Benefits
Builds long-term health and well-being.  Medical studies have shown an association with walking 30-60 minutes daily with reduced risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, type II diabetes, gall bladder disease.  It is a also associated with increased longevity and decreased risk of hip fracture in those over 60.

Health Walk Workout
• Start at an easy pace for 5-10 minutes.
• Stop and do a stretching and flexibility routine for 5 minutes.
• Continue, walking at a pace that brings your heart rate up to 50-60% of your maximum heart rate (MHR).
• This is a comfortable pace where you can carry on a full conversation comfortably although you may be breathing harder than usual.
• Walk for 30-60 minutes.
• End with 5 minutes of gentle stretching and flexibility exercises.

Lose Fat and Lose Weight

When to do the Fat Burning Walk
May be done daily, or used as a recovery day for those alternating with other walking workouts.  Those wanting to lose body fat should do this walk most days of the week.

Benefits
This workout gets the body to use stored fat for energy.  At 60-70% of your maximum heart rate, 85% of your calories burned are fats.  Walking faster or slower burns a smaller percentage of fat.

Fat Burning Walking Workout
• Start at an easy pace for 10 minutes (this burns off the stored blood sugar and glycogen and tells the body to get ready to burn fat.)

• Stop and do a stretching and flexibility routine for 5 minutes.

• Walk 30-60 minutes at a pace that brings your heart rate up to 60-70% of your maximum heart rate (MHR).

• This is a comfortable pace where you can speak in full sentences although you will be breathing harder than usual.

• Cool down with 5-10 minutes at an easy pace.

• End with 5 minutes of gentle stretching and flexibility exercises.

Improve Walking Endurance

When to do the Distance Walk
Once per week.  Those training for the Avon 3-Day Walk or an IML walk should perform two distance days back-to-back each week.

Benefits
Builds endurance and burns off calories (approximately 100 per mile for 150-pound person.)  Those training for longer distance events should build up their mileage steadily.  Those training for a 5K or 10K competitive walk should exceed the event distance by a mile or two in their distance workout.

Distance Walking Workout
• Start at an easy pace for 5-10 minutes.
• Stop and do a stretching and flexibility routine for 5 minutes.
• Resume your walk at a pace that brings your heart rate up to 65-80% of your maximum heart rate (MHR).
• This is a comfortable pace range between being able to speak in sentences to being able to speak only in short phrases.
• Walk for 5-10 miles, or longer if you have built up your endurance.
• End with 5 minutes of gentle stretching and flexibility exercises.