Aerobic Walking Offers An Easy Way To Get Fit And Healthy

Walking is an excellent form of exercise, but aerobic walking has more benefits than most people realize. It is fantastic for cardiovascular workouts because it maintains an increased heart rate over time. It will also strengthen all the muscles that facilitate healthy breathing, and can improve the quality of life for asthmatics. It has also been shown to benefit those suffering from diabetes and hypertension, as well as osteoporosis.   

Many people who walk for exercise don’t realize there is a major difference between a brisk stroll in the park and aerobic walking. I certainly didn’t, and thought that casually walking 3 km-long three-phase eventing courses with my competitive horse-riding daughter was a great source of exercise, even though I did this no more than once a month, max. Well, it was reasonably good exercise, and the best I got for decades. But it didn’t make me fit.

While even slow walking has health benefits and can help those suffering from diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis, and can reduce the risks of these and other diseases, anyone who is serious about walking to improve health and fitness should consider regular aerobic walking.

My own introduction to aerobic walking (see next page) was via an organization called Run/Walk For Life (RWFL), a South African “athletics” club that has more than 100 franchises in SA, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe. Initially launched in 1983 to help sedentary people get fit and healthy by running or walking, and to promote wellbeing via exercise, RWFL operates on a sensible scientific level, taking possible medical issues into account. For example, blood pressure is measured and new members are screened for the risk of heart problems.

With not quite 2,000 members, the organization boasts that in a 12-month period:

• Members lost a combined weight of more than 32,000 kg
• 900 members reduced their cholesterol levels
• 829 members reduced insulin dependence levels
• 600 reduced dependence on medication for blood pressure

What Is Aerobic Exercise?

Also known as "cardio", aerobic exercise is low-impact, high-intensity exercise that depends on “free oxygen” to meet the energy demands of the body and its organs during exercise activity. Generally it is performed at a moderate level of intensity for relatively long periods of time so that the heart rate increased and is maintained at this level during exercise. Anaerobic exercise on the other hand involves shorter exercise times and greater intensity — sprinting, for example.

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First introduced as an exercise concept in the late 1960s by American doctor of medicine, Kenneth H. Cooper, aerobic exercise has numerous benefits, including those mentioned above. However it will only be effective for weight (or fat) loss if it done consistently, and it is not suitable for those who want to build muscle. Care should be taken if training for distance running or walking as repetitive, high-impact exercise can result in injuries.

How Aerobic Walking Works

According to the RWFL model, aerobic walking will increase fitness measurably if walkers participate in three sessions every week. Everyone starts out slowly for a short period of time, increasing session from about 20 minutes to about an hour, depending largely on speed.

Ideally the aim is to walk at 60 to 90 percent of maximum heart rate, which is, in turn, based on age. So if you are 40 years old, you can determine your maximum heart rate by deducting your age from 220 (=180); then to work out what your heart rate should be to exercise at 80 percent, all it takes is a simple calculation: 180 x 0.8 = 144. This means that you should be exercising at around 144 beats per minute. To ensure you keep to a reasonably ideal heart rate, it’s important (at least early on) to measure your pulse frequently. If it’s too high you can slow your pace down; if you aren’t achieving your ideal heart rate, then you’ll need to put more effort into speeding up, and walking faster.  

My Own Aerobic Walking Experience

If it can work for me, it can work for most other people because I have never been athletic in any form, and have never managed to stick to an exercise regime.

I was never much good at sport while at school, though we were forced to participate in tennis, hockey, netball and swimming. Gym was also compulsory, but I couldn’t climb the ropes or vault the horse, so the gym mistress gave up trying. Athletics (as in running and hurdles) was also a must, and I usually came last. Since then I’ve enrolled with gyms about three times and never followed through. In my 30s and then again when I turned 40 I tried straightforward “aerobics” but was so uncoordinated and essentially uninspired that I gave it up with a little encouragement from unimpressed instructors.

Following the RWFL protocol, I walked my first walk around a local baseball field, completing 1.2 km in 17.5 minutes (which equated to a walking pace of 14.6 minutes per km). Within a month I had doubled the distance – which wasn’t remarkable – but had achieved a half-decent pace of 9.6 minutes per km. Two months later my pace was consistently much the same, but I was over the 5 km barrier. My first road race was a 5 km and I completed that in just less than 8 minutes per km. I hadn’t bothered to weigh myself because my goals were purely health and fitness orientated. Just less than six months after I signed up I completed by first 10 km race. By now I was hooked, not just because I was accumulating medals, but more so because I felt amazing.

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Since then I have completed another nine or ten 10 km races, one 15 km, and two half marathons — both in just under three hours —including the prestigious Two Oceans Marathon (see photograph of walkers finishing above). I’ve dropped about six kilograms without dieting and dropped a clothing size. There have been ups and downs along the way, but ultimately there is one form of exercise that has me hooked – aerobic walking.