“Walk Often, Walk Far”: i.e., Keep on Truckin’

Carolyn Thomas’s www.myheartsisters.org — the best heart blog on the web — has a recent post about “Walk often, Walk Far”. The study compared two exercise programs:

1. Standard cardiac rehab exercise: 25-40 minutes of exercise three times per week at approximately 65-75% peak aerobic capacity. This included 25 minutes of treadmill walking and 8 minutes on 2 to 3 ergometers: cycle, rowing, or arm.

2. High-calorie expenditure exercise: longer duration but lower intensity, more frequent exercise (45-60 minute sessions, but at just 50-60% peak aerobic capacity, 5-7 times per week).

Guess what? The longer duration, lower intensity program was much more effective.

The moral: Walking is the best exercise for the heart.

There is a Latin proverb: “Solvitur Ambulando” -”It is solved by walking.”
(Note: This does not mean “Solved by Ambulance”)
sparker