CLOSER LOOK
Change of WHEN I RUN, I FEEL LIKE A CHAMP. I’m not a fast or particularly stylish runner (seriously, when did a 5K race become a dress-up event? No one sent me the memo!), but I can run long and run happy, free of aches and pains. Although I’ve tried other kinds of exercise, “runner” is the identity I’ve claimed, and it’s the one that brings me the most satisfaction. So imagine my frustration when, sidelined by an injury I sustained during a CrossFit class, I was forced to switch to walking. “I’m going to lose all my cardio conditioning!” I wailed to my partner. “Walking isn’t so bad,” he said, reminding me 58
of the kilometres he’d been logging since we adopted our dog the year prior—kilometres that helped him lose weight and feel healthier than he had in ages. As it happens, walking is one of the best exercises for you. It doesn’t command the street cred that running does, but it can be just as effective at reducing your risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes. Walking for at least seven hours a week (about an hour a day) can even lower your breast cancer risk. Like other forms of exercise, walking is also beneficial for mental health, and reduces anxiety and depression. CANADIANLIVING.COM | MARCH 2015
PHOTOGRAPHY, CORBIS
Not a runner? No worries: It turns out walking is the smarter get-healthy strategy. (Yes, really!) BY YUKI HAYASHI
