Hill, Chesson & Woody is committed to helping clients

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1 Hill, Chesson & Woody is committed to helping clients design, implement and manage employee benefit programs that best meet their organizational objectives for recruiting and retaining employees. A HEALTHY GUIDE TO WALKING FITNESS IN MOTION 194 Finley Golf Course Road Suite 200 Chapel Hill, NC Phone:

2 Dear Wellness Participant, Congratulations on taking this step toward improving your health and well-being! This booklet will provide you with general guidelines to develop a safe and effective walking program. The Surgeon General s recommendation for physical activity is to add about 30 minutes of moderately intensive activity each day in addition to your customary daily activities. Many people accomplish this by jogging, walking, swimming, weight training, or playing sports, but activities like vigorous housework, raking leaves, walking the dog or mowing the lawn can also help to increase your activity level. Hill, Chesson & Woody developed this booklet to increase your awareness of your daily activity level and to assist you in starting a walking program of your own. We hope that you will be able to use this information to get on track to a healthier lifestyle and maintain it for the rest of your life. Hill, Chesson & Woody Important Notice: Hill, Chesson & Woody does not engage in the practice of medicine. The information provided is not intended to prevent or cure specifi c health conditions. If you have any serious, acute or chronic health conditions, please consult a trained health care professional to access your needs and address them effectively. For additional information regarding our services, please contact us at or ts.com Source note: Various materials in this booklet are attributed to Scott Anspach of Health Fitness Design. Tracking Your Distance If you don t know the exact distance of your planned walk, you can always use a pedometer to track the distance for you. Pedometers are simple and inexpensive gadgets that you wear attached to your clothing at your waist. They have an internal lever mechanism that detects the up-and-down movement at the hip while walking and translates this to steps taken. They are considered by researchers to be acceptably accurate for assessing typical walking behaviors, and they also have the potential to be used as motivational devices. The 10,000 Step Program: How Many Steps Do You Walk Each Day? You may have heard the recent guidelines about walking 10,000 steps per day, but how far is 10,000 steps anyway? The average person s stride length is approximately 2.5 feet long. That means it takes just over 2,000 steps to walk one mile, and 10,000 steps is close to fi ve miles. A sedentary person, for example, may only average 1,000 to 3,000 steps a day. For these people, adding steps has many health benefi ts. A reasonable goal for most people is to increase average daily steps each week by 500 per day until you can easily average 10,000 per day. Example: If you currently average 3,000 steps each day, your goal for week one is 3,500 each day. Your week 2 goal is 4,000 each day. Continue to increase each week, and you should be averaging 10,000 steps by the end of 14 weeks. Wearing a pedometer is an easy way to track your steps each day. Start by wearing the pedometer every day for one week. Put it on when you get up in the morning, and wear it until bed time. Record your daily steps in a log or notebook (see sample insert). By the end of the week, you will know your average daily steps. You might be surprised how many (or how few) steps you get in each day. Resources for Pedometers Here is information on some of the most common pedometers on the market. (Note: pricing may vary) Accusplit Step Counter Features: Counts steps; some models have a stop watch, count miles, and calories For more information and purchasing: or Active Steps Pedometer Features: Counts steps; counts steps and miles. For more information and purchasing: or Visit for more information. VKRshop Pedometer Features: Counts steps; some models have a stop watch, count miles, and calories For more information and purchasing: or

3 Monitoring Your Intensity How Far?... How Fast?... How Soon? The speed at which you walk is less important than the time you devote to it, although we recommend that you walk as briskly as your condition permits. It takes about 20 minutes for your body to begin realizing the training effects of sustained exercise. The talk test can help you fi nd the right pace. You should be able to carry on a conversation while walking. If you re too breathless to talk, you re going too fast. The more often you walk, the faster you will improve. Three workouts a week are considered to be a maintenance level of exercise. More frequent workouts are required for swift improvement. Listen to Your Body Listen to your body when you walk. If you develop dizziness, pain, nausea, or any other unusual symptom, slow down or stop. If the problem persists, see your physician before walking again. Don t try to compete with others when walking. Even individuals of similar age and build vary widely in their capacity for exercise. Your objective should be to steadily improve your own performance, not to walk farther or faster than someone else. The most important thing is simply to set aside part of each day and walk. No matter what your age or condition, it s a practice that can make you healthier and happier. Let s get started There are many benefi ts to increasing your activity level through walking. You can lower your blood pressure, reduce your stress, increase your clarity and be more productive throughout the day. People walk to increase their activity level for many reasons: for pleasure; to rid themselves of tensions; to fi nd solitude; or to get from one place to another. Nearly everyone who walks regularly does so at least in part because of a conviction that it is good exercise. Often dismissed in the past as being too easy to be taken seriously, walking recently has gained new respect as a means of improving physical fi tness. Studies show that, when done briskly on a regular schedule, it can improve the body s ability to consume oxygen during exertion, lower the resting heart rate, reduce blood pressure, and increase the effi ciency of the heart and lungs. It also helps burn excess calories. Since obesity and high blood pressure are among the leading risk factors for heart attack and stroke, walking offers prevention against two of our major killers. General Benefits of Walking Low impact Reduces your risk of many diseases including heart disease and osteoporosis Improves energy levels Weight control Stress reduction Metabolism boost before or after a meal (activity should be light intensity) 9 2

4 Walking burns approximately the same amount of calories per mile as does running, a fact particularly appealing to those who fi nd it diffi cult to sustain the jarring effects of long distance jogging. Brisk walking one mile in 15 minutes burns just about the same number of calories as jogging an equal distance in 8½ minutes. Almost everyone can do it. You don t have to take lessons to learn how to walk. Probably all you need to do to become a serious walker is step up your pace, distance and frequency. You can do it almost anywhere. All you have to do to fi nd a place to walk is step outside your door. Almost any sidewalk, street, road, trail, park, fi eld, or shopping mall will do. The variety of settings available is one of the things that makes walking such a practical and pleasurable activity. You can do it almost anytime. You don t have to fi nd a partner or get a team together to walk, so you can set your own schedule. Weather doesn t pose the same problems and uncertainties that it does in many sports. Walking is not a seasonal activity, and you can do it in extreme temperatures that would rule out other activities. It doesn t cost anything. You don t have to pay fees or join a private club to become a walker. The only equipment required is a sturdy, comfortable pair of shoes. Calf A) Stand so that your right leg is bent to almost a 90 degree angle and your left leg is straight out behind you (the right knee should not be in front of the foot). B) You should be in a position that permits you to reach your hands up to push against a wall or immovable object. C) The left leg must be straight and far enough behind you to give a slight tension in the left calf. The foot, including the heel, must remain in touch with the fl oor. D) The left foot should be pointing forward and not turned outward as this will defeat the stretch. E) Using the wall for security, lean forward until you reach the stretching tension in the calf of the left leg and hold seconds. F) Switch legs and repeat. Front thigh A) Balancing on your left leg, bring your right foot up to about hip level, turned in. B) Grasp ankle with left hand, being careful not to pull too much. Pull up and in until a slight stretching tension is felt in the front of the thigh and hold seconds. C) Repeat on the other side. Outer thigh A) Start by sitting with your left leg straight out in front of you, your right leg bent, right foot crossed over the left knee. B) Stretch by placing your left elbow on the outside of your right knee, pushing the right knee inward. C) At the same time, place your right hand on the ground behind you, and twist, looking forward (you may look to the right if uncomfortable). D) Push with your left elbow and twist until you feel a good tension along your spine and hip and hold seconds. E) Repeat on the other side. 3 8

5 Medical Status Being more active is very safe for most people. However, some people should check with their doctor before becoming more active. If you are between the ages of 15 and 69, this questionnaire called PAR-Q (Physical Activity Readiness-Questionnaire) will tell you if you should check with your doctor before you start. If you are over 69 years of age, and you are not used to being very active, check with your doctor. Common sense is your best guide when you answer these questions. Please read the questions carefully and answer each one honestly. Check the box to the left of the question to answer Yes. Leave blank if your answer is No. Has your doctor ever said that you have a heart condition and that you should only do physical activity recommended by a doctor? Do you feel pain in your chest when you do physical activity? In the past month, have you had chest pain when you were not doing physical activity? Do you lose your balance because of dizziness, or do you ever lose consciousness? Do you have a bone or joint problem that could be made worse by a change in your physical activity? Is your doctor currently prescribing drugs (for example, water pills) for your blood pressure or heart condition? Do you know of any other reason why you should not do physical activity? If you answered YES to one or more questions on page fi ve, talk with your doctor by phone or in person to have him/her complete a medical clearance BEFORE you start becoming more physically active or BEFORE you have a fi tness appraisal. Tell your doctor about the PAR-Q and about the questions to which you answered YES. You may be able to do any activity you want - as long as you start slowly and build up gradually. Or, you may need to restrict your activities to those that are safe for you. Talk with your doctor about the kinds of activities you wish to participate in and follow his/her advice. If you answered NO honestly to all questions, you can be reasonably sure that you can: Start becoming more physically active - begin slowly and build up gradually. This is the safest and easiest way to go. Take part in a fi tness appraisal - this is an excellent way to determine your basic fi tness so that you can plan the best way for you to live actively. Even if you answered no to all questions, you should delay becoming more active if: You are not feeling well because of a temporary illness such as a cold or a fever. Wait until you feel better. You are or may be pregnant. Talk to your doctor before you start becoming more active. Informed Use of the PAR-Q: Hill, Chesson & Woody Employee Benefi t Services assumes no liability for persons who undertake physical activity. If in doubt after completing this questionnaire, consult your doctor prior to physical activity. 5 6

6 Warm-up and Stretching Exercises To ready the body for physical activity and reduce your risk of injury, it is best to include an active warm-up before beginning more intense physical activity. Start off at a slow pace and gradually increase your speed over 4-5 minutes. After you warm-up you can perform the following stretches. Even if you do not do these stretches before walking, it is very important to do them afterward to help improve fl exibility and reduce injury risk. Follow these guidelines: Stretch to a point of slight discomfort and hold for seconds. Do not bob or bounce. If you feel pain or discomfort then you are stretching too far. Perform each stretch 1-3 times. Do not lock the joints. Inner thigh A) Start by sitting on the fl oor with the soles of your feet together, legs bent, knees up and out. B) Stretch by pulling your feet with your hands to within a few inches of your groin area. C) Hold this position seconds as you lean forward from the waist, keeping your chin up, and knees down as far as possible. Hamstring A) Sit with one leg in front and fully extended. Toes must point directly at ceiling (vertical foot). The other leg should be tucked in against the inner thigh of the extended leg with foot on ground and pointing forward. B) Start with back straight and upright. Extend arms overhead and then bending forward, bring hands down to the sides of the leg, onto the ankles, or onto foot. C) Keeping back straight, make sure bend comes from the hip. D) Extend far enough to feel slight tension on the underside of the extended leg and hold seconds E) Switch legs and repeat. General Exercise Guidelines and Walking Tips 1. Start off slowly, and gradually increase your intensity and duration. 2. Always perform a 4-5 minute active warm-up by gradually increasing your pace to prepare the body for more intense activity and a 4-5 minute cool-down by gradually decreasing your pace to slowly reduce the heart rate and blood pressure. 3. Stretch after the warm-up if your muscles feel tight and always stretch after the cool-down. 4. Listen to your body. You might feel stiff or a little sore when fi rst starting, but you should never feel pain. 5. Don t try to compete with others. 6. Schedule your walk. 7. Find others to walk with. 8. Vary your walking routine, i.e. fi nd different places to walk like malls, parks, or even on a treadmill. 9. Keep a log of your activity. 10. Use the Medical Status questionnaire on the next page to determine if you should consult your physician before becoming more physically active. Despite the outcome of this questionnaire, it is always good to consult a physician before starting an exercise program. NOTE: Most physicians recommend annual physical examinations for persons over 40 or 45 years of age. Also, if you have high blood pressure or other cardiovascular problems, you should consult your physician before beginning any kind of exercise program. 7 4