Antropomotoryka nr 57 [2012]. - Akademia Wychowania Fizycznego ...

Walking as a tool of physical fitness and body composition influencefrom the hip. This sweep is the first pendulum. Then theleg strikes the ground with the heel and rolls through tothe toe in a motion described as an inverted pendulum.The motion of the two legs is coordinated so that onefoot or the other is always in contact with the ground.The process of walking recovers approximately sixtypercent of the energy used due to pendulum dynamicsand ground reaction force [5–8].Another important difference concerns the movementof the center of mass of the body. In walking thebody “vaults” over the leg on the ground, raising thecenter of mass to its highest point as the leg passes thevertical, and dropping it to the lowest as the legs arespread apart [7].Essentially kinetic energy of forward motion is constantlybeing traded for a rise in potential energy. Thisis reversed in running, where the center of mass is at itslowest point as the leg is vertical. This is because theimpact of landing from the ballistic phase is absorbedby bending the leg and consequently storing energy inmuscles and tendons. In running there is a conversionbetween kinetic, potential, and elastic energy [8].There is an absolute limit on an individual’s speed ofwalking (without special techniques employed in speedwalking) due to the upwards acceleration of the centerof mass during a stride. If it is greater than the accelerationdue to gravity, the person will become airborne ashis/her body vaults over the leg on the ground. Typicallyhowever, animals switch into a run at lower speed thanthis due to energy efficiencies [5].Considerable number of people walk as a hobby,and in our post-industrial times walking is recognizedas one of the best forms of exercising. The types ofwalking include bushwalking, racewalking, weightwalking,hillwalking, volksmarching, Nordic walking andhiking on long-distance paths [4]. Some people preferto walk indoors using a treadmill. In certain countrieswalking as a hobby is known as hiking (this term istypical for North American people), rambling (a somewhatold-fashioned British expression, but remaining inuse because it is enshrined in the title of the importantRamblers), or tramping. Hiking is a subtype of walking,generally used to mean walking in nature areas on speciallydesignated routes or trails, as opposed to thosein urban environments; however, hiking can also referto any long-distance walk. More obscure expressionsof walking are: “to go by Marrow-bone stage”, “to takeone‘s daily constitutional”, “to ride Shanks’ pony”, “to rideShanks’ mare”, or “to go by Walker’s bus”. Search andrescue responders, who prefer walking to riding, driving,flying, climbing or sitting in a communications trailer,are known as “ground pounders” [4]. Professionals,who work on encouraging people to walk, come fromsix sectors: health, transport, environment, schools,sport and recreation and urban design.Regular, brisk cycling or walking can improve confidence,stamina, energy, weight control, life expectancyand reduce stress. It can also minimalize the risk ofcoronary heart disease, strokes, diabetes, high bloodpressure, bowel cancer and osteoporosis. Modernscientific studies have shown that walking, besides itsphysical benefits, is also beneficial for the mind, as itimproves memory skills, learning ability, concentrationand abstract reasoning, as well as reducing stressand uplifting one’s spirits [9]. Health benefits of physicalactivity are well-documented in relation to weightmanagement and the prevention of chronic illnesses; itis also an important factor in the process of improvingmental health and cognitive function [10].In spite of above-mentioned, our knowledge of thebenefits of physical activity does not go hand in handwith our understanding of how to get people active andmaintain activity level. There is an urgent need to developand test strategies for non-trained subjects toinclude physical activity into their lifestyle. These interventionsneed to be systematic, robust, and longer--term, incorporating different methods of engaging specificdemands of intervened population groups [11].A large number of factors influence physical activitybehavior, yet there is limited evidence of the effectivenessof strategies to increase physical activity.This is the case particularly in regard to booster programs,even though the little specific data available onphysical activity booster programs is generally positive.Interestingly, lessons may be learned from the obesitytreatment area, which has made significant gains interms of promoting and improving long-term behaviorchange [9, 12].The 10,000 steps per day is a physical activity prescriptionthat has been suggested to meet the minimumrecommendation for physical activity. Despite someresearch, that supports walking regularly and completing10,000 steps a day as enough activity to producepositive changes in lifestyle and certain aspects of fitnessand cardiovascular health, numerous researchershave shown limited effectiveness of walking programs,having questioned long-term durability of observedchanges [13–15].Walking is among such forms of physical activitywhich have proved their unique usefulness from both– 65 –