Walk
Write

By Judy Heller

Judy Heller, founder of
Wonders of Walking LLC,
advocates walking for well being and pleasure. Wonders of Walking promotes Walking Events for Walkers by Walkers. Judy Heller is founder and owner of EroFit & Associates, LLC, celebrating Fitness for a Lifetime. Heller offers personalized fitness training and coaching for individuals and groups.
Contact: Judy Heller
at 503-282-1677:
email judy@erofit.com
jheller@wondersofwalking.com

Also visit: www.erofit.com
www.wondersofwalking.com

I only went out
for a walk and
concluded to stay out until sundown,
For going out,
I found
Was really going in.

— John Muir

The Purpose of Exercise

Last time I wrote about “When Walking Hurts” and explained how you move, how your body functions, is impacted by the accumulation of physical experiences and emotional input acquired over the years. If you continue to exercise while in pain, it’s likely that the injury will become a more severe chronic pain, which steals the fun and joy of walking from you. It doesn’t have to be so.

Now I’d like to discuss the purpose of exercise: It’s to create a platform of better health and fitness that leads to a better quality of life. These benefits are derived from the consistency of movement, the everyday actions that do good things for you physically, mentally, and emotionally.

There are those who may want to walk a marathon or achieve some other fitness goal. However, for many of us, it is about wanting to walk daily and feeling good while doing it.

The advantage of walking as an exercise is that it is easy to do, easy on the joints, inexpensive, and pleasurable. All you need is a good pair of shoes. Walking can be done inside or out, alone or with others, on a treadmill or on a track, in the city or in the country, on the sidewalk or in the snow.

Studies continue to underscore the health benefits of walking: It lessens the risk of getting diabetes, heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, and breast and colon cancer. Walking reduces risk factors associated with weight gain. It helps manage hypertension, balance cholesterol levels, ease constipation, and can help manage depression. Walking has been shown to increase muscle mass, energy, and metabolism. Some studies show how walking can “turn back the clock” by as much as a decade, because it affects the DNA associated with aging. Walking is good for boosting brain health. It improves your ability to make decisions, solve problems, and focus. Even a quick 15-minute walk has been shown to increase your brain power.

If you have you experienced pain when walking or with other exercises, there is a probability you have a physical imbalance resulting from injury, atrophy (lack of use), or activity in a sport that is having a negative effect on you. This usually results in the body adapting to compensate for the “malfunction” and can lead to one side of the body becoming stronger and more flexible than the other. The body can and will adapt until it can do no more. Then pain occurs, and the motion is no longer fun because it hurts. Quite often this pain is on one side of the body; interestingly, where the pain manifests itself may not be the location of the problem.

If muscle groups are not balanced in terms of overall function, strength, and flexibility, this can lead to pain or discomfort. Footwear or faulty foot mechanics can lead to injury. As more and more people are seated during their working hours, the gluteus — butt muscles — can become deactivated until they resemble more a cushion than an actual muscle. If this muscle is not working properly, then another muscle group, like the hamstrings or lower back, will try to “help.” This in turn can create pain symptoms where there isn’t any injury.

As a coach and trainer, I sometimes consider myself a body detective. What do my clients feel, when does it happen, what movement patterns do I see, and how do they use their bodies when standing, sitting, walking, or running? How do they stand and walk, with and without shoes? How is their core strength? I use this information to design appropriate exercise programs geared towards improving overall health. If the appropriate muscle groups are not working properly, I can recommend specific exercises to try. For example, if someone has “cushion” glutes, I recommend isolated gluteal squeezes.

An improper walking technique can lead to injury. Warm-up, stretching, and mobility exercises all increase flexibility and balance, which in turn makes your walking more comfortable and enjoyable. Whether you walk for fitness or fun, maintaining the flexibility of your back, shoulders, hips, and legs is essential. If not, your muscles and joints will gradually stiffen and you will lose range of motion. This can lead to difficulty not only in walking but can create difficulty in performing other tasks.

Back and leg strengthening exercises improve your body strength and your overall walking performance. For tips on what to try, talk with your health provider. You should always check with your provider before trying any new exercises, especially if you have a history of back or leg problems, or haven’t exercised for some time.