By Peter M. Abel, M.D.
Medical Director,
Prevention Center for Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiocascular Institute of the South

Walking is just about the best exercise of all for your heart. Not jogging. Just walking at a brisk but comfortable pace for 20 to 30 minutes, three times a week.

Those who engage in the more strenuous forms of exercise may get trimmer bodies and (perhaps) some enjoyment from their sports enthusiasms, expensive exercise gadgets and health club memberships, but human nature being what it is, I suspect the disciplined walker will garner greater health benefit from his or her efforts, with far less risk of the injured knees, damaged ankles and tennis elbows suffered by people who are trying to exercise beyond their capabilities.

Let's be realistic: for most of us, exercise just isn't that much fun over the long haul. An enthusiasm for a certain sport may keep us active for a time. But such enthusiasms tend to be short-lived, or produce injuries that sideline us, and we drift away from them.

Unfortunately, the health benefits that derive from exercise diminish rather rapidly if you quit. You have to stick with it.

Hence walking. It doesn't require expensive equipment or a great deal of time and self-discipline to go for a 20-minute walk three times a week. But the benefits to your cardiovascular system are very significant -- and cumulative. There's some evidence that it's even a better way to lose weight than jogging, since you burn more fat than carbohydrates with less strenuous exercise.

Don't fall prey to the assumption that if a little walking is good, a lot is better. If you undertake to walk four or five miles a day, you'll quickly grow tired of the demands it makes on you and quit. Stick with a brisk walk around the neighborhood -- ten to 15 minutes out, and then retrace your steps. And one more important piece of advice: see your doctor for a checkup before undertaking any new exercise program.

&copy 1995 Cardiocascular Institute of the South

For further information, call Jane Arnette, Cardiocascular Institute of the South/Houma, 1-800-425-2565, or Jim Keyser at 1-800-848-2715. E-mail questions or comments to: jakeyser@cardio.com.

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