Tae Bo
exercise before and after walking, jogging, and running.
• Face the wall about eighteen inches away.
• Lean your forearms and forehead on the wall, keeping your trunk straight and your legs straight, with your heels just off the floor.
• Push your hips toward the wall.
• Stretch each leg separately by bringing one leg forward and bending the knee.
• Hold for several seconds.
Shoulder stretch:
• Fold your arms over and behind your head, grasping one elbow.
• Gently pull.
• Repeat on the other side.
Arm circle:
• Extend your arms to the sides.
• Circle for ward and backward with a single arm or both of your arms together in large and small circles.
Curl- and Sit-ups: For abdominal muscle strength.
Curls:
• Lie on the floor and fold your arms across your chest or place them at your sides.
• Bend your knees with your feet flat on floor, and your back rounded.
• Rise enough to look at your feet and hold.
• Lower slowly and repeat.
Sit-ups:
• Stay in the same position as in "Curls" above.
• Rise high enough to touch your elbows to your knees.
Tips for a Walking Program
One of the most positive outcomes from the recent emphasis on fitness has been the increased interest in walking. Adults of all ages from around the nation are involved in a regular walking program and reap the health benefits of this simple but effective cardiovascular exercise.
Though many have tried to make walking for exercise a science, experts agree that it is simpler than that. "The walker's motto should be 'keep it simple' and do what comes naturally," says cardiologist James Rippe, coauthor of Fitness Walking for Women. "For most people, the right way to walk is more or less what they're already doing. If you're asked to do something terribly complex, chances are it's not worth doing."
Since many people tend to formulate bad physical habits, such as incorrect posture, would-be walkers need to be informed of "proper" walking procedures. This, in effect, is relearning how to walk in a way that benefits muscle groups and facilitates your cardiovascular endurance without making you look like a "duck on the run."
The following tips are a basic guide for beginning a walking program in the proper step:
• Hold your head high, with the underside of your chin parallel to the ground. According to Joseph Askinasi, a New York City kinesiologist, "Tilting your head down prevents efficient breathing; changes the curve of your spine; strains the neck, shoulders, and back; and
increases fatigue."
• Pull in the stomach. Lead with your chest, with buttocks pulled for ward under the hips. Walking with a "loose belly" increases the risk of back strain.
• Walk with your arms bent at the elbows, but swing your arms in moderation. Don't swivel
your hips. Clenched hand and teeth are signs of tenseness. Concentrate on relaxing.
• Use your natural stride. Giant steps actually inhibit efficiency and work. • Step lightly. Walking is like rocking. Land on your heel, pointing your toes toward the sky. Roll through the foot, and push off with a lightness of step [next page]