Wednesday, September 24, 2008 9:39 PM CDT
Downtown walk illustrates benefits of everyday activities
By NATHANIEL WEST, Staff Writer
nwest@jg-tc.com
MATTOON — Wednesday was a good day for a walk.
Then again, so are most days, according to area residents who speed-walked along Broadway Avenue downtown over the lunch hour Wednesday as part of the Mattoon Area Family YMCA’s participation in the national “America on the Move Week” campaign.
Walkers and YMCA officials agreed that by not short-changing walking and other seemingly mundane chores, people could boost their overall health.
Erin Hanley, who helps run the babysitting center at the YMCA, tries to incorporate exercise into many of her daily activities. For example, she parks farther away from her destination so she has to walk more, and she takes the stairs whenever possible.
“I love walking, because you can do it anytime, anywhere, with anybody,” she said.
And that “anybody” on Wednesday included her 18-month-old daughter, Layla, whom Hanley pushed in a stroller.
Hanley said she enjoys walking in a group but also working out by herself. “That’s when I get intense,” she said.
Vicki Cline, YMCA membership director and co-chair of the local America on the Move Week, said each of the 18 walkers Wednesday took close to 3,000 steps. Nationwide, the YMCA is hoping to log 10 billion steps this week.
“I believe that walking is one of the simplest things you can do for fitness,” Cline said. “But it works most parts of your body” too.
Louise Vassay, YMCA personal training coordinator and co-chair of the campaign, said most people could prevent the typical yearly weight gain of one to two pounds simply by taking an extra 2,000 steps and consuming 100 fewer calories per day (that’s equal to about 10 French fries or a third of a candy bar).
Actual weight loss requires more effort.
“But you start small,” Vassay said.
“It’s always best to make lifestyle changes with small steps.”
Audrey Boyd, who teaches an aerobics class at the YMCA but also walks regularly as part of her overall health regimen, said walking “is right up there” with other physical activities.
“It’s good cardiovascular (exercise); it gets the heart beating,” she said.
Micki Rappe said the walk Wednesday took the place of her normal daily exercise at the YMCA, which typically consists of two miles on the treadmill as well as several circuits on weight machines.
“I think (exercise) is important,” she said, adding that Wednesday’s walk required “about the same” amount of effort as her regular routine.
YMCA employee Angie Elzy-Carroll works behind the desk, and said she enjoys “getting out once in a while; the fresh air is great.”
She normally works out on a treadmill. She said she appreciated the social aspect of Wednesday’s walk through downtown. “Being together is great,” she said.
Overall, Elzy-Carroll said, “If you can’t do the hardcore aerobics, walking is good.”
The YMCA this week is also hosting a Family Fun Night at 7 p.m. Friday, as well as obesity-awareness walks during youth soccer games beginning at 8:45 a.m. at Kinzel fields.
Contact Nathaniel West at nwest@jg-tc.com or 238-6860.
Add your comments
Not already registered?
Then click Here.
Comment policy:
JG-TC.com encourages readers to engage in civil conversation with their neighbors. Comments that are submitted are not posted to the site immediately. They go into a queue to be moderated and may take several hours to be reviewed. Comments posted on Saturday may not be reviewed until Sunday afternoon.
In order to keep the page a set width, long lines (mostly long links) will be chopped. Try putting spaces in your links or consider using tinyurl.com to make a smaller link that you can include.
We will never edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to remove comments that violate our code of conduct.
No comment may contain:
* Potentially libelous statements; such as accusing somebody of a crime, defamation of character, or statements that can harm somebody's reputation.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults, threats, harassment or inciting violence.
* Commercial product promotions.
If you have any questions, please contact our moderator.
|
|
CLICK TO ENLARGE
|
