Walking for Fitness: Low-Impact, Head-to-Toe Benefits

Text by Cynthia Kling

It started with the incredible shrinking woman. I'd see her every day, ambling up my windy mountain road. Over the weeks I noticed that she seemed to be losing weight fast, so I pulled over in my car, introduced myself, and asked her if she was dieting.

“Nope, just started walking,” she said. “I love it, and I've dropped 10 pounds.”

Frankly, I'd never considered walking real exercise. Then I saw a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association that reported how women can stave off extra midlife pounds by walking for an hour a day. After that, I spotted a Mayo Clinic article about how walking may be the perfect low-impact exercise: It burns calories and raises good cholesterol while lowering bad cholesterol and blood pressure.

Yet another study showed that walking briskly (3 to 3.9 mph) decreases the risk of breast cancer. At that speed, a 150-pound woman burns about 300 calories an hour. My new friend Maureen's toned physique was proof enough for me.

Taking Walking Seriously

Being somewhat type A, I decided to see if I could max out the positive benefits of walking and made an appointment with Jonathan FitzGordon, a yogi who's one of the country's two or three most respected walking teachers. Not only does he train athletes, but doctors and chiropractors also send him clients whose aches and pains stem from walking incorrectly.

His first question was, “How do you walk?” It felt a bit like thinking about how you breathe, but I said, “Short strides.” He replied, “Good!”

“OK, I would say that my front thighs are leading me,” I said.

“Not good.”

“My butt feels involved.”

“Not good, unless you're on a hill.”

“What does any of this have to do with walking fitness?” I asked. “Your body is like a car,” FitzGordon said. “Would you rather drive an old Dodge Dart or a Jaguar?” Good point.

Thinking About Posture

Apparently, for our bones and muscles to work properly, we're supposed to keep our spine aligned vertically. (That doesn't mean ramrod-straight; we're designed to curve naturally.) When we're out of alignment, we get blown-out knees, a sore lower back, heel spurs, and fallen arches.

I'd assumed I had straight posture before, but now I wasn't so sure. “You know the ‘Keep on Truckin' guy?” FitzGordon asked. “Well, that's how you and most people walk — legs too far out front, locking your knees.

“Look at your jeans seam,” he continued. Indeed, it was arching back at my hip. “That line should run perpendicular to the floor.” He ordered me to “fall” forward slightly and stick my butt out.

Doing so felt like a combination of Groucho Marx and J.Lo, but when I tried it during my hikes, my lower back stopped aching. I'd always assumed the pain was a result of yoga or age. Maybe the walking guru was onto something.