Kenneth Gardner
MANY OF us have been using walking as our exercise. However, if we continue to walk it becomes a routine and we become bored with it after a while. This is a recipe for disaster because, to start with, many of us hate the idea of exercise. In order to make the exercise as therapeutic and as interesting as possible, we are guided by a number of principles in developing exercise prescriptions; we want to ensure variety, desirable changes and the necessary medicinal benefits. So let's make the transition from walking, which we featured in last week's article to jogging.
If you are now able to walk five miles comfortably in an hour, it is time to step up the pace. Begin walking at a moderate pace, that is, walking a mile in about 15 to 20 minutes or three to four miles in an hour. Try to stay within your target pulse rate zone and start to introduce a little slow jogging at intervals. For every minute you walk, jog for 30 seconds.
ADAPTATION
Maintain the walking interval consistent with one-minute intervals, then gradually increase your jogging segments until you are able to jog four minutes for every minute that you walk. Try to maintain the routine for 15 to 30 minutes. If you are having difficulties attaining this level you can always adapt it to what's a little more comfortable for you. Do not stay at a level that you do not feel that you are being challenged. Do the routine every other day and try to work your way to five days each week.
At the beginning , you will do two to four times as much walking as jogging. Use how you feel, especially your pulse rate, to establish the changes that you make. Use the following to improve your technique:
Jog with your back straight, keep your head up and look straight in front; try to keep your seat in and your pelvis forward.
Keep your arms a little away from your body with your elbows bent and your forearms parallel to the ground. Fold your fingers slightly and swing your arms loosely and in sequence with your strides, left arm and right leg forward and vice versa.
Your heel should strike the ground first in your stride then roll forward to the ball of your foot and push off for the next stride. If you experience difficulties with the technique make adjustment except landing on the balls and toes of your feet.
Keep your strides short, so that your foot strike the ground in line with your knee and keep your knee bent.
It will be easier to breathe through your mouth, breathe deeply and practise using your abdominal muscles to improve the depth of your breathing. This will provide you with more air and more oxygen to make the routine more satisfying. During all of the above try to stay relaxed.
As you improve adjust your ratio of walking to jogging and maintain your pulse rate within the target zone as much as possible. This is the benchmark to help you to experience the improvements that will motivate you to continue, as well as working harder as you get better.
Slow jogging is being able to do five to five-and-a-half miles in an hour or jogging a mile in 11 to 12 minutes. Moderate jogging is doing six to six-and-a half miles in an hour or jogging a mile in nine to 10 minutes. Fast jogging is being able to do seven to seven-and-a-half miles in an hour or jogging a mile in eight minutes to eight minutes and 35 seconds.
Kenneth Gardner is an exercise physiologist at the G. C. Foster College of Physical Education; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.
