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Monday Lancaster Fit Bit – Walking isn’t Enough

Monday Lancaster Fit Bit – Walking isn’t Enough

Welcome Back Readers!  It’s time for another Monday Lancaster Fit Bit with Mickey Glick, owner of Body and Soul Fitness Studio in Lancaster! 

Walking, we all do it, it’s long been known that more walking leads to a  healthier lifestyle and walking has numerous benefits to your overall life.  Did you know though, that walking isn’t enough?  Mickey will tell you all about it after the jump, see you on the other side!

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As reported in the June 2009 edition of

The Physician and Sports Medicine, walking alone does not result in enough physiologic stress to be considered a significantly benefi-cial exercise. Our bodies need to be challenged. They adapt to the stress you apply to them. That’s why if you’re lifting the same weights or running the same 2 miles in the same amount of time that you were a month ago, you’re actually getting less benefit (and burning fewer calories). As your body gets stronger and more fit, you need to increase the challenge.

Walking is not the be-all end-all exercise that so many tout it to be. In fact, according to research, people who continually walk as exercise typically lose 4 to 6 pounds of lean muscle mass. That’s really bad!

Less muscle means less strength; less strength means everyday life is harder than it needs to be. Many of the characteristics associated with old age are actually the result of muscle loss due to the lack of strength training. Want to maintain an independent lifestyle? Lift weights.

Regular walkers also experience a reduction in their rest-ing metabolism of 2 to 3 % each decade. The loss of lean muscle and the metabolic slowdown in walkers are close to those found in completely sedentary individuals. This means that if walking is the most physically demanding stress an individual experiences, there is not enough of a physiologic challenge for the body to be forced to make changes. It doesn’t have to adapt and get stronger.

As we age, without the right type of regular exercise, we experience musculoskeletal and metabolic deterioration. To offset that process you need to work at a level that stimulates the body to improve.

I’m not saying that people shouldn’t walk. Some individuals use walking as a stress release, to plan their day, to think through problems or brainstorm ideas. I think walking can be a great activity on your off-days (along with riding bike, recreational sports, dancing, etc.). Just make sure to incorporate 3 days a week of challenging exercise that includes strength training and cardio intervals or metabolic resistance circuits.

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So there you have it, walking is great, but you need to do more.  If you want to learn how to do more, Mickey can teach you, just call her at 717-509-7777!

As always, I’d like you to be part of the conversation, so if you like what you read here please comment, forward The Lancaster Connection.com to your friends and subscribe! 

If you have questions, need real estate advice or want to buy or sell a home, you can call or text me at 717-371-0557, email me at Jason@JasonsHomes.com or contact me at the office at 717-490-8999!Lancaster PA Homes for Sale, Jason Burkholder

Your Friend in Real Estate,

Jason Burkholder

Weichert, Realtors – Engle & Hambright

 

Search for Lancaster County Homes for sale at www.JasonsHomes.com by clicking here!

 

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Jason Burkholder