Diabetic Cookbook

Stepping Out

By Adam Garcia

Many people realize that walking can be a very healthy way to exercise. One thing they don’t understand is how to walk, how much to walk, and/or the amount of calories that can be burned off by just walking. So, let’s start off by learning how to step out.

How many calories can you burn by walking? For example, a 150-pound man burns 100 calories per mile; a 200-pound man burns 133 calories per mile; and a 250-pound man burns 166 calories per mile. You burn virtually the same number of calories whether you run or walk a mile; you just get there faster if you run. However, walking is less stressful on the legs and back, so injury is less of a concern if you walk.

What is a good average walking speed? A good average walking speed is 3 to 4 miles per hour and depends on your leg length and how quickly you can move your legs. You may need to start at a slower pace if you’re out of shape, but you will build up quickly if you walk regularly. Once you exceed 4 mph, it gets tricky because you don’t know if you should walk or run. Proper speed-walking technique will help at fast speeds. Treadmill and outdoor walking yield the same benefits. Set the elevation to 1% to mimic outdoor walking.

How long should I walk? At least thirty minutes a day, three times a week. Again, if you are out of shape you may need to do less, like fifteen minutes three times a week. You will be able to increase it gradually. Eventually you will see yourself going for a half an hour five times a week.

Now, if you need a little motivation to get your self started here are the top ten reasons to walk.

1. Walking prevents type 2 diabetes. The Diabetes Prevention Program showed that walking 150 minutes per week and losing just 7% of your body weight (12-15 pounds) can reduce your risk of diabetes by 58%.

2. Walking strengthens your heart if you’re male. In one study, mortality rates among retired men who walked less than one mile per day were nearly twice that among those who walked more than two miles per day.

3. Walking strengthens your heart if you’re female. Women in the Nurse’s Health Study (72,488 female nurses) who walked three hours or more per week reduced their risk of a heart attack or other coronary event by 35% compared with women who did not walk.

4. Walking is good for your brain. In a study on walking and cognitive function, researchers found that women who walked the equivalent of an easy pace at least 1.5 hours per week had significantly better cognitive function and less cognitive decline than women who walked less than 40 minutes per week. Think about that!

5. Walking is good for your bones. Research shows that postmenopausal women who walk approximately one mile each day have higher whole-body bone density than women who walk shorter distances, and walking is also effective in slowing the rate of bone loss from the legs.

6. Walking helps alleviate symptoms of depression. Walking for 30 minutes, three to five times per week for 12 weeks reduced symptoms of depression as measured with a standard depression questionnaire by 47%.

7. Walking reduces the risk of breast and colon cancer. Women who performed the equivalent of one hour and 15 minutes to two and a half hours per week of brisk walking had an 18% decreased risk of breast cancer compared with inactive women. Many studies have shown that exercise can prevent colon cancer, and even if an individual person develops colon cancer, the benefits of exercise appear to continue both by increasing quality of life and reducing mortality.

8. Walking improves fitness. Walking just three times a week for 30 minutes can significantly increase cardio-respiratory fitness.

9. Walking in short bouts improves fitness, too! A study of sedentary women showed that short bouts of brisk walking (three 10-minute walks per day) resulted in similar improvements in fitness and were at least as effective in decreasing body fatness as long bouts (one 30-minute walk per day).

10. Walking improves physical function. Research shows that walking improves fitness and physical function and prevents physical disability in older persons.

The list goes on, but if I continued, there’d be no time for you to start walking! Suffice to say that walking is certainly good for you!