PE Fitness Walking

Definition: Flexibility

Flexibility refers to the range of motion or distance you can move a joint through. Stretching is key to maintaining your flexibility.

Goals are PERSONAL

"Don't try to achieve something because your friend or your husband wants you to do it. Whether your objectives are related to health, athletics, or aesthetics, make them personal and meaningful to you.

Ultimate Goals

"The big accomplishment, the thing you hope to achieve in the long run - long-term goal"

Iron-Rich foods

(refer to blue handout)

Potassium-Rich foods

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4 Reasons Walkers Should Weight Train

1) Weight training prevents injury. 2) Weight training enhances performance. 3) Weight training helps prevent osteoporosis and 4) Weight training helps you lose weight and maintain weight loss!

Starting the Goal-Setting Process

1. Know your starting points--lets you know what fitness parameters you need to work on. 2. Choose your ending points--which is also your ultimate goal. 3. Develop a plan--from general to specific. 4. Write it down (all 6 SHARMP) 5. Re-evaluate goals to make sure they're still in line with what you hope to achieve.

Safety First (ch.5)

1. Walk defensively: pedestrians have the right of way, but be careful! 2. Whenever possible, walk on a bike path or in an are where motorized traffic is not allowed. 3. When you walk alone, let someone know where you're going. 4. Don't walk alone at night, especially in secluded areas. IF walking at night, wear bright clothes/reflective materials 4. Leave personal stereos at home when working out outdoors. 5. Don't wear a lot of jewelry/carry money etc. etc.

Karvonen Method

220 - (age) = estimated maximal heart rate (MHR) MHR - Resting HR = HR Reserve HR Reserve x .60 + Resting HR = Low target range HR Reserve x .85 + Resting HR = High target range

Neuromas

A bundle fo exposed or inflamed nerve endings, usually located on the lower part of the two toes closest to the pinkie toe, but you can develop them in other toes as well. There's no swelling and you may feel pain at times other than when you're walking. Cause: Tight shoes, pounding hard on surfaces like cement or asphalt. Remedy: ICE.

Fine-tuned goals

A more detailed description of your ultimate goals; help lay out your program. Can be distance, speed, intensity, necessary skills, muscles being used.

Variable

An aspect of your walkin program that you can adjust - frequency, intensity, and time (FIT)

Backup goals

As a result of adaptable goals--things you shoot for if for some reason you aren't able to work toward your primary ultimate goals for a while. Keep you from getting discouraged or giving up. It can prevent you from gaining weight and slowing you down when you can finally pick up where you left off. Ex) Weight loss, improved appearance, increased energy, healthier diet, etc.

T/F

Athletic shoes lose much of their shock absorbency after 250-500 miles of walking, so replace them periodically.

Lower Body Muscles

Buttocks or gluteus maximus: largest muscle in entire body. Thighs and Lower legs--strong calves play a key role in long-term endurance.

Level 1: Lifestyle Walking

Casual walking for beginners; requires no special skills or experience, low-intensity; perfect for building stamina and muscular strength. Consistency > Intensity. Perceived Exertion: 4-6. Focus on form.

Blisters

Caused by friction and irritation, usually from something that rubs against your foot. Best way to prevent: avoid them in the first place! Have proper shoes, socks, and lubrication.

Lower Back Pain

Causes: poor walking posture, walking with upper body forward or rounded, weak and/or tight hamstring, hip, or abdominal muscles. Remedies: warm bath or moist heat. Ice is also an option but only if you don't tense up your lower back when it's applied.

MEAT AND BEANS

Choose low-fat or lean meats and poultry. Bake it, broil, or grill it. Vary your protein routine--choose more fish, beans, peas, nuts, and seeds. For 2000 cal diet: Eat 5.5 oz everyday

FRUITS

Eat a variety of fruit. Choose fresh, frozen, canned, or dried. Go easy on fruit juices. For 2000 cal diet: eat 2 cups everyday

GRAINS

Eat at least 3oz of whole-grain cereals, breads, crackers, rice, or pasta everyday. For 2000 cal diet: 6oz everyday.

VEGETABLES

Eat more dark-green veggies like broccoli, spinach, and other dark leafy greens. Eat more orange vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes. Eat more dry beans and peas like pinto beans, kidney beans, and lentils. For 2000 cal diet: Eat 2.5 cups everyday

Level 2: Fitness Walking

Exercise on the treadmill at the gym or high-stepping through the neighborhood. Little risk injury, typically move along at pace of 3.5-4.3 mph. Fitness walking utilizes the hips, buttocks, lower back, abdominals, and upper body muscles.

Goals are MOTIVATING

Find reasons from your workout environments to help motivate you to keep working out!

Level 3: High-Energy Walking

Form of walking is a great calorie burner and muscle shaper. "Race-walking"; high-energy walkers walk at pace of 4.4 - 6.0 mph. Include some high-energy walking into program if goals are increased muscle tone and improved athletic performance.

Goals are SPECIFIC

General statement goals don't tell you where you're starting from or what you ultimately hope to attain. Look at your starting point to make more specific goals. ex) use body fat percentage as one way to specify clear goals instead of just saying"I want to lose weight".

MILK

Go low-fat or fat-free when you choose milk, yogurt, and other milk products. If you don't or can't consume milk, choose lactose-free products or other calcium sources such as fortified foods and beverages. For 2000 cal diet: get 3 cups everyday

Goals are ADAPTABLE

Goals can be changed to adapt to sudden changes in your life and make it fit.

Tips for walking in HOT, COLD, RAINY, WINDY Weather

HOT: drink tons of water; carry a bottle of water; choose clothing that pull moisture away from your body. Wear sunblock and sunglasses. WINTER: wear as little as possible in terms of size - layers of 3 thin layers > one or two bulky jackets. When walking on snow and ice, take quicker/shorter strides and hold arms slightly away from body to improve balance. RAIN: avoid walking during thunder and lighting storms.

INTENSITY

How hard you're working. You can measure intensity in 3 ways -- heart rate, perceived exertion scale, or talk test.

TIME

How long your walks last. Dictated by many factors-- *Frequency: you may choose to walk more often instead of doing a long workout 3-4x a week. *Intensity: the higher intensity your workouts, the shorter they will be. *Schedule. *Fitness level. *goals.

Oops! Injuries

Injuries as a result of clumsiness, carelessness, or plain bad luck! Prevention: pay attention! Remedies: can be treated with ice or adhesive bandage.

Potassium in the Diet and Kidney Disease

Kidneys hep regulate the potassium in your body. some kidney diseases cause the body to have too much or too little potassium. Fruits and vegetables have higher levels of potassium than other food groups.

Warm-ups and Cool Downs

Literally warm your body up; raising body temperature gradually increases the blood flow into your working muscles--it loosens up your muscles, joints, tendons, and ligaments so that you can walk more freely and easily. Also makes you less likely to injure yourself; same with cooling down.

T/F

Look for a roomy toe box on your walking shoe. This prevents toes from chafing during the push-off stage of walking

Strength training exercises for walkers

Lunges, Calf Raise, Pullovers, Pushups, Front Shoulder Raise, etc.

Middle Body Muscles

Middle body allows you to stand and walk with good posture: Abdominals and Erector Spinae

T/F

Most folks cover 3 ft of ground PER stride. To estimate speed, count the STEPS you take in a minute and DIVIDE by 30.

Shin Splints

Pain in the lower leg due to inflammation of the muscles or tendons. Your lower leg bones brace themselves to anticipate the jolt from the next step. This stress leads to swelling, tearing, and inflammation of the surrounding muscles. To avoid: strengthen shin muscles to balance with your calf muscles; replace walking shoe often. Remedies: ICE, wrapping heating pads or warm washcloths around shins, cut back on mileage.

Level 4: Walk-Run

Perfect hybrid activity for walkers who have the need for speed, but don't want to increase injury risk. Involves alternating running intervals and walking intervals in order to spike up exercise intensity, work more muscles, and burn more calories.

FREQUENCY

Refers to the number of times you work out per week. The number of weekly workouts often as a direct impact on how quickly you achieve your goals. The type of walking (i.e. Lifestyle walking) may dictate the number of times that you need to exercise per week.

Stepping-stone goals

Shorter-term goals; break up your ultimate goals into smaller time-frames. -- Daily goals: what do you hope to accomplish today? Weekly goals: constructive for reevaluating targets like mileage and weight loss. Monthly goals: help you track trends in your workout patterns.

Stretching

Stretch AFTER a warm-up, BEFORE and after a workout. Stretching helps maintain flexibility. Flexibility is one of the keys to good walking postures.

Goals are REALISTIC

Strive for realistic and attainable goals. Don't aim so low that you find no glory in reaching your objectives, but neither do you wan to strive for something that's completely out of your reach.

T/F

The best sole for a walking shoe is one with enough flexibility to bend the forefoot upward with just one finger.

T/F

To make workout more relaxing, try focused walking: Concentrate on inhaling when you step on the right food and exhaling on the left foot.

Goals are HEALTHY

Unhealthy fitness goals revolve around weight loss or body shaping. Goals also have to be psychologically healthy.

T/F

Walking for an hour at 3miles per hour burns 250 calories. Find some snow, strap on snowshoes, and up that to 450 calories!!

Plantar Fasciitis

When you feel pain in the bottoms of your feet first thing in the morning that seems to get better as the day wears on--Plantar Fasciitis: an inflammation on the tough fibrous band tissue that runs the length of the bottom of your foot. Causes: Over-training, misalignment of the foot, walking on hard surfaces, doin a lot of hill or speed training, generally stressing tight hamstring and calf muscles, and ILL-FITTING SHOES! Remedies: ICE and elevation. Over-the-counter Arch support inserts for shoes, and medication such as aspirin to reduce swelling.

Upper body Muscles

Working your upper body muscles so that they are strong and in shape will make you a better walker. Muscles: Upper back, chest, shoulders, arms.

Corns and Bunions

bumps and knobbies that crop up all over your feet, especially on sides, tops, and crevices of your toes--caused by shoes that are too tight! Remedies: get rid of poor shoes.