Week: 619.3

Guest: Dr. Mark Lenet, president, American Podiatric Medical Association

Topic: Walking; pitfalls

Host/Producer: Steve Girard

NEMA Walking has tremendous health benefits, in reducing stress and the risk of heart disease and cancer. And although it's one of the safest exercises, Dr. Mark Lenet of the American Podiatric Medical Association says you should still start slowly...

LENET The pitfalls would be...first of all, respiratory. If you find that you are breathing a little heavily, that means that you're doing it at a pace that's too excessive for your condition. So you need to back off a bit, and build yourself up to the point where you can walk at a normal pace that will allow you to have normal breathing, and yet appreciate the fact that you are starting to increase your heart rate slightly. The other pitfalls would be not understanding what you're own physical condition may be in regard to the lower extremities, and if there's any imbalance that may be present, then you can early signs of irritation...whether it be in the knee, or the ankle or the foot area itself, by improper balance relationship between the body and the ground.

NEMA Remember to start slowly. I'm Steve Girard at The Heart of the Matter.