Walking for Health

The end of the year is approaching. Did you happen to set a New Year's Resolution for 2020 to "lose weight" or to "get in shape"? If so, you are among the nearly 45% of Americans who set a New Year's Resolution to lose weight. As a result, you may have bought a gym membership. Or perhaps you spent money on home gym equipment. Maybe you even went the extra distance and got a personal trainer to help you develop a fitness plan. Investing into fitness and exercise can cost a lot of time and money. In 2017, the health club industry revenue totaled $87.2 billion dollars. In addition, Over the past decade, there has been a 33.6% increase in the number of health club members in the United States. Yet, there still is an obesity crisis in the United States. In Indiana, 16.6% of youth ages 10-17 are classified as obese. While many factors may contribute to the rate of obesity in the U.S., one factor is ultimately based solely on choice and lifestyle. That factor is lack of physical activity.

If you ask a teen about their attitude towards exercise, you are likely to hear sounds of groaning or expressions of disinterest. But why? When someone hears the word "exercise", what thoughts cross their mind? Perhaps they think of working out, either through heavy lifting or running a long distance. Maybe they think about gym class when the P.E. teacher makes them run laps or the dreaded "one-mile" run. They may even envision themselves being super sweaty and extremely exhausted if they were to exercise. These types of thoughts and feelings about exercise have created an attitude towards exercise that may prevent teenagers from wanting to be physically active. Now what is the difference between being physically active and exercise? Physical activity simply means movement of the body that uses energy, and includes anything from mowing the lawn, doing chores, or walking the dog. On the other hand, exercise is planned physical activity for the purpose of improving health or fitness. The CDC's guideline is that youth get 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. The keyword is "physical activity". Why is this important? Because this recommendation of 60 minutes does not mean 60 minutes in a gym, on a treadmill, doing push-ups and sit-ups, etc. While these activities are an option, perhaps a better alternative is being physically active in something a person enjoys to develop a positive attitude about being active. Something simple as taking a walk through the woods or riding a bike can contribute to developing a healthy weight and fitness.

Thus, here at Logansport Jr. High, we have developed the "Felix Mile," an 8-lap walking path around the hallways that if completed results in walking a mile. By walking a mile, a person can burn between 80-140 calories depending upon their weight and walking speed. You can even calculate the calories burned using the following online calculator: MapMyWalk. It typically takes about 15-20 minutes to walk a mile. There are also many different apps that can be used to calculate distance, calories burned, etc. Some use Apple watches, but here are a couple of other applications that can be used: Runkeeper, MyFitnessPal, MapMyWalk. Beyond walking, there are many other physical activities that can be enjoyed as a family. Find activities that are specific to your students interests and plan out these activities, either in a calendar: Healthy Family Calendar, or in a guide: Family Activities.

For more tips on becoming physically active, visit Let's Move!