Walk for Well-being
To evaluate your cardiovascular fitness as well as determine what Walking 4 Wellness style is best for you, take a moment to complete this simple test.
Goal: Walk one mile as fast as you can without jogging or running.
What you’ll need:
- A timer (smart phone or stop watch) to monitor your time.
- A good pair of walking shoes.
- A designated one-mile walking area.
Instructions:
- Find a local high school track, walking trail or similar area where you can safely walk for a one-mile distance.
- Before you begin, be sure to warm up.
- Once you have warmed up, begin your test by starting your time.
- Walk as fast as you possibly can for that designated one-mile distance.
- Once you cover the one-mile distance, stop the timer and record your score.
To help you get started with your Walking 4 Wellness plan, you’ll want to take a moment to understand the four general types of walking you can consider.
| Strolling: Casual Walking | Rolling: Fast or Power Walking | Burning: Interval and Terrain Walking | Toning: Interval Walking Combined with Resistance Training |
|---|---|---|---|
Beginners or just getting back to walking or exercise | Desire to improve productivity, creativity, resilience and overall fitness | Desire to maximize fat burning and weight loss | Interested in slowing the aging process and looking and feeling years younger |
Desire to improve their overall stamina, physical, emotional and spiritual health | Interested in decreasing stress, anxiety and appetite | Interested in shorter, more challenging workouts | Desire to shape, strengthen and define upper and lower body muscles |
Enjoy tranquil, serene and meditative walks | Enjoy moderate to challenging exercise | Desire to boost energy, mood and reduce belly fat | Would like to maximize metabolism and fat burning ability throughout the day |
Looking for a way to improve mood, decrease stress, relax and restore energy | Interested in increasing energy, burning more calories and improving physical fitness | Interested in toning, strengthening and defining muscles | Want to get fit and stay fit |
Prefer low intensity walking at a casual pace around 2.0-3.5 MPH | Desire to enhance muscle and bone strength | Prefer varying walking/running speed for moderate to fast, ranging intensities from 4.5-6.5 MPH | Prefer utilizing fitness tools, resistance equipment or body weight exercises along with their walking |
Enjoy walking multiple times a day without perspiring too much | Prefer exercising at moderate to higher intensities, walking at a pace of 3.5-4.5 MPH | Enjoy using different speeds, terrains or elevations to impact intensity | Vary walking/running speeds ranging from 4.5-6.5 MPH along with resistance training |
Prefer slower, possibly longer walks | Completes the One-mile Walk Test in 13-15 minutes | Completed the one mile walk test in under 13 minutes | |
Interested in recovering from sore muscle or de-stressing | |||
Completed the one-mile walk test in 16 minutes or more |
Countless research studies show that walking has a significant impact on not only our bodies but also our emotional, intellectual and mental well-being. Here are benefits from walking that research says about regular walking and stress:
- Reduces stress and improves ability to cope
- Releases feel-good brain chemicals like endorphins
- Decreases depression
- Alleviates symptoms of premenstrual syndrome in women
- Enhances relaxation
- Decreases tension and worry
- Boosts brain power and creates new brain cells
- Improves cognitive functioning
- Enhances memory
- Keeps brain young, decreases symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease
- Reduces, treats and prevents anxiety and panic attacks
- Helps manage anger and feelings of hostility
- Boosts your mood: increases joy, happiness and sense of well-being
According to business analysts, productivity specialists and numerous studies, individuals who exercise are way ahead of the pack when it comes to competition. Multiple health, business and financial experts agree that workers who perform regular exercise such as walking perform better in terms of both quantity and quality of production at their jobs. Here are some things that research says about regular walking and your career:
- Improves thinking
- Enhances your learning, time management and judgement
- Boosts your creativity
- Increases stamina, energy, and endurance
- Elevates self-esteem, self-image, and confidence
- Increases productivity
- Reduces absenteeism and presenteeism
- Boosts morale
- Increases initiative and leadership
- Raises assertiveness and enthusiasm for life
- Raises career advancement opportunities and earning potential
- Boosts your human capital, health, attitude, motivation, skills, education
For more information on walking resources, check out the following links!
For updated information regarding Art walks & Artful Yoga check out University Museums
For updated information regarding Ames events check out City of Ames calendar:
For updated information regarding Des Moines community events check out:
For more information on walking contact ISU WellBeing for a Wellness Council of America "Walking 4 Wellness" booklet!
Content provided by: Wellness Council of America: "Walking4 Wellness: Four simple steps to achieve your best body and life."