Inspiring Americans to Achieve Healthier Lifestyles The Initiative America On the Move is a national initiative dedicated to helping individuals and communities across our nation make positive changes to improve health and quality of life. By focusing on individuals and communities AOM strives to support healthy eating and active living habits in our society. AOM: · Inspires Americans to engage in fun, simple ways to become more active and eat more healthfully to achieve and maintain a healthy weight · Creates and supports an integrated grassroots network of state Affiliates to build communities that support individual behavior changes · Encourages public and private partnerships at the national, state, and local level to build the capacity, reach, and support needed for individual and community behavior change. The Challenge The eating and physical activity patterns of most Americans have made us the most overweight nation in the world. More than 60% of American adults do not get the recommended 30 minutes of physical activity a day; 25% of American adults are not physically active at all. More than 120 million Americans — 64.5% of the adult population — are overweight; nearly 59 million, or 31%, are obese. The average American adult is gaining 1-3 pounds each year, and some people gain even more. www.AmericaOnTheMove.org Walk About Magazine ..... Free bi-monthly publication featuring articles of inspirition, and humor about something we all do - - walk. We emphasize the benefits of walking for fitness and the endless possibilities of this sport. www.WalkAboutMag.com   Cooper Institute studied the effectiveness of walking with poles The Cooper institute www.cooperinst.org located in Dallas, Texas, assessed the impact of Nordic Walking, i.e. walking with poles by comparing it to normal fitness walking in Autumn 2000. Study results showed that Nordic Walking increases both energy expenditure and oxygen consumption by 20% on average compared to regular walking at the same pace. Nordic Walking is up to 46% more efficient than regular walking The Cooper Institute studied the effectiveness of Nordic Walking both in laboratory and field conditions. Study results show that compared to regular fitness walking Nordic Walking significantly increased oxygen and energy consumption. Dr. Tim Church, Medical Laboratory Director of the Cooper Institute: "I oversaw the research examining the caloric expenditure and oxygen consumption associated with Nordic Walking. 11 males and 11 females participated in our study. The participants walked on an outside track first with normal walking. This was followed by Nordic Walking session. Participants carried a metabolic unit, which measures oxygen consumption and caloric expenditure. What we found is that on average there was a 20% increase in caloric expenditure and in oxygen consumption in a study group when using the poles. Additionally there was a 6% increase in heart rate when using the poles. However the participants did not find walking with poles more strenuous. Individual variations in the results were remarkable. Some individuals increased as much as 46% in oxygen consumption and just about the same in caloric expenditure." http://www.nordicwalker.net/entry01/research01.htm Cardiovascular Exercise A Walk A Day . . . The popularity of walking as a fitness activity is growing by leaps and bounds. Low risk and easy to start, walking has proved its health benefits in numerous studies. An eight-year study of 13,000 people found that those who walked 30 minutes a day had a significantly lower risk of premature death than those who rarely exercised. A regular walking program can help: · Reduce blood cholesterol · Lower blood pressure · Increase cardiovascular endurance · Boost bone strength · Burn calories and keep weight down http://www.lifefitness.com/treadmills_exercise_bikes/walk_day.asp Keep Moving for Life... When asked what they consider to be major factors in maintaining a good quality of life as they grow older, people rank living independently and remaining active right at the top. But it is important to get active so that you can stay active. What can exercise do for me? As you age, you lose muscle and bone mass and may develop problems in your muscles, joints and bones, such as back pain, osteoarthritis or osteoporosis. Regular exercise slows the loss of muscle mass, strengthens bones and reduces joint and muscle pain. In addition, mobility and balance are improved, which reduces the risk of falling and suffering a serious injury such as a hip fracture. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/brochure/thr_report.cfm?thread_id=23&topcategory=wellness Walking is good for you..... Walking at a comfortable speed improves heart-lung function and is good for general fitness.If you walk regularly you tend to: feel more confident, happy and relaxed, control your weight better, have healthier blood cholesterol level, have lower blood pressure, have stronger bones (less osteoporosis), be less likely to have a heart attack, recover better from a heart attack, be less likely to have a stroke, be less likely to develop diabetes in middle age http://www.dsr.nsw.gov.au/active/h_walk.asp Walking.Org ABOUT US Since the early 1990s Les Snowdon and Maggie Humphreys have been at the forefront of initiatives to promote the benefits of walking for fitness, weight-loss and long-term health. Their books have been international bestsellers and they have been interviewed and featured more than 200 times in the press, in magazines, and on radio and TV. Check out The Walking Diet , Walk Slim and The Rhythm for Life - the ultimate guides to fitness walking, diet and stress-free living. WHY WALKING WORKS Fitness walking is easy, safe and inexpensive. It’s aerobic, it burns calories, and it’s an ideal fat-burning activity. It conditions the heart, improves muscle tone and strength, relieves stress, and can help with back pain, osteoporosis, respiratory problems, diabetes, arthritis, cardiac rehabilitation and a variety of other health problems. Walking is an injury-free way for the over 50s to keep fit, and fit kids are fitter when all the family walks together. Click here to read more. http://www.walking.org/ Exercise and osteoporosis: Staying active safely... Osteoporosis can steal the strength from your bones, leaving you stoop-shouldered and prone to fractures. But you can do something with your muscles to help lower your risk of a break — exercise. Research indicates that exercise may not only help prevent osteoporosis, but may treat it as well. And it can help improve your balance, reducing your risk of falling. The key is to know which exercises to do and how to do them properly. http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=HQ00643 Walking: The Ideal Exercise? Brisk walking three hours a week can have the same effect as 15 minutes of daily vigorous exercise, lowering the rate of heart attacks in women by up to forty percent! And, no special equipment or training is needed. Although it's self-evident that walking would be good for you, various benefits have been confirmed by major scientific studies: · Reduced risk of heart disease. The Nurses Health Study of 72,000 women found that three hours of brisk walking a week has the same effect as 15 minutes of vigorous exercise daily. Either form of exercise lowered the rate of heart attacks by up to 40%. · Regular walking also helps treat established cardiovascular disorders: it lowers blood pressure, reduces "bad" cholesterol, and raises "good" cholesterol. · Stronger bones. The density of your bones is related to the amount of weight-bearing exercise you do -- walking is a weight-bearing exercise. In one study, walking was a close second to weight-lifting in increasing bone density, which helps prevent osteoporosis and fractures. · Effective weight control. The National Weight Control Registry evaluated people who sustained a 30-pound weight loss over five years and found exercise to be key. It also found walking to be the most common form of exercise by people who lost weight successfully. For best results, walk with gusto! · Reduced risk of diabetes. Walking helps prevent obesity, reduces blood glucose levels, and increases the body's response to insulin. · Mood elevation. Exercise helps ward off depression. · Reduced cancer risk. Physical activity may help lower the risk of breast and colon cancers. http://www.health-alliance.com/contentarchive/June00/seniors.html What is the Mall Walkers Club? The Mall Walkers Club is a walking program that is a fun and easy way to help burn body fat, relieve tension, improve cardiovascular health and make you feel better about yourself. We know that too often it's hard to stick to a workout schedule when faced with inclimate weather, your routine exercise program suffers. That's why Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton has teamed up with Quaker Bridge Mall, to form the Mall Walkers Club. With so many people interested in improving their health, what better way to do it than in a safe, climate controlled environment, with measured paths and plenty of parking. Anyone can participate senior citizens, new mothers, fitness fanatics, business executives and students. Why Walk? Whatever your age, walking can benefit you by improving your overall health and quality of life. Some of the benefits of walking are: Healthier Heart—Walk your way to a healthier heart. Walking is an excellent form of aerobic exercise that increases your heart health by making your heart stronger. Weight Loss—Brisk walking helps to burn fat. Reduced Stress-Walking can help you to better handle stresses in your life and increase your overall sense of well being. Increased Energy—Exercise is an energy booster. Walking increases the strength of your heart, decreases body fat, increases self-esteem and well being, and relieves tension. All of these benefits add up to more energy! http://www.rwjhamilton.org/health/walkclub.asp Walking with Wendy Bumgardner Want the basics of how to walk? Let Wendy give you some tips. http://walking.about.com/sports/walking/     Welcome to the Walking Connection - Your connection to information, products and services for walking and hiking enthusiasts and active adventure travelers everywhere http://www.walkingconnection.com The Fitness Equipment Store - Fitness Equipment. Highly rated treadmill, elliptical cross trainer and home gyms at factory direct prices Exercise equimpent,Save hundreds even thousands on top name brand fitness equipment. Our equipment is top quality and each piece of equipment comes with a factory warranty. Compare our prices to similar equipment selling for hundreds of dollars more. http://thefitnessequipmentstore.com/50827/main.php Authentic Sports Apparel & Merchandise SportsClick.ca is a one stop shop for licensed authentic Sports Apparel & Merchandise. For great prices, overnight shipping, retail and wholesale opportunities visit SportsClick.ca     CardioTrek offers Discounts to Seniors, Groups, and Clubs For Group or Volume Purchases, Email Us at: CardioTrek@CardioTrek.Com Seniors: Take a 15% discount when ordering by mail or phone. Walking, Hiking, Fitness, Weight Loss, Rehabilitation, Cardiovascular Exercise