ShapeWalking : Six Easy Steps to a Healthier Life

This easy, low-cost program is a total fitness package, including aerobic/heart-healthy exercise, strength training, and stretching. Written as your own personal trainer, ShapeWalking comes complete with easy-to-follow workout choices, progress charts, and 191 photos to accompany each and every exercise.

From Chapter 1: ShapeWalking is an extremely versatile program that can be done by anyone, anywhere, anytime. Whether you are an experienced exerciser or someone working out for the very first time - whether you are old or young, physically fit or a couch potato - ShapeWalking can help you improve your overall level of fitness and health. This book guides you to ShapeWalking in six easy steps. The ShapeWalking Photo Shoot presents your program choices in easy-to-follow photos. ....

Experts tell us that, to get our health and fitness benefits, the most effective exercises involve dynamic, rhythmic movements of major muscle groups. Fitness walking, the heart- healthy component of ShapeWalking, accomplishes this exercise goal and is easy, safe, and inexpensive. When the additional benefits of strength training and flexibility stretching are added, using ShapeWalking techniques, you have a total fitness package!....

What Does Strength Mean to You? Does the phrase strength training make you think of Arnold Schwarzenegger and bulging biceps? Competitive body-building for titles is certainly one kind of strength training where you imagine Mr. Universe lifting an extremely heavy weight a single time. But there are many different ways to build muscle mass and strength, and not all of them are so extreme. ..

Like fitness walking, the benefits of strength training are also enormous. One important benefit is an increase in metabolic rate. Metabolic rate refers to the total amount of calories your body burns over a 24-hour period to keep your body at a constant temperature and functioning normally, not including extra energy needed for exercise. This is where strength training can help with weight loss and control. Muscles burn calories even when you are not exercising. ....

Strength training can be effective in both preventing and fighting osteoporosis (overly porous bones). Strength training increases both bone density and bone strength. Improving bone density and bone strength are key factors in preventing or even reversing osteoporosis. ...

From Photo Shoot: Anti-Osteoporosis Workout - This resistance-strength and flexibility stretching workout is designed to strengthen the major muscles of the upper and lower body plus strengthen the specific bones most affected by osteoporosis. Bone is a dynamic structure. This means it responds to loading or stress by becoming stronger. Since muscles are attached to bones, using external resistance plus body weight to strengthen the muscles is a great way to load the bone to make it stronger. ...