
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, March 18, 1991                   TAG: 9103200028
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: E3   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: Jane E. Brody
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

ENJOYING THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF WALKING

Walking has recently surpassed swimming as the nation's leading form of exercise, but surprisingly few people know how to get the most benefit from the time and effort they spend doing it.

Adding to the confusion are the many names given to walking styles: race walking, pace walking, fitness walking, aerobic walking, power walking, rhythmic walking, treadmill walking and mall walking, among others.

Then there is the question of using weights - on laces, ankles, waist, back, wrists or held in the hands.

There are some important differences between ordinary walking, like sauntering short distances in which technique is of little or no consequence, and exercise walking, in which the aim is to cover a considerable distance rather quickly in hopes of tuning up the body and burning off some calories.

By learning how to walk for exercise, you can significantly increase the physical and mental value of your activity without having to spend more time at it.

As with other forms of exercise, the goals of simply walking to achieve fitness can include improved functioning of the heart and lungs, strengthening and toning of muscles (walking involves half the body's 650 muscles), relaxation and mental clarity and, of course, shedding some unwanted pounds of fat.

Good walking technique starts with good posture. Gary Yanker and Kathy Burton, both exercise walkers and co-authors of "Walking Medicine" (McGraw-Hill, 1990, $24.95), offer these tips:

Keep your chin tucked in and your head straight. To align your head, imagine a string running along your spine and out the top of your head, pulling you upward. Then tuck your chin into your neck so that your ears are in line with your shoulders. Your eyes should be looking forward.

Keep your shoulders down, back and relaxed. This will avoid undue strain, enhance your sense of well-being and "open up" your chest cavity, allowing you to take in more oxygen.

Tighten your stomach, tuck your pelvis under your torso and avoid arching your back. This avoids undue stress on the lower back and helps to strengthen the muscles that support it.

Now you are ready to start walking, and the techniques you will use are only a slight exaggeration of "normal" walking style.

As you walk, your feet should be parallel and pointing forward, forming a path as wide as your hips or shoulders.

Your heel should strike first, forming a 45-degree angle with the ground. This forces you to lift up your feet, decreasing the chances of tripping. As your body moves forward, your weight should roll along the outside of the forward foot and then shift toward the inside and up onto the toes.

The rear foot is stepping forward, meanwhile, pushing off from the toes. The knee of the stepping leg should straighten as the leg reaches the front of your body.

You can lengthen your stride by allowing your hip to rotate forward and down as the stepping leg reaches forward.

by CNB