In the U.S., over 80 million people participate in exercise walking. It is no surprise that Americans have made exercise walking their top sport. But, many exercise walkers end up with injuries to their feet because they do not take the appropriate steps to prevent foot problems. Working into a walking program gradually, with the right pair of shoes, can make the difference between spending time enjoying the outdoors, or spending time on the couch nursing a sore foot. Exercise walkers should use the following tips to help prevent foot problems:

1. Buy a shoe made for walking. Make sure the shoe has enough stability and support. Grab the shoe at the toe and the heel. Try to twist the shoe by turning one hand clockwise and the other hand counter clockwise. Try to bend the shoe. If you can twist the shoe or fold the shoe in half, it is too flexible. Make sure the shoe has enough room at the toes and is fitted well at the heel.

2. Choose soft surfaces. Walking on a track or a trail will decrease the impact on your feet and legs. Cement can be a particularly hard surface for walking.

A new walking trend is to do laps in the local mall. Although this can be a safe and easy alternative to busy suburban streets, mall floor are usually made of linoleum overlying cement, which is a very unforgiving surface. If you are walking on this surface, make sure your shoes have enough shock absorption. Don’t do too many laps too quickly. Work into this as you would any other routine and pay attention to injury.

3. Start on flat surfaces. Do not start a walking program walking on hills or stairs.

4. Start with a short distance. Although this may seem obvious, many individuals will jump right into longer distances they did when they were younger. They then become injured and cannot walk for weeks.

Stick with your initial distance for a week. If you are pain free and injury free, increase the distance the following week. Start with an easy pace. Increase your pace gradually.

5. Limit your time on the treadmill. Treadmills can contribute to the development of foot problems. Start with the treadmill flat and at a slow pace. Slowly increase your pace each week. Increase the incline after you have reached a comfortable pace.

6. Stop if you feel foot or ankle pain. Don’t try to walk through the pain.

7. Examine your feet. Look for areas of rub or irritation the first few weeks of your walking program and then again after trying new shoes or socks. Moleskin can be placed on areas of irritation to help decrease friction. Do not use Band-Aids on these areas.

8. Consider wearing orthotics. Individuals with flat feet may need inserts for their shoes. When buying inserts, look for sport orthotics, as opposed to cushioned insoles. You will need to purchase these at your local sports store. A more rigid insert will offer more support. Custom orthotics can be made by a podiatrist, if necessary.

9. Avoid cotton socks. Synthetic socks decrease friction, prevent excess rubbing and don’t absorb moisture. Your local running store or sports store should carry a variety of new high-tech socks for walking.

10. Consult your podiatrist if you start to develop pain when walking, or consider a visit before embarking on your new walking program.

Christine Dobrowolski is a podiatrist and the author of Those Aching Feet: Your Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment of Common Foot Problems. To learn more about Dr. Dobrowolski and her book visit http://www.skipublishing.com For information on foot products, visit http://www.northcoastfootcare.com

Tags: exercise walking, feet, foot, foot pain, heel pain, pain, shoes, walkingexercise walking, feet, foot, foot pain, heel pain, pain, shoes, walking

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It’s a fact, America is becoming obese at an alarming rate and the rest of the world is following close behind. We are eating more (and more of the wrong stuff) and exercising less or getting no exercise at all. Our health is in steep decline and doctor and hospital visits are at all time highs. Just a brisk 30-minute walk a day can begin to turn that around.

You name it, we have it, and it’s getting worse. Heart and cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, stroke, out of control blood sugar levels, diabetes, obesity, and more. The U.S. Surgeon General recommends getting at least 20-30 minutes of moderate activity each day and many of us are falling far short of even that.

Studies show the average person takes about 3000 to 5000 steps a day, and some even much less. Let’s face it, we just do not get the exercise our ancestors did a hundred or so years ago and we tend to eat more refined foods. For some of us, most of steps we take are from the easy chair in front of the TV to the fridge so we can fill up on snacks. For others, like me, we sit at a computer all day as part of our jobs.

Many fitness experts recommend we walk 10,000 steps a day to maintain our weight and overall good health. 10,000 steps are approximately 5 miles, give or take depending on the length of your stride. You will need to purchase and wear a pedometer to count how many steps you take each day. Follow the directions that usually come with the pedometer. Do this for a week or two and you will get a good average step count. Your goal is to reach 10,000 or more steps each day. There is nothing magical about 10,000, but it will put you in the right ballpark.

As a general rule, a person will burn about 100 calories walking a mile, depending on age, size, and fitness level. The heavier you are, the more calories you will burn.

Become creative on ways to increase your steps. At work, go for walks at lunchtime. Go for walks with your spouse or children. Walk the dog. Walk to the store instead of driving, or park at the far end of the parking lot. Use the stairs instead of the elevator. For me, I take brisk 2-mile walks around the neighborhood twice a day everyday (aerobic walking). Just do whatever works best for you, but do it! You will need good walking shoes and socks to prevent injury when walking for exercise (like aerobic walking).

Go to your favorite search engine and type in “10,000 steps” to learn more about this life saving, life changing program. The information is abundant.

Ron Gregory is a technical writer and writes operational and technical service manuals for medical devices and scientific instruments used in hospitals worldwide.

Please visit Ron’s health and fitness website “Blue Sea Health” and his article directory website “Blue Sea Articles”.

http://www.blueseahealth.com/
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Walking is increasingly being rated as an excellent means of staying fit and healthy. It is natural form of exercise that we do every day to some extent. For those who consider it a form of exercise the risks of suffering an injury are low as long as you follow a gradual programme and don’t do too much too soon. All you need is a pair of comfortable shoes with adequate support and shock absorption and a watch with a second hand if you want to measure the intensity of your walk by measuring the heart rate. The benefits that you derive from walking are dependant on many factors that include, how frequently you walk, the distance covered and the intensity of your walks.

While a half-hour amble through the park might do wonders to reduce your stress levels, it would not do much in terms of weight loss. However, a programme of regular brisk walking (six to eight km), combined with an energy-controlled, low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet should cut some body fat.

Do’s

. Make your walks a priority. Unless you recognize them as an essential feature of your lifestyle, you will soon abandon them.

. Try to convince a friend to join you. You can motivate one another and chat while walking. Ideally, get your spouse to walk too.

. Invest in a good pair of walking shoes. Take the advice of well-trained staff at the shoe shop.

. Set yourself a goal and reward yourself when you achieve it. Positive reinforcement is strongly linked to success and sustainability.

. Monitor your progress, keep track of the distance walked, how long it took and what your exercising heart rate over a 10-second period is. Also measure your waist, hips and chest every month.

. Find an attractive variety of routes to avoid boredom. A food idea is to measure out a 3-5 km route, which you walk as fast as you can once a week.

. Read up on the benefits of regular walking, i.e. a decrease in your risk of suffering from heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, obesity, type 2 diabetes, anxiety and depression. This information will strengthen your resolve.

Must Read: Treadmill Directory: Treadmill workout, exercise and tips! at http://www.weightloss-health.com/treadmills_elliptical_trainers.htm

Don’t’s

. Don’t expect significant weight loss in the first few weeks. Walking 3-4 times a week at a moderate to high intensity can result in fat loss, if combined with high carbohydrate, low-fat meals.

. Don’t walk alone in the dark and wear a reflective belt/clothing at dawn or dusk.

. Don’t miss sessions early on in your programme. In a few months, you will probably be addicted to it.

. Don’t overdo it. Many people start off totally fired up and think that mote is better and add in extra sessions. this leads to burnout and is not sustainable.

The Starting Point-

. Men over 40. women over the 50 and those with either a chronic disease or risk factors musk seek medical advice.

. Purchase a pair of suitable walking shoes, a watch with a second hand and a reflective belt.

. Measure out routes ranging from 2-5 km in a safe and attractive suburb.

. Do some baseline measurements as well as your walking sessions.

. Warm up for five minutes before starting out on your walk.

About the Author:

Ashley Green: for http://www.weightloss-health.com/muscle_building.html your complete and most comprehensive guide on Muscle Building.

Look out for highly effective women muscle building programs at Weight Training for Women- Workouts and Tips

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