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The Art of Walking

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The Art of Walking                 The S.T.E.P. Program

This part of the tutorial gets you ready to head out the door - or onto the treadmill.   All of the advice included is good for either type of walking.  To begin, we'll see if your body has any special needs before starting an exercise program.   Then it’s on to gear-up with clothing and shoes.

Contact your medical provider for a check-up or consultation before you begin your walking program if any of these apply:

• Sedentary for a year or more.

• You don't currently exercise and are over age 65.

• You have been diagnosed with heart trouble.

• Pregnant

• High blood pressure.

• Diabetes

• You have chest pain, especially when exerting yourself.

• You often feel faint or have severe dizzy spells

• Other medical conditions.

Your walking clothing should be comfortable and loose-fitting to allow you to move.

• Depending on your climate, dress in layers so you may remove a layer as you warm up while walking, and put it back on if you feel cool. 

• If you do not plan to walk up a sweat, a system can be as simple as a t-shirt, light sweater, and windproof jacket. 

• If you sweat while walking, you should invest in CoolMax or polypropylene shirts to wick the sweat away from the body.

• In cooler climates you may want an insulating layer of polar fleece or wool.

• Socks should be comfortable, and the modern running socks made from CoolMax or other high-tech fibers are preferable to cotton, as they prevent blisters by keeping the feet drier.

• A hat is essential to preventing sun exposure or keeping you from losing heat.

• Sunglasses for outdoor walking prevent UV exposure for your eyes.

• Wear sunscreen.

• Carry keys and other articles in pockets or a hip pack.  Pack lightly for most walks and leave the heavy purse at home.

• Carry water if you plan to be walking for a half hour or more with no water on your route.  A hip pack with built-in water bottle holder is convenient.

Your shoes are your chief walking tool.

• Fit:  Your shoes must fit well, but leave enough room so your feet can expand while walking.  Your walking shoes should be a size to a size and a half larger than your dress shoe.

• Flex:  Good walking shoes are flexible, as your foot rolls through each step.  See if your shoe bends in the ball of the foot and if you can twist it from side to side.  If it is stiff as a board, you need different shoes.

• Flat:  Walking shoes should be flat, with little difference in height between the heel and the ball of the foot.

• A well-fit pair of running shoes is the best answer for most walkers.  Many specialty walking shoes are too stiff and do not incorporate performance characteristics of today's running shoes to prevent over-pronation.

• Replace your shoes every 500 miles.

This section will get you putting one foot in front of the other.  Walking technique for the street, track, or treadmill is the same.  You want to walk with good posture, using arm and foot motion that will propel you forward with good power and no wasted effort.

How you hold your body is very important to walking comfortably and easily. With good posture you will be able to breathe easier and you will avoid back pain.

• Stand up straight.

• Think of being a tall and straight, do not arch your back.

• Do not lean forward or lean back.  Leaning puts strain on the back muscles.

• Eyes forward, not looking down but rather 20 feet ahead.

• Chin up (parallel to the ground).  This reduces strain on neck and back.

• Shrug once and let your shoulders fall and relax, your shoulders slightly back.

• Suck in your stomach

• Tuck in your behind - rotate your hip forward slightly.  This will keep you from arching your back.

Arm motion can lend power to your walking, burning 5-10% more calories and acting as a balance to your leg motion.
• Bend your elbow 90 degrees.
• Hands should be loose in a partially closed curl, never clenched.
• Clenching your fists can raise your blood pressure and should be avoided.
• With each step, the arm opposite your forward foot comes straight forward, not diagonally.
• As the foot goes back, the opposite arm comes straight back.
• Keep your elbows close to your body - don't "chicken wing."
• Your forward hand should not cross the center point of your body.
• Your hand when coming forward should be kept low, not higher than your breastbone.
• Many poor examples of arm motion are seen with walkers pumping their arms up high in the air, this does not help propel you.
• If at first you find adding arm motion tiring, do it for 5 to 10 minutes at a time and then let your arms rest.

The walking step is a rolling motion.

• Strike the ground first with your heel.

• Roll through the step from heel to toe.

• Push off with your toe.

• Bring the back leg forward to strike again with the heel.

• Flexible shoes will ensure you are able to roll through the step.

• If your feet are slapping down rather than rolling through, your shoes are likely too stiff.

• At first, your shin muscles may tire and be sore until they are strengthened.

Strike with heel.  Back foot rolls through to push off.

Front foot continues to roll through step as back foot comes forward. Front foot strikes with heel and here we go again!

How to Walk
Walking Technique - Your Stride

Avoid overstriding - taking longer steps to increase speed.  This is potentially harmful and is inefficient.

Take more, smaller steps rather than lengthening your stride.
Your stride should be longer behind your body, where your toe is pushing off, rather than out in front of your body.
Your forward leg has no power, while your back leg is what is driving you forward.   Getting the full power out of the push from the back leg as it rolls from heel to toe is the key to powerful, efficient walking.
Fast walkers train themselves to increase the number of steps they take per second and to get full use out of the back part of the stride.
Below:  The stick walker on the left is overstriding, on the right is better.

How to Walk
Walking Technique - Warm-up

Start out at a slow, easy pace for each walking session.
Allow your muscles to warm up before you stretch, add speed or hills.
Warm up for 5 minutes at this easy pace.

Stretching will add flexibility and can make your walking more comfortable.

Warm up for 5 minutes at an easy walking pace before stretching, never stretch cold muscles or you risk tearing them.  Incorporate mobility exercises designed to take a muscle and joint through its range of motion.  You will start at the top of your body and work your way down.

Find an upright pole or fence or wall that will support you for leaning into on some stretches.

Stretches and Mobility Exercises for Walkers

Head Circles: Make 1/4 circles with your head.  Start with your ear near your shoulder on one site, rotate your head around to the front, ending with your ear near the shoulder on the other side.  Roll your head back to the other side.   Repeat 5-10 times.

Arm Circles: With one arm at a time, make backwards arm circle with your palm facing out, thumb pointed up.  Repeat 10-15 with each arm.  Then make forward arm circles with palm facing in, thumb pointed down, repeat 10-15 times.

Achilles Stretch:  From the calf stretch position, bend the back knee so that the angle is changed to stretch the Achilles tendon.  Keep your heel down, hold 15-30 seconds.  Then switch legs.

Leg Extensions: Facing the pole, hold on with both hands.  Bending at the knee, bring one leg forward, then extend and swing that leg back and behind.  Repeat 10-15 times, then switch legs.  Be cautious of hyperextending your lower back.

Cross Over Leg Swings:  Holding onto the pole or fence rail with both hands, face forward.  Swing one leg in front of your body gradually swinging higher.  Swing about 10-15 times with each leg. 

After stretching and mobility exercises, now you are ready to walk the main portion of your walk at your desired speed.

For the final 5-10 minutes of your walk, finish with an easy walking pace.

At the end of your walk you may want to repeat the stretches you did after your warm-up

How to Walk
The Absolute Beginner Schedule

You've decided to start walking, you've learned how to walk, and now for:

Health goals:  Walking a half hour a day or 3 hours per week is associated with a decreased risk of heart disease.  Walking 7 hours a week is associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer and Type II diabetes.  For this reason, I recommend that you build up to walking an hour a day, most days of the week.

Track your walks: Keeping records will keep you on track.  See our tracking tools for a simple paper log

Build a Habit:  Walk at least 5 days a week, even if some days you must decrease your time, in order to build your new healthy habit.  Increase the time you spend walking each week before working on speed. 

Week 1:  Start with a daily 15 minute walk at an easy pace.
Walk five days the first week.  We want to build a habit, so consistency is important.  Spread out your rest days, such as making day 3 a rest day and day 6 a rest day. 
Weekly total goal: 60 - 75 minutes.

Week 2:  Add 5 minutes a day so you are walking 20 minutes, 5 days a week. Or you may wish to extend yourself more on some days, followed by a rest day.
Weekly total goal: 75 - 100 minutes.

Week 3:  Add 5 minutes a day so you are walking 25 minutes, 5 days a week.
Weekly total goal: 100 - 125 minutes.

Week 4:  Add 5 minutes a day to walk 30 minutes, 5 days a week.
Weekly total goal: 125 - 150 minutes.

Snags:  If you find any week to be difficult, repeat that week rather than adding more time, until you are able to progress comfortably. 

The health benefits of walking begin at the 20-minute mile speed and a target heart rate of 50-60% of your maximum heart rate.

Walk at a determined pace
- may be breathing noticeably
- able to carry on a full conversation while walking
- not out of breath

Talk Test demonstration in RealAudio   http://www.walking.about.com/library/media/audio/talktest.ram

If your speed is slower than a 20-minute mile, your first goal is to be able to walk 30-60 minutes a day without injury. We will add speed and intensity later.  Be consistent in your walking before you try to walk faster.

The target heart rate to achieve for health walking is 50 - 60% of your maximum heart rate.  Again, if this is difficult at first, go slower and build your time before working on speed. 
Target Heart Rate Calculator

If at any time during the walk you are experiencing difficulty, slow down further and return to your starting point.
Be aware of warning symptoms of problems such as heart attack or stroke and seek medical assistance if needed.

It is recommended that you increase your exercise time/intensity by no more than 10% per week.

 How to Walk: Warning Signs

Stop walking and seek immediate care if you have any of these:

• Tightness in your chest and possibly extending into your left arm or neck.

• Palpitations

• Chest pain or pain in your arms or jaw, often on the left side

• Wheezing, coughing, or other difficulty in breathing.

• Severe shortness of breath

• Dizziness, faintness or feeling sick to your stomach

• Excessive perspiration

• Cramps, severe pain or muscle aches

• Severe, prolonged fatigue or exhaustion after exercise.

• Nausea.

Seconds count when you are having a heart attack.

• Immediately call 911 or the other emergency number for your area to bring an ambulance with a defibrillator.  Swiftly getting a unit to you is the single most important factor in surviving the heart attack.  Seconds count.

• AED (automatic external defibrillator):  These are simple portable defibrillators with simple instructions on the unit which anyone may use.  Programs are underway to stock them in all public places.   Many malls and fast food restaurants, as well as police and fire units will have them.  Current Red Cross CPR classes will cover how to use them.  If your distress happens in or near a mall, have someone ask for the AED.

• Does it happen?  Yes, in 1999 I was at two walking events where friends had heart attacks.  These shocking events are a reminder to all of us to be trained in CPR and to know where the nearest phone is to call 911.

• Summon help from those around you.  Better to risk embarrassment than to die.

Normal signs of exertion

• Increased heart rate, you may feel or hear your heart beat.

• Increased breathing rate, but should be able to carry on a conversation.

• Mild to moderate sweating.

• Muscle aches and tenderness that might last a day or two as you get started

Tracking Your Walks

Keep a Log