Experts call walking no-excuses exercise

By Brian Sargent

Published: June 4, 2006

Robin Decker-Kite is sure of this: "There's not a negative with walking. It only enhances someone's life."

But there's more to it than putting one foot in front of the other. Correct technique should be practiced to avoid misaligning the backbone.

That's one tip Decker-Kite gives to clients who work out at Body by Decker, her personal training studio for women in Nichols Hills.

It's simple to achieve technique. Walk tall by lifting the chest and shoulders. Contract stomach muscles to flatten the lower back. Land on your heels and roll feet from heels to toes.

Of course that won't help much if people don't know how many steps they should take each day and how to incorporate walking into weight-loss or weight-prevention programs. A lifestyle change is required.

"The first thing is people just need to decide that they want to do it," Decker-Kite said. "If an individual hasn't reached the point they want to change their lifestyle, it's not going to happen. The easiest way to do it without buying a gym membership or personal training is to walk. Walking is free."

America on the Move, a national group that promotes physical activity, suggests walking 10,000 steps a day. About 2,000 steps, the equivalent of a mile, can be achieved in normal daily activity.

Decker-Kite suggests those living a sedentary lifestyle integrate a walking program into a daily routine.

"Where I see people fail is when it's not put into their lifestyle," she said. "It's doing one thing different a day than we would normally do. When they make it a chore, it's too easy to slip back."

Baby steps
Where do people start?

Making an overnight jump from 2,000 steps to five miles a day isn't a realistic possibility. Especially for senior citizens or people who have diabetes, Decker-Kite said.

Decker-Kite suggests logging in a journal the number of daily steps taken during a three-day or seven-day period. The daily average provides a base to build on.

Next, add 500 steps a day for one week and add smaller increments during subsequent weeks. Adding one task not performed before can achieve this. Use stairs instead of an elevator or escalator at work. At home, walk around your living room during television commercials.

"Walking is a long-term way of losing weight," Decker-Kite said.

Women who walk increase muscle tone and decrease their waist circumference. Nutrition must be balanced with the exercise level.

Decker-Kite said it's possible to lose weight if a person increases the number of daily steps even if that's the only change they implement in their activity level.

"But what isn't realistic is to turn around ... and to expect to lose weight if you increase what you're eating," she said.

Of course, walking offers plenty of other benefits in addition to weight loss.

They include decreasing blood pressure, risk of osteoporosis and low-density lipoprotein (known as "bad" cholesterol) and increasing bone density, insulin sensitivity and high-density lipoprotein (known as "good" cholesterol).

It's simple, Decker-Kite said, "There really isn't an excuse to not walk."