Complete Idiot's Guide to Walking for Health

Erika Peters has a B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley and has been an avid exerciser all of her life. Her belief in the benefits of health and fitness are so strong that she decided to make a career out of them in 1998. In addition to being a full-time personal trainer at Club One in Oakland, California, Erika has her own private fitness practice in which she takes her knowledge of health and exercise into the homes of residents around the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a certified Fitness Instructor through California State University at Hayward, and holds additional certifications from the American Council on Exercise (ACE) as well as the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). She is currently pursuing her passion of triathlons in which she plans to compete beginning in the spring of 2001. One of her favorite quotes is: "Happiness is a state of activity," by Aristotle.

I. BUILDING A DAILY HABIT FOR HEALTH'S SAKE. 1. Why Walk? The Importance of Walking. Mental Health Motivators. A Walking Body Is a Healthy Body. A Heart-to-Heart About Your Heart. Beautiful, Bountiful Bones. Weighty Issues. Enticingly Energetic. Joint Adventures. Balancing Acts. Soulful Strides: Why Walking Is Good for the Soul. Pausing for Breath. Clearly Clarifying. I Want My Mother Nature! Just Step Out Your Front Door and You Are on Your Way! For All Walks of Life. Easy as 1, 2, 3. 2. One Step at a Time. How Do You Measure Up? BMI. Waisting Your Hips Away: The Waist-to-Hip Ratio. Girth Measurements and Pants Size. Scaling It Down. My, How Strong and Flexible You Are! Upper Limits. The Lowdown on Your Lower Body. Stomach and Lower-Back Strength. Flexibility. Knowing Your Cardiovascular Starting Point. The Importance of Understanding Your Heart Rate. Heart Rate 1, 2, 3, 4. Intensity and Heart Rate. Getting the Doctor's Okay. 3. Beginning a Program. C Is for Commitment. Time Is of the Essence. Make Walking a Habit First. Establishing Long- and Short-Term Goals. If Only ... Long-Term Goals. Breaking Down and Getting Down: Monthly and Weekly Goals. One Day at a Time: Daily Goals. Reveling in Rewards. Building a Support System. 4. Gathering Your Gear. Comfort vs. Style: Making the Right Clothing Choices. Lotsa Layers. Hang'n Loose. The Long and Short of Things. Sports Bras and Other Supportive Gear. Material Madness: Are Some Better Than Others? Cotton Basics. Lycra: The Stretchy Stuff. Know'n Nylon. CoolMax and Polypropylene. Shopping Resources. Accentuating Accessories. Musical Moments. Sensible Sun Block. Sight for Sore Eyes. "You Can Leave Your Hat On". Band-Aids for Blisters. Walking with a Big Stick. The Watered Walker. II. PROGRESSING SAFELY. 5. Moving Forward. Frequency: How Many Days a Week Is Enough? Interesting Facts About Intensity. Time: Are We Talking Minutes or Hours Here? Progressing Patiently. The Where, What, Why, and How of Walking. Avoiding Routine Routes. Keeping Track of Time and Distance. Staying Vitalized by Adding Variety. Safety Tips to Consider. Walking Alone. Night Walking. Defense Do-Dads. 6. Now That You've Got the Basics, Let's Have Some Fun! Turning the Heat up with Hills. Stepp'n on Stairs. Beach Bum. Tromping on Trails. Weights, Anyone? Breaking Up the Time: Fartlek and Interval Training. 7. Warming Up, Cooling Down, and Yes! Stretching. The Importance of a Warmed-Up Walker. The Cool Cat Cool-Down. Why Stretch? Perfecting Posture. Daily Doings. Joint Ventures. How Often and How Much? How? Coming Equipped. How Often. How Much. Sample Stretches for Your Lower and Upper Body. 8. Why Weight? The Importance of a Strong Body. How Often and How Much. The Tools You'll Need. Free Weights. Machine Madness. A Weight Walker's Wonderland. Lower-Upper-Body Strengtheners. 9. Yes! Pain, No Gain. Pondering Pain. Overdoing Over-Training. If the Shoe Fits...or Not. A Walk a Day Keeps the Doctor Away. Unexplained Pain. But I Don't Wanna! No! Not Anytime You Feel Like It. Yes! You Can Do Other Activities; Substitutes in the Meantime. Motivating Yourself to Start Again. 10. In the Beginning. New Kid Around the Block? Goal Mining. Be Proactive. Conscious Calendaring. Know Thyself. Psyching Out Your Psychology. How Much? How Long? How Hard? How Much? How Long? How Hard? A Sample for an Example. Other Things to Keep in Mind. 11. And Now for the Rest of Ya! How to Know? The Middle Man/Woman. Pushing the Pace. Making It Harder with Hills. Implementing Intervals. A Sample Week. Comparing with Competition. Goal-Setting for the Advanced Walker. 12. Walking for Special Populations. The Silver Saunter: How Walking Helps with Aging. Osteoporosis: Battling Brittle Bones. Practicing Proprioception. Maneuvering Your Muscles. Getting Your Doctor's Approval. What Is Arthritis and How Does Walking Help? Painful Beginnings. Diabetic and Dynamite. Walking Your Sugar Down. Diet Do's and Don'ts. Walking for the Cardiac Rehab Patient. How Walking Helps. Heart-Rate Monitors and Supportive Supervision. Warning Signs While Walking. III. WALKING FOR WEIGHT LOSS. 13. Weight Walkers. Weight-Related Diseases and How Walking Helps. Psychological Barriers and Social Shyness. Setting Your Short- and Long-Term Goals. Keeping a Log. Getting and Staying Motivated. 14. Food for Thought. How Weight Loss Works and How Exercise Helps. Why Diets Don't Work. The Balancing Act: Your Basic Food Pyramid. Changing Habits and Lifestyle. One Day at a Time. 15. Fast Feet, Not Fast Food. Understanding the Nature of Caloric Expenditure. Pacing Yourself. Frequency First. Adding Time. Intensity Last. Suggestion for Adjusting Intensity. Walking Through the Discomfort. Postulating Plateaus. You Win Sum and You Lose Sum: A Summary. IV. WALKING AS A LIFESTYLE. 16. Waste Not, Walk Not. No Excuses! Daily Reminders. Inspirational Images. Noticeable Notes. Supportive Situations. Writing Walking into Your Schedule. Keeping Your Gear Handy. Changing Habits One Step at a Time. Staying Focused. 17. This Is a Walking World. The Automobile Dilemma. Parking Waaaaay Far Away. Walking Instead of Driving. Going Up? The Stairs. Digesting Dinner: Taking a Post-Meal Walk. Walking to Work. Energizing Errands. Pacing It with a Pup. Shaping Up While Shopping. 18. The Weathered Walker. A Winter Walking Wonderland. Clothing for the Cold. Hydration. Know the Snow: Ice vs. Powder. Heated Hikes. Heat Index and Humidity. Hydration: Staying Cool Inside. Ventilation: Clothing That Breathes. Protecting Your Head: Hats and Other Accessories. Damp Tramps. Appropriate Attire. Covering Your Feet. 19. Exercising Your Alternatives. Home Is Where the Heart Is. Terrific Treadmill Treds. A Beginner's Base. Intermediate Inclines. Advanced Adventures. Safety. Keeping Yourself Occupied: Music, Books, and Socializing. Buying a Treadmill. 20. Taking It to the Next Level. Take a Walk on the Wild Side. Where to Go? Ideas for Trails and Treks. Comfortable Clothing and Durable Footwear: To Boot or Not To Boot? Training Tips: Preparing Your Heart for Hiking. Safety: From Wild Cats to Wild Flowers. Clubs and Agencies. Walkers Without Borders. Vacation Ventures and Trekking Tours. Clubs and Agencies. Get Ready, Get Set ... Walk! Setting Your Goals. Training for Events. Form. Groups to Contact. V. YOUR FEET. 21. Preparing Your Peds. How to Choose a Shoe. Foot Type. Terrain and Mileage. Shoe Shopping. Signs and Symptoms of the Wrong Shoe. When to Buy New Shoes. Wearing Other Kinds of Sports Shoes for Walking. Sockin' It to Ya. Lacing It Up. 22. Footloose and Fancy-Free. Fashionable Functional Footwear. Inserts. Insoles. Orthotics. Arch Supports. 23. The Walking Wounded. Walking-Related Injuries. Shin Splints. Ankle, Knee, and Leg Injuries. Sprains and Strains. Blisters and Bunions. Bone Spurs and Plantar Fasciitis. Hammertoe and Ingrown Toenails. 24. Merry Metatarsals. Orthopedists: The Bone People. Your Local Foot Doctor, the Podiatrist. Marvelous Massages. Striking a Stretch: A Complete Guide. The Healing Touch: When to Use Ice and Heat. To Move or Not To Move. 25. Walking Wonders. Historical Moments. Fastest Feet. Farthest. Good Cause. VI. APPENDIXES. Appendix A. Resources for Walking Fit. Appendix B. Walking Words. Index.