Women Who Walk for Power

February is American Heart Month. Rita and Jen, the two fictional women in our story below, know that heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women in the U.S., so they are committed to a heart-healthy life style. Let's go walking with them and learn the secrets of walking with power.

The Women Who Walk (or WWW as they are known in the neighborhood) laugh loudly and share stories about work and family as they stroll, sometimes stopping to observe the wildlife at a duck pond on their route. Their group, which meets at 5 p.m. each day, is a health club for mind and body. Two women in the group – both former runners – meet at a different time several days a week for more intense exercise – power walking.

Power walking, or fitness walking, is not to be confused with the distinctive technique used by Olympic race walkers – with rolling hips, exaggerated arm movements and fluid leg and knee action. While race walking may be an extremely good way of using calories and building muscles, it is a difficult motion to learn and can result in injuries.

Power walking, as practiced by Rita and Jen, is rather walking at a pace that’s fast enough to raise the heart rate...and generally too fast to smell the roses. Rita and Jen find that this kind of walking, two or three times a week, is nearly as effective as running in consuming calories while placing less impact on their weight-bearing joints.

Starting at a relatively high level of fitness, they need a 4.0 to 4.5 miles per hour pace (13 to 15 minutes a mile) to get their heart rates into a training range – 60 to 80 percent of maximum (220 minus your age). They time their walks, as they did their runs, but, instead of measuring heart rate, they judge their workouts on the basis of perceived exertion – seeking a level that is challenging but can be maintained for 45 minutes to an hour.

According to researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, a 140-pound woman walking at a 4.5 mph pace will burn 402 calories in an hour – only slightly less than someone jogging at the same pace (466 calories per hour).

Getting Started
Rita and Jen have been power walking for several years now, but if you’re planning to start, it’s important to begin with a pace and distance you can manage with relative ease and then work up gradually, increasing distance no more than 10 percent a week. Although walkers have fewer impact-related problems than runners, they are certainly not immune from overuse and repetitive motion injuries.

Good shoes are as essential as they are for running. A walking shoe should be flexible at the mid-foot and provide support, stability and cushioning. Go to a specialty store to find someone who can help you find shoes that fit properly, are right for your gait and have proper arch support and cushioning.

The beauty of walking is that everyone knows how to do it. To get the most from your workouts, however, it’s important to pay attention to form. When you pick up the pace, it’s natural to lengthen your stride–not a good idea. Long strides are actually less efficient and put more stress on your knees. It’s better to simply increase your number of steps per minute, landing on your heels, rolling through your instep and pushing off with your toes.

If you’re used to running, you’ll soon find that power walking uses different muscles–putting more stress on the foot, the front of the ankle and the lower leg. Be wary of the potential for stress fractures or other injuries to the toes and feet – another reason to have good shoes that are not worn out.

You burn extra calories through fast walking, jogging or running in part because of the arm motions that come into play. Don’t fight the impulse but let your arms swing freely in an arc from your waist to your chest. Keep your elbows at about a 90 degree angle and your arms close to your body, with your fists cupped but relaxed. Use your arms to help propel your body forward.

Posture is also important. Stand straight with your shoulders back and your chin up, leaning only slightly forward to give you momentum. If you focus about 10 feet in front of you, your peripheral vision will allow you to see any hazards in your path.

Keep the muscles in your abdomen and buttocks tight. With the proper technique, some experts say, you can actually strengthen and tone your lower abdominal muscles as you walk. In this respect, power walkers may have an advantage over distance runners, who frequently end up with weak abdominal muscles and a slouched posture–probably because of poor form and failure to balance their running with floor exercises.

With power walking as with running, you can’t go all out every single day without eventually breaking down. Rita and Jen do their power walks on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays while continuing their leisurely walks with the larger group of WWW. These slower walks actually serve as rest days, allowing their muscles to recover with gentle movement to keep blood circulating.

Rita and Jen have two routes, one very hilly, and the other slightly less so. Building on their experience as runners, they frequently turn their power walking sessions into interval training–interspersing short periods of jogging, running or very fast walking with periods of slower walking to allow the heart rate to recover.

If you’re working out on a treadmill, you can do the same by altering speed and elevation. Variations on power walking to increase the intensity include carrying light hand weights or using walking poles.

Exercise, at any level of intensity, has numerous health benefits–weight control, improved immune function, better mood, more energy, increased insulin sensitivity, reduced pain and stiffness from arthritis, lower LDL and higher HDL cholesterol, and a reduced risk of heart attack and stroke.

A 2004 study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings [July, 2007] compared three groups of middle aged and older men and women: 1) no walking, 2) moderate intensity walking and 3) high intensity walking training with intervals. The third group showed the greatest changes in knee extension, knee flexion, peak aerobic capacity and resting blood pressure. The WWW (Women Who Walk) are, without question, getting good medicine for mind and body. The WWWP (Women Who Walk with Power) are getting an even more powerful dose...and enjoying every minute.