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Old 02-21-16, 09:37 AM  
Leela
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Join Date: Nov 2001
Walking 10K a day has turned me into a happier person.

It's what the human body is supposed to be doing (walking a lot)

Last July I spent a week on the beach, and walked 8 miles in the surf (barefoot on sand) daily. It made me so incredibly happy.

That being said, while it improved my health, and I'm sure does great things to my blood sugar , brain and hip flexors, I can only get results (50) by eating healthy.

I think for results - if you mean fat loss, that is a question I can't answer. I lost about 3 pounds after adding the walking to my life, but I'm middle aged and close to menopause, so for me, it really is mostly what and how much I eat.
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Old 02-21-16, 09:48 AM  
Joni O
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Location: Twin Cities, MN
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Originally Posted by frostyjan View Post
Walking is great for endurance and heart health, but I don't think walking does much to promote the strength and flexibility needed to stay strong, active and independent given modern convenience and the lack of natural functional strength involved in getting through a typical American's day.

If someone has a physical job that requires regular use of their muscles, I'd put them in a different category.

I used to be a cardio junkie, but now spend most of my dedicated workout time doing strength and yoga. My weight is at its lowest of my adult life.
I walk my dog outside 3-6 miles 4-6 times a week with smaller walks in addition to that. I still do occasional cardio (mostly in the form of Tonique or metabolic workouts). I have an active job (RN in a busy perioperative area) so that helps.

I watched my inlaws age fairly well as they made a lifestyle of walking/hiking with dogs. They discounted the value of "working out". However healthy they were compared to others their age, they got progressively more and more inflexible and weak.

I noticed difficulty getting in and out of chairs, and if they ended up on the floor they could not get themselves up, not to mention being unable to carry heavy items.

I think walking is a must, but I put strength and flexibility training right up there in importance.

I take care of lots of people, both healthy and unhealthy, and I can spot the older people who strength train or do yoga from a mile away.

They look and move like younger people. YMMV
How do you fit it all in? I've been alternating heavy and light strength training 6 days a week and then going for a 3-4 mile walk with hubby 5 days a week as soon as I'm done with that. I think I'm in the best shape (most toned) of my adult life and am afraid to lose that by trading some of the strength training for yoga/stretching. As I get older I'll have to give some of it up anyway, but I suppose I should start putting more emphasis on flexibility before it's too late.
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Old 02-21-16, 10:13 AM  
wishiwasinhawaii
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: NJ
Where I work, we started a walking program 4 or 5 years ago where they gave us a pedometer and if we walked a certain number of steps, we'd get a prize. A guy I work with was very overweight and was walking an insane amount of steps (like 20,000 per day), won a lot of prizes and lost a lot of weight. He has managed to keep it off and looks very good (he's in his late 50's) so I asked him recently if he still walks and he said he does no exercise whatsoever and only watches what he eats. I was shocked. He said for him, making better food choices made all the difference but he felt walking so much during the challenge also helped him lose the weight. I don't know why he doesn't exercise now though and I feel like that is a mistake, but maybe men don't have to deal with the bone loss issues women have. I really don't know enough about it to say.
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Old 02-21-16, 01:55 PM  
donnamp
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Maryland, USA
FrostyJan - I agree, I think walking is great, but I do think you also need to work on strength and flexibility as well. And, I don't think you have to go crazy to do so - some body weight exercises a few times a week for about 20 min and some stretching exercises a few times a week for about 20 min - I think would benefit most "average" people. And, I think it is especially important for those of us who sit a lot all day.

Beyond Omega - we have a wellness program at work that rewards us w/ actual money for meeting certain "goals". I was surprised that for having a desk job I was able to average 9K steps a day (some days I get more, some less, but our wellness site averages it up for us)- I started doing the things you did - parking farther away, using stairs instead of elevator, walking deliveries to other depts instead of using the mail, etc. I also make it a point to take a 20 min walk in the afternoon - if the weather is good. Where I work I'm close to the library, a CVS, and a coffee shop so that motivates me to get up and walk small errands.

Take care -

Donna
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Old 02-21-16, 05:22 PM  
AsSweetAsSugar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Canada
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Originally Posted by donnamp View Post
Thanks, AsSweetAsSugar, it is really amazing what they can do these days in a very non-invasive way - he had the procedure done on a Monday and was back at work on Thursday. Hopefully it worked, his dr. is going to wean him off the anti-arrhythmia meds.

Donna
You're welcome Donna, I agree it is amazing how advanced is the technology these days! It is awesome that he'll stop his meds!

Quote:
Originally Posted by JezthePuff2 View Post
Donna:

I agree...I never understood why they just don't call it low impact aerobics. You're really not "walking."
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Originally Posted by wishiwasinhawaii View Post
That's a good point. I hadn't thought of that, but it's true. A true walking workout would be to just...walk. It's warm here today so I plan to get outside and take a walk for the first time in a long time. I don't care for TM walking either.
I agree totally! But, then imagine a two, three, four or five miles of just walking dvd... BORING! I'm glad for all the variations they add to make it fun!

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Thanks for sharing your experience and perspective! very helpful
+1!
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Old 02-21-16, 07:37 PM  
marya
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Pacific Northwest
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Originally Posted by donnamp View Post
And, I do have tons of Leslie and Jessica, but to me, they aren't quite the same as walking - they are, to me, more like low impact aerobics.Donna
A former Leslie devotee, I now do my own indoor walk routines (to my own choice of music) which, though a little dancey, are real walking, basically in a figure-eight around my living room. Weather permitting, I also walk outdoors in a city that is all hills--wonderful for endurance, but my indoor walking has other advantages: I can incorporate wild arm/core movements and kicks, vary the rhythm and step patterns, safely walk barefoot, and take super-long strides that stretch my tight hip flexors. Also, I can walk as needed, any time, dressed or undressed--no inhibiting factors whatsoever!

My non-Leslie indoor walks have definitely had good mood-boosting and lower body toning effects--but really, my goal is just to move as much as possible, whenever I have 5 or 10 minutes to spare.
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Old 02-23-16, 03:15 PM  
Sophie
 
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Location: Alberta
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Originally Posted by frostyjan View Post
Walking is great for endurance and heart health, but I don't think walking does much to promote the strength and flexibility needed to stay strong, active and independent given modern convenience and the lack of natural functional strength involved in getting through a typical American's day.
Agree completely with this, and it was what I was thinking of when I said I can't rely on walking alone - I lose other fitness attributes.

I think I said it in another thread (maybe the age thread?) that I think power and strength become even more crucial as we age, and I would add that the attributes we think of as athletic skills - ie, reaction time, agility, balance - are no less important to every day health to aging adults, for everyday life.

So I agree that walking is awesome - but walking ONLY (as the OP asked) is simply not going to be enough as the years go by. You need more than walking to maintain movement capacity.
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