Fitness walking with your honey
Exercise is a great way to say “te amo”
Sure, chocolate is a popular gift of love. So is a calorie-laden gourmet dinner at a romantic restaurant. But is it really? Don’t you think the gift of a happy, healthy you is best of all? Stick with that New Year’s resolution and kill another bird with that stone, so to speak, by proposing this mutual gift to your partner for Valentine’s Day: a fitness-walking regimen you can do together.
More than half of adults – men and women equally – resolve to make improvements in both health and wealth in the New Year, yet more than half of Americans find excuses not to exercise – and the No. 1 excuse is lack of time. But hey, there’s plenty of time to catch up on eight episodes of DVRed “Dexter” or spend a whole evening social networking. Gotta check Facebook to see what cousin Hector is doing in Texas. He could be mowing the lawn.
You have to schedule exercise in your life, that’s all there is to it. And if you commit to it with someone you care about, you’re more likely to stick to it. Besides, what better way is there to spend time with your honey than getting healthy?
It’s easy and so good for you
One of the easiest, least expensive, most favorable forms of exercise is walking. Take it up a notch to fitness walking and you exponentially gain in physical and psychological ways. Fitness walk with your partner and you’re on your way to all-around bliss. We all know the benefits: strong heart, toned muscles, increased sexual appetite, improved self-esteem, better sleep, increased sexual appetite … oh. We said that.
Fitness walking is not to be confused with power or race walking. The term “power walking” implies exaggerated strides and arm movements that can cause injuries; race walking is that hip-swiveling Olympic event. Fitness walking is purposeful, done at an energetic pace that engages upper-body muscles so that it becomes an aerobic exercise, burning more calories than just a stroll through the park.
Even though skeptics may think of this form of exercise as a very low-impact workout, the health benefits are truly impressive. Sandra Franks, senior program director at the Ahwatukee YMCA, says that if done correctly, a fitness walk “definitely has its place in a well-rounded fitness program.” It burns approximately the same calories as running, without the wear and tear on ligaments and joints. Fitness walking also tones muscles in the buttocks, thighs, hips, abdomen, upper back, and shoulders. It also increases cardiovascular endurance and speeds up metabolism. Not bad for just walking.
Despite all the benefits, fitness walking seems to carry a certain stigma, as if it’s not manly enough for men to consider real exercise. But it’s not just women who need to lose weight and take care of their hearts. “A growing number of men are discovering the fat-loss merits of [fitness] walking,” says Franks. “Men should not be wary of this predominately women’s fitness phenomenon.” (Are you reading this, chavalos?)
Perhaps men are afraid of looking silly walking con ganas, but it’s a good workout if they do it right. Guys, you can even get in the “zone,” one of the appealing aspects of going to the gym where you can plug into an iPod and exercise in your own little workout world and forget the day’s dreary news. The same can be had by fitness walking with your main squeeze. You can each plug into your favorite tunes, pick the pace up to work those body parts, and leave your worries behind (at least for 40 minutes): no talking about politics, bills to pay, or children to discipline. Besides, if you’re walking at an ideal aerobic pace, there’s not a lot of breath left for chitchat. “Save your conversation for the warm-up and cool-down,” says Franks.
One of the upsides of fitness walking besides all the health perks is you don’t need much in the way of equipment to get started. Of course you’d want to wear good walking shoes, and Franks suggests investing in a heart rate monitor. (What a great Valentine’s Day gift, ¿que no?) The top three reviewed by Consumer Reports vary in price from $35 to $215. A heart rate monitor will track how hard you’re working so that you exercise at your maximum fat-burning capacity. Subtract your age from 220 and that will give you your target heart rate. For example, let’s say you’re 42 years old. Subtract that from 220 and the result is 178, which equals the heartbeats per minute you would need to strive for to be in your target fat-burning zone.
Show your amante how much you really care and skip the box of chocolates. Instead, take her hand – or his hand – look in to each other’s eyes, and vow to get healthy so you can spend many more Valentine’s Days together.
Start! is good for your heart
You know fitness walking is great exercise, but maybe you need a little extra motivation. How’s this for a little motivation: Did you know that heart disease is this country’s No.1 killer? By exercising for as little as 30 minutes each day, you can reduce your risk. The American Heart Association has spurred the Start! Movement to get people walking more, eating better and living longer, healthier lives. The website shares a plethora of helpful tips and benefits of walking, the best way to get started, and other resources. You can even use the MyStart! Online Track to log your times and distances, even plot and save your walking routes. Go to http://startwalkingnow.org/home.jsp for more information.
Walk tall: good form for fitness walking
Maintain good posture. Walk tall, look forward, and gaze about 20 feet ahead, chin level.
With chest raised, let shoulders relax down and back, not curled forward.
Keep back flattened, pelvis tilted slightly forward. Tighten abs and buttocks.
Arms should be slightly bent with hands gently cupped, and swinging front to back, not side to side – arms should not cross your body. Elbows should not swing higher than your sternum.
Imagine walking along a straight line. Don’t over-lengthen your stride. If you want to walk faster, take shorter, quicker strides.
Focus on landing on your heels and rolling through the step, pushing off with your toes. Use the natural spring of your calf muscles to propel forward.
Breathe naturally and rhythmically to maximize the amount of oxygen going through your system. Increase your breathing, but not to the point of discomfort.
Source: www.thewalkingsite.com
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