Pick up the Pace!

Day 14
9898 steps

Glanced at the New York Times a minute ago and check this out-- the front page of the web edition of the paper has a Health article entitled "Why A Brisk Walk is Better." The article reviews a research project done with the National Health Walkers Association.  We walkers are becoming newsworthy.

You can read the Times article here:
<http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/04/why-a-brisk-walk-is-better/?_r=0>

and the actual research paper can be found at this link:
<http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0081098>

I have to admit the article scared me a bit. I did 9898 steps today. However, my walking speed turns out not to be so good. The time I spend on aerobic walking was 82 minutes. I completed 8,453 steps. I divided my steps by the time (8453/82). I walk 103 steps per minute, about six miles per hour. I averaged 20 minutes per mile. The research shows a 20 minute mile ain't very fast. And women walk faster than men. And thinner people walk faster too.

The study recommends a brisker pace. How important is that? The people who walked slower kicked off earlier in life than their fast-walking colleagues! Are you motivated now...?  Okay. Didn't want to depress or alarm anybody, especially myself. We are on the right track. Just need to move around the track a bit faster. Pick up the pace.  With repetition and consistency, everything moves better, your get a better rhythm, stamina improves and you feel stronger.