Hello serious walkers and the beginners!

We are now entering another terrain - efficient walking. This is another three week challenge. I think that a shorter, measurable challenge works the best when we try something new.

Here are the RULES:

1. Commit to a number of miles per day that you would like to walk. Make it a reasonable number but remember that you have to stick to it for 21 days. Remember that it's okay to shorten the miles because we will be doing interval walking.

2. Tell us where you walk, when, and how you count your miles. Do you have a treadmill, an elliptical, do you use a pedometer or walk on track? Do you have a heart rate monitor? Do you use an MP3 player with invigorating music?

3. Week ONE: Break your walking in 30-minute intervals. Start kind of slow to warm up for about 5 minutes. Start walking faster for another 4 minutes. Speed up your pace for a minute, walk as fast as you can, pumping your arms. Slow down but not too much, just to catch your breath and walk another 4 minutes. Speed up for a minute walking as fast as you can. Slow down for 4 minutes. Altogether do speeding up for a minute and then walking slower 5 times.

Do your additional miles the way you usually walk after a break. Commit to stretching your legs after walking every time you do interval walking.

4. Week TWO and THREE: new instructions will be posted.

5. The FINE: if you did not walk at least 30 minutes a day doing interval training, you have to do two 30-minute blocks the next day PLUS walk one more mile as a fine.

Happy walking!

One of the most complaints from veteran walkers is "I am not seeing any results." It's easy to slack off because walking is such a comfortable, familiar activity. If your goal is to slim down, you need to keep a faster pace.

Ramping up your speed trains the heart, lungs, and skeletal muscles to use oxygen more efficiently. Researchers at the University of Michigan found that women who incorporated interval training for 15 weeks, increased their bone density, while those who walked at a moderate steady pace saw their bone density decrease.

Three tips for faster walking:

Use your toes. Your foot should roll smoothly from heel to toe. Propel yourself forward by pushing off with the toes of your back. For a more powerful push-up, drive your toes back and raise the heel as if you were showing a walker behind you the sole of your shoe.

Pump your arms. You'll get more drive for each stride if you bend your elbows 90 degrees. Swing forward; don't let your arms swing out to the side; it'll slow you down.

Don't overstride. Reaching forward with your front foot slows you down and can lead to a back or hamstring injury. Focus on extending the leg that pushes off behind you, and then pull that leg forward once you finish the push-off.

Ok I am ready for a new challenge. How many miles is everyone doing? I am thinking of staying with the 5 miles. I'll actually have more time now that I get an extra hour in the morning before the kids come during the summer..
When do we start?

We start tomorrow. I commit to 5 miles. It means that I will do two miles in interval training and three miles walking as usual.

If you need to imagine the difference between slow walking (5 minute warm-up), walking briskly (4 minutes), and power walking (for 1 minute).

Walking casually but lively, like around the mall, 100 steps per minute

Walking briskly, as if you are late for a bus, 135 steps per minute

Power walking - if you went any faster you'd be running, 150 steps per minute

Tomorrow?? That hardly gives us any time to collect new victims.... er, "participants"... for the challenge.

OK, I'm in. I have some questions, though. I've been using "rpm" to describe my pace on the elliptical. I've been exercising at about 50-60 rpm the past few weeks... that's one complete revolution of the foot pedals... is that the same as two "steps"? It must be, because there is NO way I could attain 120 rpm on the elliptical. 60rpm is about the same pace (in my mind) as a jog.

I'll commit to 4 miles per day. That's a bit lower than the five I was committed to in the last challenge, but I'm trying to ensure I can be successful, too. I'm afraid I may not be able to do 21 days of 5 mile workouts where my pace exceeds 60-65 rpm for much time. I also want to leave time to incorporate different workouts in each day.... like weights.

Don, you are right about about rpm being two steps on an elliptical.
Remember, that interval training allows lowering the time you spend exercising because of its efficiency. Let's check out all those smart studies and prove that they are right about interval training.

So for you it will be one 30-minute interval training workout and the rest is just a regular workout. Right?

Originally Posted by 10051

So for you it will be one 30-minute interval training workout and the rest is just a regular workout. Right?

Yeah, I think that sounds good. I'm guessing I'll get in about 2+ miles in the interval session, so that'll give one additional workout on the elliptical each day. That should leave me time to do a different body exercise each day as well. It should work out to about 1hr 15mins a day, like I was doing during the last challenge.

Originally Posted by 10051

If you need to imagine the difference between slow walking (5 minute warm-up), walking briskly (4 minutes), and power walking (for 1 minute).

Walking casually but lively, like around the mall, 100 steps per minute

Walking briskly, as if you are late for a bus, 135 steps per minute

Power walking - if you went any faster you'd be running, 150 steps per minute

I think I have this right for my Interval Training Workout:

5 minutes @ 40 rpm
4 minutes @ 67/68 rpm
1 minute @ 75 rpm
4 minutes @ 67/68 rpm
1 minute @ 75 rpm
4 minutes @ 67/68 rpm
1 minute @ 75 rpm
4 minutes @ 67/68 rpm
1 minute @ 75 rpm
4 minutes @ 67/68 rpm
1 minute @ 75 rpm
Done w/ interval training

Is that right?

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UPDATE: I may not be able to complete this challenge. I just did a dry run using this formula and about died after 12 minutes. In effect, I need to maintain a pace of between 67 and 75 rpm for 25 minutes straight. That's a huge leap from what I've been doing. I've been averaging 50-55 rpm for 30 minutes with occasional bursts to 80 rpm. Bringing that average up from 50-55 rpm to 67-68 rpm is going to be too much for me. I had my 14 year old daughter (who runs track) try it and she was able, but she was winded after 10-15 minutes. By the way, this was tested using the same resistance setting I've always used... around 5-6. Is there a difference between various ellipticals? Hitting 75 rpm, I'm going at a good jogging pace.

I don't think that you need to transfer steps on an elliptical. THis is the wrong formula.

I think that you are right about not jogging. This is NOT a jogging challenge.

What about breathing? Can you walk on the elliptical and see the difference in your breathing? Breathe normally for warm-up, breath faster for a brisk WALKING, and speed up ALMOST to jogging for a minute? You can note rpm and pace yourself.

I hope this helps. I don't think that numbers are right.