The Mail
London, UK
23 January, 2006


Forget the gym - why a brisk walk is really the best workout

This activity will melt away the pounds, tone your flabby bits and leave you on an emotional high. Yet the form of exercise destined to become the fitness trend of 2007 does not require gym membership or a personal trainer. All you need to do is walk.

"Walking is a refreshing alternative to complicated aerobic routines and over-priced gym memberships," says personal trainer Lucy Knight, author of a new book on the exercise.

"It is free, enjoyable and already a part of everyday life. All you need to do is correct your technique, walk faster and for longer, and you will lose weight."

There is much evidence of the benefits of walking. Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh recently revealed that overweight people who walked briskly for 30 to 60 minutes a day lost weight even if they didn't change any other lifestyle habits.

Another American study found that people who walked for at least four hours a week gained less weight (an average 9lb less) than couch potatoes as they got older.

Last year, researchers at the University of Colorado found that regular walking helped to prevent peripheral artery disease (which impairs blood flow in the legs and causes leg pain in one-fifth of elderly people).

Walking can even prevent colds. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts medical school found that people who walked every day had 25 per cent fewer colds than those who were sedentary.

Because walking is a weight-bearing exercise, it can also help prevent the bone disease osteoporosis.

"Bones are like muscles in the way that they get stronger and denser the more demands you place on them," Knight says. "The pull of a muscle against a bone, together with the force of gravity when you walk, will stress the bone - which responds by stimulating tissue growth and renewal."

Best of all, walking makes you feel good about yourself. "For people suffering from depression, walking three to four times a week for 30 minutes has been shown to enhance their mood," says Knight.

Even if a 20-minute power walk at lunchtime is all you manage, after six weeks it could be comparable to a course of psychotherapy, psychologists at the University of Illinois found.

Here's how to walk your way to weight loss and wellness . . .

How much, how often?

Health experts recommend that we should walk 10,000 steps a day (about five miles) to stay healthy, yet most Britons walk only 4,500 steps.

You would probably need to tot up at least 16,000 steps a day to lose weight.

Knight suggests the following workout plans, depending on your level of fitness. With each, you should aim to progress by increasing the duration of your walk by five minutes every two weeks, and the intensity by walking faster.

"In just three months, the results should speak for themselves," says Knight.

• Beginners:

Monday to Saturday: Walk ten minutes at a moderate pace
Sunday: Walk slowly for 20 minutes

• Intermediates:

Monday: Rest
Tuesday to Friday: Walk for 25 minutes at a moderate pace one day, 30 minutes the next Saturday: Walk 20 minutes fast
Sunday: Walk 45 minutes at a moderate pace

• Advanced:

Monday: Rest
Tuesday to Friday: Walk 45 minutes at a moderate pace one day and 50 minutes the next day
Saturday: Walk 50 minutes at a fast pace
Sunday: Walk 60 minutes at a moderate pace

Perfect your technique

To burn fat quickly and effectively, you should master power-walking.

"Without it you will struggle to increase your pace and your weight loss will plateau," says Knight. Stand tall with your arms by your sides and pull your navel towards your spine so that your core muscles are working.

Focus your eyes five to six metres ahead and keep your shoulders relaxed. Bend your elbows at a 90-degree angle and cup your hands lightly, rather than clenching your fists.

Leading with the heel, take a step forward with your right foot and move your arms in opposition (i.e. as your left arm moves forward, your right moves back).

Transfer your weight through the heel of your right foot.

"It is very easy, once you start concentrating on the movement, to forget about breathing," says Knight.

"Try to get into a pattern, counting the number of steps to each in-and-out breath, making it the same each time."

Vary the terrain

Adding hills to your route will speed up calorie burning.

"On really steep inclines, it's not unusual for even a fit person's heart rate to increase by about 20 per cent," says Knight. Going downhill, you have to contract your leg muscles to work against gravity and slow your descent.

Walking on softer surfaces, such as mud, sand or grass, also uses more energy than walking on concrete. Every time your foot hits the ground, it creates a small depression so that the leg muscles must work harder to push upwards and forwards for the next step.

Walking on cobblestones or rocky ground may have even more benefits. Physiologists at the Oregon Research Institute have found cobblestone walking lowers blood pressure and improves balance.

The uneven surfaces may stimulate acupressure points on the soles of the feet, regulating blood pressure. Because it is challenging, it will also burn more calories.

Walking styles

Think walking is boring? Then try these alternatives:

Nordic walking, which uses skilike poles, has proven benefits.

Professor John Pocari, an exercise physiologist at the University of Wisconsin, who has studied its effects, says using walking poles forces people to pick up their pace and work harder without realising it.

"Just the fact that you are using your arms through a greater range of motion than normal means you burn more calories," says Pocari.

On average, people use 20 per cent more calories when they use poles. Participants in his studies increased their upper body strength by 40 per cent and reduced impact on vulnerable hips, ankles and knees by 26 per cent compared with running.

Mall walking, called "mallercise" in the U.S., was originally devised by doctors, who encouraged cardiac patients to incorporate indoor walking in shopping malls to hasten their rehab.

"It is a fantastic way to walk as you don't breathe in toxic car fumes, shopping centres are usually open seven days a week and good weather is guaranteed," says Knight.

Treadmills, because they are sprung, offer softer and easier terrain than a hard road, placing less strain on your joints, says Knight. This makes them a good option for people with joint or back problems.

The downside is that, on a flat setting, they don't require the same level of exertion, so set them on a slight incline.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/li...in_page_id=1798

Battle of the workouts


Running or aerobics? Yoga or Pilates? Making the decision to get fit is the easy part - choosing how to go about it is the difficult bit. Peta Bee offers some advice

Tuesday March 6, 2007
The Guardian


Running v aerobics

Running

How quickly will it make a difference?
After two to three weeks if running three or more times a week.

How many calories does it burn?
Around 612 per hour if you run six miles per hour (a 10-minute mile). You will burn more calories running off-road as your legs have to work harder on soft ground.

Will it keep me motivated?
Treadmill running, hamster fashion, can be tedious: run outside, changing your route and terrain whenever you can. As you get fitter, challenge yourself more by entering fun runs.

Specific benefits:
The basic running action strengthens the hamstring, quadriceps, iliopsoas muscles at the front of the hips, calf and the gluteus maximus muscles each time you take a stride forward. The pumping action of your arms will strengthen the upper body to some extent. And it's among the best forms of aerobic exercise.

Risk factors:
Your feet absorb three to four times your body weight every time they strike the ground and a shock reverberates up through your legs and into your spine. Good shoes help to cushion the blow and reduce the risk of injury to the knees and other joints.

Aerobics

How quickly will it make a difference?
After four to five weeks of twice-weekly classes.

How many calories does it burn?
374 per hour.

Will it keep me motivated?
It depends on your instructor. Classes that stick to exactly the same format every week can become too predictable for both muscles and mind. As with all class-based workouts, there is little scope for progress, so there will come a time when you will want to try something different.

Specific benefits
Aerobics classes incorporate an element of dance that will improve coordination and spatial awareness.

Risk factors
Low-impact aerobics - at least one foot remains in contact with the floor at all times - are preferable to high-impact classes for anyone prone to back and joint problems.

Victor: running

Tennis v squash

Tennis

How quickly will it make a difference?
After six to eight weeks of twice-weekly matches.

How many calories does it burn?
476 per hour in a singles match or 340 in a doubles.

Will it keep me motivated?
Tennis is competitive and in the summer there is nothing better than heading outdoors to a tennis court. However, your motivation to play can be dampened somewhat when it comes to seeking out indoor courts over the winter months.

Specific benefits
The power for a shot is initiated from ground level - the strength for a great serve is provided by the push off from the quadriceps in your thighs. Sharp turns and twists put the abdominals and upper body through a vigorous workout, holding the racket and hitting the ball exercises your arms and shoulders, and your forearms absorb the impact from the ball contact.

Risk factors
It works one side of the body more than the other, so muscle imbalance is common unless you work on your less-dominant side in the gym.

Squash

How quickly will it make a difference?
Two to three weeks if playing three times a week.

How many calories does it burn?
748 per hour.

Will it keep me motivated?
Undoubtedly. It is sociable and, if you join a club, there will be coaching and a league structure.

Specific benefits
Recently rated the number-one healthy sport - ahead of rowing - by Forbes magazine, squash is easier to learn than tennis and you can play all year round. It also helps to improve the strength of your legs, arms and core region.

Risk factors
There is a sporty adage that goes: "You don't play squash to get fit, you get fit to play squash." Because it is so physically demanding, researchers at Liverpool John Moores University recently warned older and unfit people not to launch into it full-pelt as it could put unnecessary strain on the heart and body.

Victor: squash

Weights v circuits

Weights

How quickly will it make a difference?
After the first session, your muscles will feel more toned, but noticeable changes will take three to four weeks.

How many calories does it burn?
136-340 per hour depending on weight lifted and the recovery time between repetitions and sets.

Will it keep me motivated?
If improved body tone is your solitary goal, then yes. But otherwise it can become tedious.

Specific benefits
Great for improving muscle tone and bone density. Combined with aerobic exercise, resistance and weight training has been shown to speed up the rate at which calories are burned, thereby resulting in quicker weight loss.

Risk factors
Lift too heavy weights too often and you can get bulky. Injuries are high in the weight room, but mostly linked to weights being dropped and poor technique.

Circuits

How quickly will it make a difference?
After two weeks of twice-weekly circuits.

How many calories does it burn?
476 per hour.

Will it keep me motivated?
Circuit training is as challenging (or not) as you make it. You are unlikely to get bored as circuits can constantly change their content and order.

Specific benefits
A good circuit addresses every element of fitness - aerobic, strength, balance and flexibility. Ideally, an instructor should introduce new tools - medicine balls, skipping ropes, weights, wobble boards - to make sure you are always developing new skills and testing different muscles.

Risk factors
Because the movements are so varied, there are very few risks - unless you perform exercises with poor technique.

Victor: circuits

Yoga v Pilates

Yoga

How quickly will it make a difference?
After eight weeks of thrice-weekly sessions.

How many calories does it burn?
102 per hour for a general, stretch-based class. Power yoga burns 245 per hour.

Will it keep me motivated?
Yoga is all about attaining a sense of unity between body and mind rather than setting and achieving personal targets. However, you will feel accomplishment as you master the postures and there are many different types to try.

Specific benefits
In a study for the American Council on Exercise (Ace), Professor John Porcari found that women who did three yoga classes a week for eight weeks experienced a 13% improvement in flexibility, with significant gains in shoulder and trunk flexibility. They were able to perform six more press-ups and 14 more sit-ups at the end of the study compared to the beginning.

Risk factors
Don't fall for the line that celebrities get fit on yoga alone. According to Ace, even power yoga constitutes only a "light aerobic workout".

Pilates

How quickly will it make a difference?
After five to six weeks of thrice-weekly sessions.

How many calories does it burn?
170-237 per hour.

Will it keep me motivated?
Once you start noticing positive changes in the way you move and hold your body, Pilates is hard to give up.

Specific benefits
Widely used by dancers and top athletes, it improves postural awareness and strength. Studies at Queensland University in Australia have shown that Pilates exercises can develop the deeply embedded traversus abdominal muscles which support the trunk.

Risk factors
Another study by Ace last year found the cardiovascular benefits of Pilates to be limited. Even an advanced 55-minute session raised participants' heart rates to a maximum of only 62% (below the recommended 64-94% said to constitute an aerobic workout) and was deemed the energy equivalent of walking 3.5 miles an hour. If you have back pain, make sure you see a teacher who is also a physiotherapist, as poor technique can make matters worse.

Victor: Pilates

Spinning v step

Spinning

How quickly will it make a difference?
After two to three weeks of twice-weekly sessions.

How many calories does it burn?
408-646 calories an hour.

Will it keep me motivated?
Although it's a group session, spinning allows you to test yourself by increasing the workload as you get fitter. Look out for classes with video screens that take you on a virtual ride through pleasant scenery to less gym boredom.

Specific benefits
Pedalling works most of the muscles in the legs and buttocks during the pushdown phase so you will get an unbelievably toned lower body. But your heart and lungs are the biggest beneficiaries.

Risk factors
Cycling is not a good workout for the upper body, so you would need to include some resistance training. Make sure your seat is positioned correctly to avoid back strain and leg cramps - your extended leg at the bottom of the pedal stroke should be almost straight. Because it is a non-weight-bearing exercise, cycling is not good for strengthening bones.

Step

How quickly will it make a difference?
After four weeks of twice-weekly classes.

How many calories does it burn?
510-612 per hour (depending on height of step).

Will it keep me motivated? You will notice changes in your body shape fairly quickly, but there are only so many times you can step on to a platform before utter boredom takes hold.

Specific benefits
A study carried out two years ago by researchers at California State Polytechnic University showed that women who did step aerobics three times a week for six months experienced up to 3.3% increases in the bone density of their spines, hip and leg bones. It has good aerobic benefits as well as toning muscles in the bottom and legs.

Risk factors
Not recommended for anyone with lower-back or knee problems. The repetitive stepping could aggravate existing injuries.

Victor: spinning



http://www.guardian.co.uk/health/st...2027401,00.html

I do hip hop Abs or Turbo Jam 6 days a week and abuot 2 times a week jumb on my elliptical machine. I also walk my son to and from school five times a week. Now that the snow is going and we've got a new puppy I will be running with him each morning before the husband goes to work!

I have one special-needs child and one infant at home, and any time I put in a tape they are literally crawling all over me. For certain exercises like yoga, I get injured (back or legs) when they jump on me and for others, like aerobics, it is dangerous to them because they're going to get jumped on by me. Then one or the other of them invariably begins crying and needs something five minutes into the tape.

It's hard to find daycare for a special needs child, and it's pricey, in addition to the price of a gym membership, so I don't go to the gym.

So I just pick up my kids and go. We take a million walks. I strap them into the wagon and walk them to the store and buy something I've been needing--a holiday card for someone; a container of milk. I walk them around the block, sometimes in the wagon or stroller, and sometimes taking the bigger one by the hand while carrying the baby in his sling on my chest.