Thought Bytes...
September 2004

Is walking a Panacea?

pan·a·ce·a n. A remedy for all diseases, evils, or difficulties; a cure-all.
(From dictionary.com)

Go for a walk. That is what I tell most of my clients at some point in their work station assessment. Get out of the building at lunch and walk to the end of the lane, around the building or around the block. Just get moving!! For years my colleague Paolo was after me to go for a walk. Just get up 15 minutes earlier in the morning, he would say. Yah, right. I am not a morning person. And, I need a reason to walk. I can’t go to the post office at 0700, or the grocery store. I need a purpose to my walk or I feel like I am wasting my time.

So, I got a dog. For the last year and a half, my german shepherd Chance and I have faithfully done at least 2.5 km every morning before most of the neighbourhood has ventured out. And on afternoons when I am not too busy, we head out to an off leash park for another 3 or 4 km of autumn splendour, crisp winter, refreshing spring or halcyon summer.

The big advertising push lately is to get people walking. Unfortunately, many people miss the point. Stepometers come in your box of cereal or with your fast food salad. Ten thousand steps is the key to fitness they imply. So I see people in high heels tottering around the office or the shop tallying up their steps and feeling like they can justify that extra cookie. But, there is a big difference between taking steps and walking. By walking, I mean moving in a forward direction at a brisk pace. The arms should be able to swing unencumbered – there should be nothing in your hands (wear a fanny pack or back pack). Walking should be done at a pace that leaves you feeling warm and perspiring at least a little bit. You don’t have to be out of breath, drenched and smelly to experience the benefits.

• Stimulating Circulation
  One key difference between taking steps and walking is that simply taking steps does little to assist return circulation from the extremities. Stimulation of the circulatory system helps prevent fluids from pooling in the extremities causing swollen ankles, varicose veins, and even deep vein thrombosis. Walking requires incredible coordination of the muscles of the legs, back and arms, all pumping blood back to the heart and lungs.
• Cardiovascular Conditioning
  True cardiovascular conditioning doesn’t begin until your body warms up. That could be 30-45 minutes into your walk depending on your pace. But any time you get your heart working above its sedentary level is good. After warming up, the faster you walk and the farther you go the more benefit you will receive. Making 10,000 steps around the office over the course of the day does not increase your heart rate.
• Psychological
  Getting out of the office for a lunchtime walk – even if you have to put on your parka – gets you away from the things that stress you. Whether you solve the problems of the world while you are walking or simply turn the world off, you will return to the task refreshed and revitalized. A good brisk walk will also start the body releasing endorphins – the natural feel good hormones.
• Vision Walking requires you to continuously change your focal distance. This is compared to staring at the computer screen where your eye muscles maintain the same degree of contraction for hours at a time. Changing focal distance essentially works your eyes through their natural range of motion.
• Bone and Joint Maintenance
  Weight bearing activities have long been known to help maintain bone density. Walking is good – running is even better. But running can be hard on your joints. Every impact through the length of the bones helps to maintain or lay down calcium.
• Injury Recovery
  I once heard my biomechanics professor advise students with sore backs to put a well balanced pack on their backs and go for a hike to cure back pain from too much studying and report writing. Walking over slightly uneven ground forces the muscles of the back and legs to be used the way they were designed – for hunting and gathering – bringing the body back into alignment.

Of course, there are risks with everything. Some of the common trouble spots are:

• Sore feet
  The key to avoiding sore feet is to have good fitting shoes that absorb shocks and support the feet. The shoe’s metatarsal arches should match your metatarsal arches. Avoid cross trainer shoes and occupational walking shoes. These often have less shock absorption ability, poor breath-ability and insufficient arch support for true walking. Running shoes are a better choice. They are designed exclusively for forward motion – which is what you are doing when you are walking. Although good fitting, good quality shoes may be more expensive, they are a worthy investment in your health. Make sure you can test the shoes passively (walking around the house) and actively (on an indoor track or treadmill). If the shoes cause any hot spots or pain you should be able to return them as long as they are unmarked.
• Calf, Knee, Leg Pain
  A properly fitting shoe will help correct the alignment between the feet, ankles, calves, knees, thighs and hips. Alignment is critical to ensuring good joint health. If your ankles fall inward (excessive pronation), your knees are weakened on the inside, the knee cap pulls out of alignment, the stabilizing ilio-tibial band on the outside of the thigh shortens and more strain is placed on the outside of the hip. All because of how you plant your feet.
• Ankle sprains and strains
  Sprains and strains will happen. Treat them like an athlete – Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. Ease off your walking for a couple of days, but don’t stop entirely. If your ankle is still sore after several days, you may need physio or chiropractic intervention.
• Tight muscles
  Even walking, without stretching afterward, can result in tight muscles. It is vitally important to stretch the hamstring, gluteal and calf muscles regularly if you participate in a walking program. Tight hamstring muscles are often linked to lower back and sacroiliac joint pain.

If you have a stepometer, use it when you go for a walk. But in the office or the shop, it really doesn’t serve a purpose unless you walk enough to get your heart rate up slightly. To get the real benefits of walking, you need to add distance and speed. Use the stepometer to challenge yourself – see if you can walk farther in the same time period every week. As to whether walking is a panacea / cure-all? The hazards are minimal in comparison to the massive health benefits. I would have to say that everyone who is able should go for a walk at lunch, park further from the door, get off the bus a stop early or, like me, get a dog that needs a lot of walking.

(Thanks to Stephen Beland at the Edmonton Running Room for his advice including “Shoes break down but don’t break in – make sure they fit to start!!”)

Feedback

Two comments recently came to me about my article on walking as a panacea.

RoseAnn pointed out that pedometers in the workplace can be useful as an incentive to add walking into the work day. A person might look at the number of steps taken in a day and decide take the stairs instead of the elevator or to walk to the store instead of drive in an effort to increase the number of steps taken. So true!

A chiropractor commented that while good fitting shoes are important, they will not correct an underlying alignment problem. If you have discomfort in the feet, legs or back, please see a practitioner as well as making sure that you have good, well fitting, supportive footwear.

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