Walking: A Complete Guide to the Complete Exercise

Meyers ( Aerobic Walking ) is a man with a mission. He knows that walking is often viewed as the stepchild of aerobic exercise, suitable only for the out-of-shape. And he wants to correct that misconception: in his latest book, he argues that walkers can achieve out of context, `produce' a clumsy verb ``the cardiovascular fitness level and caloric expenditure of a runner without the injuries.''44 Meyers also believes that perambulation has a ``potential cross-training effect'' for people devoted to other sports--skiing, cycling, running, tennis.15 To demonstrate why walking for fitness works, he explains the biomechanics of the evolution of the human gait, with a nod to Lucy, our famous three-million-year-old female forebear.18 He recognizes that a lifetime fitness see below program108 must be sounds like Marxist jargon? simple enough for casual exercisers and yet challenging enough to maintain their interest. His walking program increases aerobic conditioning using intensity (how fast), frequency (how often), and duration (how far).60 In chatty prose, he extols the virtues of gradually increasing one's pace from strolling to brisk walking, with the goal being a 12-minute mile. He also dispenses advice on everything from stretching62 and diet216 to road safety 184 and how to choose a shoe174 . His design for fitness may not be glamorous, but it is inexpensive, easy to follow and practical for people from eight to 80. Author tour. (Apr.)