Nevada

Walking

Walking is easy to perform and has minimal detrimental side effects and 

is a low-impact aerobic exercise (Chen, C. K., Ismail, N. S., & Al-Safi, A. (2016)). We don't need to be sweating or feel soreness in a workout. We just need to move consistently!


Walking is a great physical activity that majority of us regardless of age and fitness level could incorporate in our path to a healthy body and mind. Its simplicity and low-intensity makes it possible for us to perform it for a long period of time.

Walking has been found to significantly reduce body fat, BMI, and diastolic blood pressure. It also shows a helping factor in increasing VO2max (Murphy, M. H., Nevill, A. M., Murtagh, E. M., & Holder, R. L. (2007)).

Engaging in fast-paced walking for at least 75 min per week, showed clinically meaningful improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness (Anton, S. D., Duncan, G. E., Limacher, M. C., Martin, A. D., & Perri, M. G. (2011)). 

Walking variations 

Speed: Increasing your speed could increase difficulty as well as your heart rate.
Incline: More leg muscles would get activated causing for more energy and effort exertion.
Duration: The longer we're active, the more exercise our heart gets!
Weight: For more advanced individuals, using a backpack for additional weight could increase energy expended.

Below is a link for our friends beginning their journey to walking!

First Step

Running


Running is a form of aerobic exercise , this type of exercises increases heart rate and the body's use of oxygen.

Running is the next step of increasing intensity after conditioning your body to jog. This high intensity exercise is not for everyone, it is something many people train their body to endure because of its high use of the body's oxygen supply. 

 The WHO Physical Activity Guidelines recommend 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity throughout the week, based on strong evidence of health benefits and reductions upon mortality rates (World Health Organization. Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health 2010).

Are you ready to run?


A way to test your aerobic fitness is The Cooper 12-Minute Run Test, and here is how you perform it. 

You need to be able to record the distance of how many miles you completed in 12-minutes. A treadmill or a track should work perfectly.

Warming up and stretching is recommended along with physician clearance since it is a strenuous fitness test


Ready, Set, Go!

Have a stop watch ready, then start once you begin to run, make sure to track how many laps or miles you have completed. 

After 12 minutes, record how many miles completed then cool down. After you can calculate your VO2 Max using the link provided.

(VO2 max is the maximum rate of oxygen your body is able to use during exercise.)

Read More

References

Walking

  • Anton, S. D., Duncan, G. E., Limacher, M. C., Martin, A. D., & Perri, M. G. (2011). How much walking is needed to improve cardiorespiratory fitness? an examination of the 2008 physical activity guidelines for americans. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 82(2), 365-70. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2011.10599766 
  • Chen, C. K., Ismail, N. S., & Al-Safi, A. (2016). Effects of brisk walking and resistance training on cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, and lipid profiles among overweight and obese individuals. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 16(3), 957-963. doi:https://doi.org/10.7752/jpes.2016.03151
  •  Murphy, M. H., Nevill, A. M., Murtagh, E. M., & Holder, R. L. (2007). The effect of walking on fitness, fatness and resting blood pressure: a meta-analysis of randomised, controlled trials. Preventive medicine, 44(5), 377–385. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2006.12.008 




Running 

  • The Benefits of Running vs. Walking. (n.d.). Consumer Reports. https://www.consumerreports.org/exercise-fitness/benefits-of-running-vs-walking-a9193806426/


  • Cooper’s 12 minute run test -. (n.d.). Exercise.trekeducation.org. https://exercise.trekeducation.org/assessment/aerobic-endurance-testing/coopers-12-minute-run-test/#:~:text=The%20Cooper%2012%20minute%20run
  • Better Health. (2012). Running and jogging - health benefits. Vic.gov.au. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/running-and-jogging-health-benefits

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