A
155
-LB. WOMAN
WILL.
..
better
HEALTH
BURN
2 4 6
CALORIES
1
IN
30
MINUTES
Endurance
Walk
W HAT IT IS
A moderately paced walk
you can do for as long—or as short a
tim e—as you want
W HY
irs
GOOD FOR YOU
Endurance
training builds a healthier body, and
it’s som ething almost everybody can
do, even if you’re just strolling
through a mall. It can relieve stress
and boost mood in as little as 10
minutes and also reduces risk factors
for chronic diseases, including heart
disease and diabetes. “W ithout a
solid base of endurance training, you
won’t be able to progress,” Dixon
says. Of course, if you’re looking to
shed pounds, more is better, so shoot
for 30-60 minutes daily. In a study
from the American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition, researchers found
that women who walked a half hour a
day gained one pound less annually
than women who didn’t walk at all.
W HO SHOULD DO IT
Everybody, no
m atter your age or fitness level
HOW OFTEN YOU SHOULD DO IT
Daily, if you want
HOW TO DO IT
Start with a five-
minute warm-up of easy walking.
Then pick up the pace until your
breathing becomes a little quicker.
You should still be able to talk, but
you’re definitely working a little
harder. Maintain this pace as long as
you want. In the end, cool down with
five minutes of easy walking.
Interval
Training Walk
W H AT IT IS
A more challenging walk
that alternates between hard and
easy periods of work
W HY IT’S GOOD FOR YOU
If time is
your biggest enemy, interval training
is perfect for you. “Incorporating
intervals into your workout can
shorten your total exercise time and
get you fitter faster,” says Jason
Talanian, Ph.D., professor of exercise
science at Bacone College in
Muskogee, Oklahoma. In one of his
studies, women who did interval
training improved overall health and
their body’s fat-burning potential in
as little as two weeks. Not only do
you burn calories during the work-
out, you also burn more just doing
everyday things after an interval
training walk, Dixon says.
W HO SHOULD DO IT
Walkers who
want to get in shape in less time or
bust a plateau. Do two or three weeks
of endurance first.
HOW OFTEN YOU SHOULD DO IT
Once or twice a week on noncon-
secutive days
HOW TO DO IT
Warm up with an
easy five-minute walk. Then alter-
nate between one to four minutes of
moderate-paced walking and one to
four minutes of brisk or fast walking,
repeating this pattern two to five
times during your walk. During the
brisk/fast walking sections it should
feel as if you’re working hard, and
talking becomes more difficult.
Speed
Walking
W H AT IT IS
A faster-paced walk than
endurance walking
W HY IT’S GOOD FOR YOU
If you’re
short on time, this is another walk
you can do in a snap. It’s not only
time-efficient, though. “By working a
little harder during your walks, you’ll
burn more calories and fat,” Dixon
says. Granted, it may feel somewhat
uncomfortable, but doing this type of
workout can make you a stronger,
fitter walker.
WHO SHOULD DO IT
Serious walkers
who want to get fitter without
devoting lots of time to exercise.
HOW OFTEN YOU SHOULD DO IT
Once or twice a week
HOW TO DO IT
Start with a five-
minute warm-up. Then pick up the
pace so you’re walking a little faster
than you normally would yet not
pushing it so hard that you can’t
maintain that pace. Continue at that
pace for 10 to 20 minutes. (If this is
too difficult at first, go fast for five
minutes, then slow to a moderate
pace for five minutes; gradually build
to walking fast the entire walk.) Then
cool down with an easy walk.
194
JULY 2010 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
