscles which results in a much more well rounded physical workout routine and help minimize the potential for injury. In short, varying your walking style can help keep you going.

Recreational Walking

This is by far the most common walking style. It characterized by a casual approach to the whole activity. The goals are simply to get out and about, breath some fresh air, stretch the legs or perhaps walk the dog. There are no time, distance or caloric burn goals you’re trying to achieve. There are no special techniques to master and no special equipment required. All you need are a pair of reasonably comfortable sneakers or shoes and a bit of time during your day.

Fitness walking

Done either fast or slow, fitness walking is the next step up. We add specific goals and objective to our walking routine. With that comes greater attention to walking techniques and the need to acquire some basic walking gear. Typically the overriding goal of the fitness walker is to improve or maintain their health and conditioning. Usually they walk to burn calories, lose weight, improve stamina or increase leg strength. As a consequence they have set up subsidiary goals for themselves such as walking certain a distance, so many times a week. These goals are set based on the speed/required caloric burn rate of each individual. To maximize the caloric burn rate and help prevent injury, proper posture become important at this level. Walk upright looking straight ahead with shoulders back and down. To insure that the walker remains comfortable and injury free and due to the fact that fitness walking is a more organized activity,done frequently, a bit more care and attention needs to be paid to the equipment employed. Minimum equipment needs would include a well fitting pair of sneakers specially designed for walking, A pair of form fitting wool and polypropylene socks, a water bottle, hat, pedometer and reflective arm bands round out the minimum walking gear requirements

Power Walking

The next step up the ladder is power walking. Power walking is an aerobic activity which not only burns calories, but strengthens and firms muscle as well. Power walking is done at a fast pace, a speed at which people usually start jogging.. Posture become even more important at this level. You should walk tall and keep your looking forward. Chins up and slightly in, chest raised and shoulders down and back . .Bend your elbows to 90 degrees using your arms to pump yourself forward as you walk. Also, take long, deep breaths to enhance oxygen and blood supply to your body. Often power walkers will use additional arm or leg weights to maximize the impact of their workout. With the exception of the weights the minimum equipment needs of a power walker are the sames as those of the fitness.

Nordic Walking

Next on the scale is Nordic Walking. This style evolved from a cross county skiing summer training regiment developed by the Fins. Nordic walkers apply pressure on the ground with poles as they walk. As a consequence, Nordic walkers make more use of their shoulders and upper arm muscles, while getting a back, chest and abdominal workout as well. Nordic walkers can walk faster and further, climb hills more easily. The result is a total body workout that burns up to forty percent more calories than fitness walking. Minimum equipment needs are the same as a fitness walker with the addition of a set of poles Nordic walking poles are available in solid one-piece design or in telescoping designs that allow for differences in height.

Race Walking

Race walkers use the Olympic race walk form, briefly define as having, at any time, at least one foot in contact with the ground and the supporting leg remaining straight from the moment of the first impact of the foot until the supporting leg passes below the body. The walkers swivel and tilt their hips to lengthen their strides. Race walkers must maintain their form at all times and are penalized for bending the knee or having their feet loose contact with the ground at the wrong time. Race walking’s goal is speed, covering a certain distance is the quickest time possible so walking equipment needs are different. Special shoes are used and since weight is critical, nothing much is carried during training or a race itself.

Each style of walking brings its’ own set of benefits and equipment needs. Walking at any level offers both a challenge and a reward. Each style demands a increasing level of discipline and commitment but in return each provides the walker with a sense of accomplishment. So add a little spice to your walking routine. As you try a new style remember to start slowly and make an effort to fully master each technique before moving on. Once your comfortable, mix your walking styles. Do a week of each one or interchange them during the week. This will help keep you engaged, interested and on the road.

If you’ve worked in these other styles, share your experiences. Leave your comments below.

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