Adding Steps

to Your Day
Simple Ways to Stay Active

IN THIS ISSUE...

Walk Your Way

to Good Health 1 Walk Your Way
Tips for Adding
Steps to Your Day 1
Walking Is Not
for Wimps 2 to Good Health
Physical Activity
vs. Fitness 2 Did you know that walking briskly at 3.5 to 4.0 miles per hour (about a
15 minute mile) burns almost as many calories as running at a
moderate pace and results in the same health benefits with less stress on
Habits
of Healthy People 3 the knees.

The Time Barrier

4 To make your walk more aerobic try these tips:
Swinging your arms when you walk burns 5% to 10% more calories.
Bend your elbows into a right angle and pump from your shoulders instead
of at the elbow joint.
Increase the incline. Walking uphill burns 100 to 200 calories more per hour
than walking on flat terrain.
For a change of pace, walk backwards. It strengthens your stomach and
back muscles and gives the muscles in the front and back of the thighs a
good workout.

• Work in the garden, • Stand up while talking on • Go cross-country skiing.

TIPS or mow the grass using a the phone. • Jump rope.
for Adding push-mower. • Walk the dog. • Pull the kids or grandkids
• Rake leaves, prune,
Steps to dig and pick up trash.
• Walk the kids to school. in their wagon.
• Chop and stack • Walk around the building
Your Day • Go out for a short walk firewood. during coffee breaks.
before breakfast or after • Go dancing. • Do housework instead
dinner, or both. of hiring someone else
• Walk in the mall
• Walk or bike to the when you’re waiting to do it.
corner store instead of for someone.
driving.
• Workout with an
• Take the stairs instead exercise video.
of the elevator.
• Jog in place during TV
• Park further away, and commercials.
walk the extra distance to
• Vacuum to your favorite
the door.
music.
WA L K I N G
Is Not for
Wimps
Many people, especially those with a “jock mentality,” consider walking a wimpy form
of exercise. You may think that yourself. If you could be convinced that it would really
do some measurable good, would you be willing to give it a try?
Then lace up your sneakers, because walking is finally getting the recognition as real
exercise that it deserves. And as for walking being for wimps only, you might want to
run that one by Texas A&M University anthropologist Vaughn Bryant, who has lots of
stories to tell regarding walking’s impact on those who first put it to use: our
prehistoric ancestors. Walking has been the primary fitness activity of our species from
the very beginning, according to Dr. Bryant. There were no stationary bikes or step-
aerobics classes for our fur-clad forebears yet they were extraordinarily fit thanks
primarily to their ambulatory ways.
“We were working at a site in Texas, doing exploratory digging in caves set on the
side of a canyon wall where a prehistoric tribe had lived,” Dr. Bryant says. “And talk
about a climb! Of the nineteen of us on the expedition, twelve couldn’t make it up
the incline even once. Here was something our prehistoric ancestors were doing every
day, as routinely as taking out the garbage, and twelve modern young people—
college students, no less—couldn’t manage it even once.”
The caveman walked his way to fitness, as did his family—just as you and your family
can, too. It’s easy but also highly effective, it requires no special equipment or athletic
ability, and you can do it nearly any time or anywhere without risk of injury or undue
fatigue.

Physical Activity versus Fitness

While physical activity is great for improving your overall
sense of energy and well-being, it may or may not lead to
physical fitness (based on the intensity and duration of an
activity). Physical fitness refers to three major areas of activity:
aerobic fitness, muscular strength and flexibility.
Aerobic fitness measures the ability of our heart, lungs,
circulation and muscles to sustain activity. Aerobic activities
speed our heart rate and breathing and help cardiovascular
fitness, as well as reduce risk of heart disease, type 2
diabetes, and certain cancers.
Muscular strength is important for overall physical function
and quality of life. Most of us will lose muscle mass during
our life and this can affect our quality of life, particularly after
age 50. Doing regular strength exercises may help build and
maintain bones and prevent muscle loss.
Flexibility is important because it increases our range of
motion. It also allows us to move with less risk of injury to
our joints and muscles and to enjoy many of our favorite
activities.

2 Add Steps to Your Day

Habits To become healthy individuals, we need to develop a healthy
lifestyle by establishing certain behavioral habits. People who consider
themselves healthy normally share these habits in common:

of Healthy People
They Make The Time. If it’s important to you, it will get done. It’s that
simple. Some people need a structured program to provide guidance and
accountability. Others like to do a little something everyday, rather than a lot
of activity every other day. Find out what works best for you. Then do it.

They Find Activities They Enjoy. Find something you really enjoy doing.
How about walking, biking, golf or gardening? If you enjoy the activity, it’s
easier to adhere to it and keep it as a part of your daily routine.

They Set A Series of Small, Realistic Goals. Plan your course with a series of
realistic goals. Achieving small goals will help you stay on track, keep you motivated
and give your confidence a boost. Don’t simply say, “I want to lose some weight.”
Write down exactly how much weight, and the time-line for losing those pounds. If
you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.

They Enjoy Feeling Fit. People who exercise regularly have lower stress levels, sleep
better, have more energy and tend to be happier. It’s hard to beat those side-effects!

They Don’t Make Excuses. Instead of wasting time looking for a way to avoid physical
activity, healthy people use that time to actually exercise. When challenged by weather,
time or family issues, seek alternatives. If we put as much energy into exercising as we do
into avoiding it, we’d all be more fit.

They Don’t Criticize Themselves If They Miss A Workout. Life can often throw up
unanticipated roadblocks. The successful exerciser acknowledges them and works around
them. Don’t dwell on what was missed, focus on what you can do in the present and
future. A reporter once asked baseball legend Babe Ruth what he thinks about when he
strikes out. Babe replied, “I think about hitting home runs.”

They View Fitness as a Life-Long Habit. Lifestyle changes can only come
gradually and for the right reasons. My most successful clients view exercise as
a hygiene habit, like brushing their teeth, not simply a recreational pursuit when
they have some free time.

Add Steps to Your Day 3

#1 BAR R I E R TO B E I N G ACTIVE...

Lack of Time
Dealing with the barrier of limited time requires a little planning since every
“spare” minute will be taken up with something if you don’t have a game-plan.
Remember, getting into the habit of being physically active doesn’t always require
large chunks of time; sometimes your schedule will only allow a few minutes of
activity intermittently throughout the day, and that’s okay. Here are some
suggestions in dealing with the time barrier:

Identify available time slots. Monitor your daily activities for one week. identify at
least three 30-minute time slots you could use for physical activity.

Add physical activity to your daily routine. For example, walk or ride your bike to
work or shopping, organize social activities around physical activity, walk the dog,
exercise while you watch TV, park farther from your destination, etc.

Make time for physical activity. For example, walk, jog, or swim during your lunch
hour, or take fitness breaks instead of coffee breaks.

Select activities requiring minimal time, such as walking, jogging, stair climbing.

Plan ahead. Make physical activity a regular part of your daily or weekly schedule and write it on
your calendar.

Workable Wellness is a program developed by North Carolina Cooperative Extension to provide you with information
and strategies to enhance the quality of your life. For further information, contact your local Cooperative Extension Office.