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Walking for Life
A Guide to Getting Started
By Michele St. Martin
When asked if she considers herself an athlete, Martha McClure Miller of Medford, Ore., says, "Oh, heavens no!" McClure Miller, who does admit to being fit and active, has always enjoyed walking, but didn't start doing it seriously until the fall of 1995. "I bought a treadmill and started using it daily, then in the spring when the weather got nicer I started walking outside," she says. "I worked up from walking a mile three days a week to walking over 100 miles a month." McClure Miller is looking forward to walking her first marathon.
Lori Govier of Calgary, Alberta, is no self-proclaimed athlete either, although she has been walking off and on for five years – quite seriously for four months. "I try to walk a minimum of four days a week," she says. "I walk at an approximate speed of 3 1/2 miles per hour and go for approximately 50 to 60 minutes per session."
Govier combines her coffee and lunch breaks to get her workout in. "My city has some great hills to climb, so on my more energetic days I try to get some uphill in," she says. And like Stroud, Govier walks to music. "Sometimes I will walk a couple of songs, then jog one song, then walk a couple."
What benefits can you experience from walking? After losing 15 pounds in the last few months, Govier cites weight loss and stress reduction among he positive changes she's experienced. "I find I have much more energy," she says. "I sleep much better, and getting out in the fresh air really gives me a mid-day lift."