Week 4

Week 4: A Better, Healthier You

Congratulations on reaching the fourth week of the "Spring into Summer" Walk with Ease program. You should be proud of yourself for committing to walking towards a better, healthier you. We encourage you to keep a daily or weekly walking log throughout the 6-week program to be able to reflect and improve your personal goals. You can log your minutes on the provided portal. We also encourage participants to use our other provided resources in order to get the most out of the Walk with Ease program.

Portal Platform Basics:

Complete this process each week to track your progress

Log in to the platform to review the schedule
Complete tasks provided in the schedule
Enter your walking minutes from week 3
Set your goals for week 4

Goals:

Goals for the week:

Walk a minimum of 3 days
Start forming healthy walking habits
Keep track of your walking minutes!

Incorporate stretching & strengthening into your walking

Stretching & Strengthening Webpage

Developing and Maintaining Support:

You have a greater chance of successfully keeping up your walking plan if your friends, family, and co-workers support your efforts.

Spouse or Partner - He or she can have a major impact on helping you maintain motivation. Try asking your partner to join you for walks.
Family Members - You could have your children/grandchildren walk with you.
Friends and Co-workers - You can become exercise buddies. Accountability can be really helpful when gaining exercise habits.
Exercise Role Models - Use real people you admire for their walking and exercise habits.
Walking Group - We recommend forming walking groups throughout this program, as they can enhance accountability and provide motivation through shared enjoyment of exercise.

Watching Out for Physical Problems

Everyone, regardless of age, level of ability, or experience, should follow recommended guidelines for safety and comfort when exercising. Below are some things people sometimes do when they walk that can cause potential problems.

Over-striding - If your hair or hat bounces up and down when you walk, it's a good indication you are over-striding. Over-striding can increase impact and stress on your hips, knees, and feet.
- Solution - Try to glide along the ground and take shorter, more natural steps.
Elbow Whipping - A good arm swing comes naturally from the shoulder, not up and down from the elbow.
- Solution - Avoid "whipping" the forearms up and down from a bent elbow. Avoid "rocking a baby" motion.
Waist Leaning - An ache in your lower back after walking often is the result of tilting forward at the waist and letting your buttocks stick out. The lean should be focused from your ankles.
- Solution - To feel a difference in position, stand with your back against the wall and lean slightly forward while leaving your buttocks against the wall. After, stand with your back against the wall and then lean slightly forward from your ankles -- that's the proper forward lean.
Slumping - Slumping puts pressure on your back and keeps you from breathing as deeply as you might.
- Solution - Keep your chest up, abdominal muscles in, and shoulders relaxed and down.

New Scenery:

New scenery could be a factor in increasing your walking steps and staying motivated. Have you considered changing your walking route? Explore new areas of your town—for example, a new park or neighborhood. Expand your horizons and find a new walking path that could be a good and safe route for you.

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