Not Just Another Stroll in the Park

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Article from Walk About Magazine

by: Amy Temes Clifton

Whether you are walking to build strength, lose weight, or improve your cardiovascular health, you shouldn’t just go for a stroll in the park. It is important to vary your intensity to get the most out of your workout.

Humans were designed to be efficient walkers. Compared to other species, we are bipedal (two-footed), we rotate through our trunk, and our hips extend. These three characteristics contribute to efficiency.

However, efficiency and a comfortable pace will not burn many calories or improve strength and cardiovascular health. To achieve these goals, it is important to increase intensity when walking. Periods of high intensity integrated into a 20- to 30-minute brisk walk (ideally, five to six days per week) have been proven to improve aerobic power and leg-muscle strength and reduce diseases such as hypertension, hyperglycemia, obesity, and depression.

There are three convenient ways to monitor intensity: target heart rate or heart beats/minute (bpm), perceived rate of exertion (PRE) scale, and the talking test.

Measuring heart rate (pulse) while exercising is a good way to monitor intensity (if you take heart medication, see below). To take the most accurate heart rate, use a heart rate monitor, or place fingers over the thumb side of wrist or side of neck (near Adam’s apple) and count the number of beats per 20 seconds (multiply by three). At rest, the average heart rate should run between 50-90 bpm. During a warm-up (the first two to five minutes of exercising), your heart rate may go up by 10-30 bpm. During the middle of a workout, aim for training level. This can be measured as 220 minus your age, multiplied by a factor of .65-.85 (65-85% of your maximum). Cool down by decreasing speed and intensity to lower your heart rate to warm-up levels, or just slightly above, during the last five minutes.

If you take heart medication (including beta blockers), then heart rate will not be a good indicator of workout intensity. In this case, use the perceived rate of exertion and the talking test. It is also important to check with your doctor to make sure exercise levels are safe.

The perceived rate of exertion is a subjective scale of one to ten. An intensity rated as one would be the way you feel when you sit on the couch and do nothing, while a 10 rating would be the way you would feel if you ready to collapse from fatigue. When you first begin your walk (warmup), you should feel a rate of three to four; when you are at the middle of your walk you should feel a rate in the range of five to eight; your rate during cool-down should be back down to three to four.

The talking test prevents a person from exercising too hard. When exercising, you should be able to carry on a conversation. If you are unable to talk and are gasping for air, slow down and decrease the intensity. If you can sing a song with ease, you are probably not exerting enough effort. During a walk, aim for intensity between these two levels. Though this test is subjective, it is a good way to judge and adjust levels of intensity and exertion.

To turn a comfortable stroll into a progressive walking program, increase speed, walk up some hills, or do both in order to increase intensity. When walking on a treadmill, try one of the “hill” or interval programs to increase intensity, improve cardiovascular health, increase muscle strength, and burn more calories. An interval workout may involve several minutes of walking at a comfortable speed on flat terrain, followed by several minutes at higher intensity (increased speed or walking up hills). Then repeat.

This type of training builds muscle strength. Walking for a longer period of time and maintaining a moderate intensity during the entire walk will improve endurance. The best training will include strength and endurance. Spend some of your walks using an interval style and other walks maintaining a moderate intensity level for a longer period of time.

As you become more fit, you will have to work harder and increase your walk time and distance in order to achieve your target heart rate. You can do this by increasing the number of minutes of high-intensity work you do each week and/or total walking time. You can also increase your target heart rate by 5% every few weeks as well.

The next time you decide to take a stroll in the park, change your usual route, find some hills, or pick up the pace for a few blocks. Get stronger, control weight, and improve cardiovascular health this summer by intensifying!

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Amy Temes Clifton, PT, DPT, is the director of Therapeutic Associates at Oregon Medical Group West.

*The information contained herein is not intended to diagnose or treat ANY medical condition. Always consult your physician before beginning any new exercise or treatment*