National Walking Day

Don't let runners sneer at you, you now have proof that walking can be as physically challenging as running. But only if you speed things up! A study conducted by the Washington University School of Medicine showed that walking faster DID burn more calories over the same distance as walking slower over that distance. The results indicate that walking at slow to moderate speeds up to 3.5 mph is energy efficient, but that efficiency steadily decreases with increasing speeds. Approximately 33% more calories can be expended to walk a given distance by increasing walking speed from 3.5 to 4.5 mph. By increasing walking speed from 3.5 to 5.0 mph, about 50% more calories will be expended over a given distance, and will be comparable to the number of calories expended to run the same distance.

Brisk walking is an aerobic activity. This means waking raises your heart rate and forces you to breathe faster for an extended period. MayoClinic.com recommends you get in at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise each week. If walking bores you, do what I do - do it on the beach and throw in a few sand dunes. Climbing uphill in the sand isn't easy. But PLEASE - don't wreck the dunes by pushing sand downward towards the water. Stay parallel to the water. And if you prefer more activity check out my articles on Zumba, Skating and Jazzercise on the Space Coast.