fundamentals
Choosing the Right Exercise
Walking
Walking is a well-balanced form of exercise for most people, regardless of age. Many people are able to maintain a modest level of fitness through a regular walking program. Walking is relatively easy on the joints. During walking, at least one foot is on the ground at all times, so the force with which the foot strikes the ground is never much more than the person’s weight. However, walking expends fewer calories than does running and places fewer demands on the heart. Walking slowly will not alone make a person very fit. To walk faster, a person can take longer steps and move the legs faster with an equally vigorous stroke (or swing) of the arms. Steps can be lengthened by swiveling the hips from side to side so that the feet can reach further forward. Swiveling the hips tends to make the toes point outward when the feet touch the ground, so the toes do not reach as far forward as they would if they were pointed straight ahead. In addition, excessive hip swiveling can strain the hip joints, contributing to Osteoarthritis (OA) . Therefore, a person should always try to point the toes straight ahead while walking, unless this position causes discomfort. Moving the arms faster helps the feet move faster. To move the arms faster, a person bends the elbows to shorten the swing and reduce the time the arms take to swing back and forth from the shoulder. People with instability (whether due to poor balance or weakness) or severe joint injury may find walking difficult. Also, even vigorous walking does not strengthen the upper body and has little strengthening effect on the lower body unless the person is initially very deconditioned. 