This NYT article by Eric Nagourney reports on a study that sought to determine the most effective way to get people to walk. The actual study report can be found here. This is an important area of research because walking is a very effective means of exercise which can reduce obesity and improve overall health, and a relatively simple one at that—no equipment or training is needed, yet people fail to maintain walking programs. Or as the article puts it: “Despite numerous studies linking walking to better health, many people cannot seem to bring themselves to do even that.”
The essential thrust of this new study is that the most successful ways to encourage walking tend to use “targeting and tailoring,” gearing mechanisms aimed at improving walking to people’s individual goals.
It helps to remind people to exercise by email or phone messages and to encourage them to form small walking groups. The use of a pedometer seems also to be a plus in generating motivation to walk. Programs aimed at individual households rather than broader groups work best, and the most successful programs added as much as 60 minutes of walking a week. Depending on your body mass index, rate of exertion and so forth that could equate to losing as much as 5 pounds in a year in a fairly painless way.
Other ideas for improving your walking commitment not mentioned in the article:
1. Before you fall asleep make mental commitments to walk the next day noting specifics as to how you are going to achieve this.
2. Make it a point to walk your dog daily, if you don’t have one, tag along with a neighbor who walks their dog.
3. Plan different walking adventures: take different paths around your house, walk the mall, drive to a nearby park and then walk, drive into the nearest city and then walk the streets.
4. If you need to, break up your walking plans into smaller segments that are linked to normal objectives. Parking the car farther away at the supermarket or work fall into this category.
There are many more examples. Walking is one the most effective ways to easily improve your health profile and lose some weight. If you can successfully keep a walking program you have taken an important step towards improved physical fitness.
