Nordic Walking

Wear red on Friday, Feb. 5 to draw attention to the leading killers of women in the USA - heart disease and stroke. More women than men die of heart disease each year. The American Heart Association is promoting Go Red for Women on Friday, Feb. 5 to raise awareness of heart disease and stroke in women.

• Heart Disease in Women
• Women and Stroke Risk
• Warning Signs of a Heart Attack
• Walking Cuts Heart Disease Risks

Logo © American Heart Association, used with permission

National Wear Red Day Friday, Feb. 5 originally appeared on About.com Walking on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 at 09:23:47.

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Do you wonder whether the hours you spend on the treadmill or exercising will really pay off? A big study that has been following over 13,000 nurses since 1986 found that those who were healthy and exercising or walking for exercise in 1986 were less likely to have any of 10 major diseases or have had heart surgery by age 70. They also were less likely to have cognitive impairment, physical impairment or mental health problems.

“Increasing energy expenditure from walking was associated with a similar elevation in odds of successful survival,” as those who got more exercise, according to the conclusion of the paper published on the findings of the Nurses’ Health Study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, January 25, 2010. “These data provide evidence that higher levels of midlife physical activity are associated with exceptional health status among women who survive to older ages and corroborate the potential role of physical activity in improving overall health.”

This is great confirmation that beyond helping manage your weight, walking and exercise is a great retirement investment! Even if you can’t put much money into savings, you can save up a nest egg of health for your later years.

How to Start Walking

Walking: The Miracle Cure?

^{Source: Qi Sun; Mary K. Townsend; Olivia I. Okereke; Oscar H. Franco; Frank B. Hu; Francine Grodstein. “Physical Activity at Midlife in Relation to Successful Survival in Women at Age 70 Years or Older.”Arch Intern Med. 2010;170(2):194-201.}

Exercise and Walk More at Midlife — Live Healthy Longer originally appeared on About.com Walking on Thursday, February 4th, 2010 at 09:50:10.

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Mona writes that she didn’t complete our 28-day Let’s Get Walking email course because she couldn’t find a walking buddy and felt that she needed one as motivation to walk. How do you find a walking partner? I have a full selection of tips on where to find walking friends. I also have specific tips on how to safely meet new walking friends who you might pick up through online forums, Craigslist, or fitness partner matching.

When the walking clubs of the AVA did a survey on why people dropped out of their clubs and walking program, they found that the leading factor was that people lost their walking partner. For the past 25 years, I’ve found AVA walking clubs and events to be the best way to find walking buddies. The best way to keep walking if you lose one walking partner is to have more handy! It’s OK to cheat on your walking partner.

If you keep meeting and losing walking partners, it may be time to take the Am I a Bad Walking Partner Quiz. And how do you stack up against my 10 rules for walking partners?

How to Find Walking Friends originally appeared on About.com Walking on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 at 09:54:21.

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Need motivation to keep going through the last bit of winter? Join in our February walking challenges. First, become a member of our Walking Forum — it’s free. You can then post messages on the Forum to join in the challenges.

February Walking Challenge: Post each time you walk, as we count up to a group total of walks.

Count Your February Minutes: Post your walking minutes.

Count Your February Miles: Post your walking miles.

I also enjoy joining in the Idita-Walk each February and March. It’s a virtual walk that encourages you to walk for 30 minutes per day for 35 days. It benefits charities in Nome, Alaska. For $10 you get a walking log and a hatpin when you complete the challenge.

Join in Our February Walking Challenges originally appeared on About.com Walking on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 07:44:31.

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Many people fear working out at a gym or in public because they are overweight and don’t feel comfortable working out around those who are not overweight. That is a result of a study of exercise attitudes. It found that overweight people believe exercise will improve their appearance and self image, but overcoming their embarrassment is a problem.

I got samples of Cirqulate exercise clothes by Anew to try. These have built-in stomach shapers, so those with a few extra pounds will have less of a body image problem in working out in public. They have exercise pants, tights and capris with a waist cincher and rolls control. Their tops are two-layer with a rolls control layer. Each item is made of sweat-wicking material. The construction appeared to be good and the fabric is soft and comfortable. As the samples weren’t available in my size, I had my friend Jackie try them out. She thought they were very comfortable and supportive, but it would have been nice to have a pocket in the pants.

Disclosure: A review sample was provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.

Source: Wayne C. Miller, PhD; Todd A. Miller, PhD. “Attitudes of Overweight and Normal Weight Adults Regarding Exercise at a Health Club” by .Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, Volume 42, Issue 1, January/February 2010.

Photo courtesy of Anew, used with permission.

Looking Good at the Gym is Important originally appeared on About.com Walking on Monday, January 25th, 2010 at 00:44:41.

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If you want to give your body a challenge to improve your aerobic fitness, interval workouts are great. We have a few interval walking workouts to choose from. They help vary your walk so you aren’t stuck in the same rut.
Threshhold Walking Workout
Economy Workout
Jumping Intervals on the Treadmill
Treadmill Intervals

I tried out the Gymboss interval timer, which you can program to signal your interval stop, start and rest periods. I generally steer away from gadgets that just have a single or dual purpose (it is also a stopwatch), and would normally look for those functions on my pedometer, sports watch, or even my cell phone. But what I found that I loved with the Gymboss is that you can wear it on your waistband like a pedometer and you can set it to beep and/or vibrate. My hearing isn’t what it used to be, and often I am walking along a road with traffic noise or listening to my iPod. But I never miss the vibration from the Gymboss like I do beeping from other gadgets. I think the Gymboss is a great gadget to have for interval timing for all kinds of workouts.
Disclosure: A review sample was provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.

Photo © Wendy Bumgardner

Intervals to Pump Up Your Workouts originally appeared on About.com Walking on Tuesday, January 26th, 2010 at 10:13:22.

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Do you have shoes in your closet that you could wear, but never do? The survivors in Haiti need those shoes. Declutter your closets while helping people in Haiti and wherever else Soles4Souls distributes donated shoes. Soles4Souls is a non-profit organization that works with various shoe stores to collect shoes and then distribute them to people in need. Visit their participating locations page to search by zip code in the US. In my area, there are several shoe stores that participate.

What kind of shoes? Any shoes — dress shoes, athletic shoes, casual shoes, so long as they are “gently worn,” generally meaning that they are shoes in good repair that you could still wear. These sites are meant to be used by individuals, so please don’t organize a giant shoe drive and then take them to a local store unannounced. But it is a great way to clean out your closet and help those in need at the same time.

Souls4Souls will also be featured on tomorrow night’s Extreme Makeover Home Edition.

For helping Haiti, it is best to start with a cash donation to a reputable charity such as the American Red Cross, the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, or CARE. But if you are short on cash and long on gently-worn shoes, consider this as well.
How to Help Earthquake Victims in Haiti

I also gave blood yesterday. I didn’t do it specifically for Haiti. I am a regular donor and it was time to donate again. Being prepared is key to responding to any disaster. Keep your body in shape so you can help yourself and others. Support relief agencies routinely — by donation of money and/or your volunteer time. Participate in local emergency planning. Take a CPR and first aid course. Practice kindness. All of these things keep our communities strong and ready to react to immediate problems as well as widespread disasters. What a Walker Can Do When There is a Disaster

Donate Gently Worn Shoes for Haiti originally appeared on About.com Walking on Saturday, January 23rd, 2010 at 15:43:57.

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