My mother has been urging me to go get a test that will tell me I carry a gene that puts me at risk for developing breast cancer. As I’ve written, I’m hesitant to find out if I have this breast cancer gene. What will it mean if I do? I play an anxiety-ridden waiting game until the disease develops? No thanks. I’m too much of a control freak for that. I don’t like the idea that I can’t actively do anything to protect my health.
As it turns out, a group of cancer researchers have stated that one in three breast cancer cases can be prevented by better diet and more exercise. The experts, who gathered this week at a conference in Barcelona this week, announced figures that show that an estimated 25 to 30 per cent of breast cancer cases could be prevented if women were thinner and exercised more, reports the Associated Press.
Cancer researcher Dr. Michelle Holmes from Harvard University told the Associated Press that people may be focusing too much on the role genetics play in cancer risk. Here’s what she said in the article:
"The genes have been there for thousands of years, but if cancer rates are changing in a lifetime, that doesn't have much to do with genes.”
The message: We do have some control over our own health. That's empowering, but the trick here is to balance this information while being careful not to blame or selves or feel guilty if we do get sick. Women already suffer enough guilt when it comes to our bodies, wouldn’t you agree?
So how can you start making healthier choices in order to prevent your breast cancer risk? By making small changes to our diets and activity levels every day. Here are some easy-to-follow tips to get you started:
Walk your way to slimmer, stronger legs
Maximize your toning and weight-loss efforts—and get trimmer, stronger-looking legs—with a regular walking routine. Here's how to do it, indoors or out
You already know that walking improves the muscle tone in your lower body and uses up calories—a 45-minute brisk walk burns 270 calories (based on a 150-lb. woman). You also know it’s safe, low-impact and easily incorporated into your everyday routine, and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada recommends 30 to 60 minutes of brisk walking per day to get in shape. Did you realize, though, that the way you walk—your gait—is key? It’s important for both your balance and stability as you move (therefore helping to keep you injury-free), and good form provides maximum power for minimum effort. Combine the right way of walking with good posture and you’ll also look slimmer. Here’s how.
Best way to hold your body
The key to avoid wasting energy and to maintain your balance is to hold your body upright but relaxed. Leaning too far forward or back while walking can place unnecessary strain on your hips, knees and spine.
Best way to take steps
When you take a step forward, you should naturally land on the outer edge of your heel, rather than flat on the ground. Your foot then rolls inward so that the inner edge of the sole takes more of your body weight. This inward roll—called pronation—absorbs shock and helps you to balance. Without proper pronation, the foot and ankle have problems stabilizing the body. Experts estimate that well over half of the population either under- or over-pronates.
Best ways to get benefits
• Watch stride length
When walking for fitness at a faster pace than normal, a common mistake is to place the front foot too far ahead. This can lead to jarred ankles and knees, and can cause pain along the muscles at the front of the shins. Focus on taking shorter but quicker steps. The power you generate while walking comes from your back leg, so concentrate on pushing off with your back leg and foot with each step.
• Increase difficulty
If you are already an avid walker, you may want to try longer distances. But you don’t necessarily need to walk farther or faster to work your muscles harder—walking up hills or on soft surfaces, such as sand, increases the work that your muscles must do.
• Try it with poles
Nordic walking also ups the intensity. This popular exercise, developed in Scandinavia, involves holding on to two walking poles. As you stride forward with your left foot, you move the right pole forward, and vice versa. The poles encourage you to safely increase the length of your stride so you can burn more calories than during normal walking, and the swinging arm and torso motion means you get more of an upper body workout. These poles can also help reduce the load on your knees and hips.
• Count steps
A great way to stay motivated is to use a pedometer. The ideal number of steps, according to heart experts, is 10,000 (about eight kilometres) a day.
4 steps to using a treadmill
Prefer to do your walking indoors? Get started with this easy-to-follow advice:
1. Stand on the treadmill with your head and chin up and your chest lifted. You can touch the rails for balance, but do not grip them.
2. Start the machine slowly. As you walk, roll your foot from heel to ball and push up with your toes as you swing your other leg forward. Keep your arms slightly bent and swing them naturally.
3. Gradually increase the speed. You should breathe a little harder, but not so hard that you can’t hold a conversation. If you need to hold on to the rails, you are probably working too hard. Depending on your fitness level, walk briskly for 30 to 60 minutes.
4. At the end of your session, slowly decrease your speed until you reach a gentle walking pace. Cool down at this speed for about five minutes.
Walk off 10 pounds
Start the Best Health Walking Plan today to get trim and fit in just eight weeks
Walking works. That’s the message that comes through loud and clear from fitness experts, researchers and everyday Canadian women. Walking is cheap and it can help you lose excess weight—and avoid the health problems that go along with it, such as high blood pressure and high blood sugar. Plus, studies have linked moderate exercise to lower rates of stress and certain cancers.
Our comprehensive walking regimen was developed by Jessica Zapata, a certified personal trainer and co-owner of Infinite Fitness in Edmonton, and vetted by Lynn Kanuka, RunWalk coordinator for SportMedBC, a Vancouver not-for-profit society of sport medical and paramedical practitioners. It focuses on building endurance and burning fat. So if you want to lose weight, ward off disease and have fun while you’re at it, try the Best Health Walking Plan today!
Get ready to move!
What’s the difference between fitness walking and everyday walking? “To lose weight and improve fitness levels, you really have to get your heart rate up,” says Zapata. “A stroll isn’t enough.” If you need to increase the intensity of your workout, consider walking faster, heading uphill or moving your arms more, perhaps with walking poles (available at most sporting goods stores).
For best results, invest in a heart monitor—a commonly used brand, Polar, starts at about $60—to measure your heart rate while you exercise. (You can program the monitor with your age and resting and maximum heart rates to automatically calculate your progress.)
If you find the walking plan a bit complex, or don’t want to buy a monitor, simply walk the recommended total time each day, increasing the speed and intensity of the shorter walks each week, and maintaining a steady but brisk pace for the longer walks.
Talk with your doctor before starting any fitness plan, and remember to rest and recharge every few days, rather than walk five days in a row.
Week one
DAY 1 WALK
5 min at 50% max heart rate (HR)
20 min at 60% max HR
10 min at 50% max HR
Total: 35 minutes
DAY 2 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
Repeat this sequence 5 times: 1 min at 60% max HR; 1 min at 70% max HR
10 min at 50% max HR
Total: 25 minutes
DAY 3 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
20 min at 60% max HR
10 min at 50% max HR
Total: 35 minutes
DAY 4 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
Repeat this sequence 5 times: 1 min at 60% max HR; 1 min at 70% max HR
10 min at 50% max HR
Total: 25 minutes
DAY 5 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
30 min at 60% max HR
10 min at 50% max HR
Total: 45 minutes
Week two
DAY 1 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
10 min at 60% max HR
5 min at 70% max HR
10 min at 60% max HR
10 min at 50% max HR
Total: 40 minutes
DAY 2 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
Repeat this sequence 5 times: 1 min at 60% max HR; 1 min at 70% max HR; 1 min at 80% max HR
10 min at 50% max HR
Total: 30 minutes
DAY 3 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
10 min at 60% max HR
5 min at 70% max HR
10 min at 60% max HR
10 min at 50% max HR
Total: 40 minutes
DAY 4 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
Repeat this sequence 5 times: 1 min at 60% max HR; 1 min at 70% max HR; 1 min at 80% max HR
10 min at 50% max HR
Total: 30 minutes
DAY 5 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
35 min at 60% max HR
10 min at 50% max HR
Total: 50 minutes
Week three
DAY 1 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
5 min at 60% max HR
10 min at 70% max HR
5 min at 60% max HR
10 min at 50% max HR
Total: 35 minutes
DAY 2 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
Repeat this sequence 5 times: 1 min at 60% max HR; 2 min at 80% max HR
10 min at 50% max HR
Total: 30 minutes
DAY 3 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
5 min at 60% max HR
10 min at 70% max HR
5 min at 60% max HR
10 min at 50% max HR
Total: 35 minutes
DAY 4 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
Repeat this sequence 5 times: 1 min at 60% max HR; 2 min at 80% max HR
10 min at 50% max HR
Total: 30 minutes
DAY 5 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
40 min at 60% max HR
10 min at 50% max HR
Total: 55 minutes
Week four
DAY 1 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
5 min at 60% max HR
15 min at 70% max HR
5 min at 60% max HR
10 min at 50% max HR
Total: 40 minutes
DAY 2 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
Repeat this sequence 7 times: 1 min at 60% max HR; 2 min at80% max HR
9 min at 50% max HR
Total: 35 minutes
DAY 3 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
5 min at 60% max HR
15 min at 70% max HR
5 min at 60% max HR
10 min at 50% max HR
Total: 40 minutes
DAY 4 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR.
Repeat this sequence 7 times: 1 min at 60% max HR; 2 min at 80% max HR
9 min at 50% max HR
Total: 35 minutes
DAY 5 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
45 min at 60% max HR
10 min at 50% max HR
Total: 60 minutes
Week five
DAY 1 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
5 min at 60% max HR
20 min at 70% max HR
5 min at 60% max HR
5 min at 50% max HR
Total: 40 minutes
DAY 2 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
Repeat this sequence 6 times: 1 min at 60% max HR; 2 min at 80% max HR; 1 min at 95% max HR
11 min at 50% max HR
Total: 40 minutes
DAY 3 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
5 min at 60% max HR
20 min at 70% max HR
5 min at 60% max HR
5 min at 50% max HR
Total: 40 minutes
DAY 4 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
Repeat this sequence 6 times: 1 min at 60% max HR; 2 min at 80% max HR; 1 min at 95% max HR
11 min at 50% max HR
Total: 40 minutes
DAY 5 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
40 min at 65% max HR
10 min at 50% max HR
Total: 55 min
Week six
DAY 1 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
5 min at 60% max HR
25 min at 70% max HR
5 min at 60% max HR
5 min at 50% max HR
Total: 45 minutes
DAY 2 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
Repeat this sequence 7 times: 1 min at 65% max HR; 2 min at 80% max HR
9 min at 50% max HR
Total: 35 minutes
DAY 3 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
5 min at 60% max HR
25 min at 70% max HR
10 min at 50% max HR
Total: 45 minutes
DAY 4 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
Repeat this sequence 7 times: 1 min at 65% max HR; 2 min at 80% max HR
9 min at 50% max HR
Total: 35 minutes
DAY 5 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
45 min at 65% max HR
10 min at 50% max HR
Total: 60 minutes
Week seven
DAY 1 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
5 min at 60% max HR
30 min at 70% max HR
5 min at 60% max HR
5 min at 50% max HR
Total: 50 minutes
DAY 2 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
Repeat this sequence 6 times: 1 min at 65% max HR; 2 min at 80% max HR; 1 min at 95% max HR
11 min at 50% max HR
Total: 40 minutes
DAY 3 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
5 min at 60% max HR
30 min at 70% max HR
5 min at 60% max HR
5 min at 50% max HR
Total: 50 minutes
DAY 4 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
Repeat this sequence 6 times: 1 min at 65% max HR; 2 min at 80% max HR; 1 min at 95% max HR
11 min at 50% max HR
Total: 40 minutes
DAY 5 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
50 min at 65% max HR
10 min at 50% max HR
Total: 65 minutes
Week eight
DAY 1 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
5 min at 60% max HR
15 min at 70% max HR
5 min at 80% max HR
15 min at 70% max HR
5 min at 60% max HR
5 min at 50% max HR
Total: 55 minutes
DAY 2 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
Repeat this sequence 7 times: 1 min at 65% max HR; 3 min at 80% max HR
12 min at 50% max HR
Total: 45 minutes
DAY 3 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
5 min at 60% max HR
15 min at 70% max HR
5 min at 80% max HR
15 min at 70% max HR
5 min at 60% max HR
5 min at 50% max HR
Total: 55 minutes
DAY 4 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
Repeat this sequence 7 times: 1 min at 65% max HR; 3 min at 80% max HR
12 min at 50% max HR
Total: 45 minutes
DAY 5 WALK
5 min at 50% max HR
55 min at 65% max HR
10 min at 50% max HR
Total: 70 minutes
7 walking tips
Get the most out of your walking workout with these expert ideas
1# Banish blisters with the Band-Aid Anti-Blister Stick, about $10 at drugstores. Just apply the solid lubricant (it looks like a mini stick of deodorant) to your foot’s trouble spots to eliminate friction and stop blisters before they start.
2#Walk tall Poor posture can lead to injury for fitness walkers, explains Linda Dagenais, a physiotherapist in Timmins, Ont. “Some common problems are leaning forward too much, tensing the shoulders and not swinging the arms enough.”
3#Drink up Swig from a chic stainless steel bottle, available at sporting goods and health food stores for about $18 and up. And keep that water icy cold during your walk with innovative slim “ice sticks” that fit neatly into sports bottles. (They’re available at some kitchen supply stores for about $12 for two trays.)
4# Don’t break the bank According to a recent small study of nine different pairs of shoes, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, pricey shoes (around $150) aren’t really any better than less expensive ones (around $85). Look for sneakers that can be firmly laced up, and have a cushioned, smooth interior. Your toes should be able to move freely, with up to one centimetre of space from the tip of your big toe to the end of the shoe. Seamless socks made of cotton, wool or a synthetic fibre such as CoolMax are preferable because they won’t chafe or get soggy with sweat.
5# Walk and learn Taking a vacation this summer? Download a walking tour of cities ranging from Dublin to Shanghai onto your iPod or MP3 player. They’re available at tourcaster.com. Some are free; others cost up to US$25.
6# Set a goal Give your motivation a boost by training for a specific charity walk, such as the Super Cities Walk for MS, Joints in Motion or the CIBC Run for the Cure.
7# Walk safe Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found that women who felt unsafe in their communities after dark took a thousand fewer steps a day. If you feel your neighbourhood is a little too dicey for a walk after sundown, talk to your local health centre about getting an after-hours walking program started in a local mall or school.
Mindful walking: Could it help you?
Mindful walking, or walking meditation, combines the physical benefits of moving with the mental benefits of meditating. Find out how to get started and how mindful walking can help you gain focus and fight stress
Researchers have long touted the physical benefits of walking, such as increased oxygen intake, revved-up circulation, a healthier heart and calorie burning. But walking can also shed stress and enhance calm energy. “Mindful walking means that you’re living in the moment,” says Laura Farres, a Vancouver sport psychology consultant. So instead of pounding the pavement with your head down and earphones in, enjoy active meditation, time to re-energize and think.
Be deliberate
“Think about every aspect of your foot movement: lifting the heel, the middle of your foot and then the toes,” says JoAnne Hunter, a nurse practitioner at Toronto Western Hospital who teaches walking meditation, in which participants walk very slowly, inhaling with one step and exhaling with the next. “This helps you think about your connection to the earth,” Hunter says. “You feel peaceful and in touch with your body, which reduces stress.”
Walk in circles
Labyrinths are large circular patterns, often painted on the floor or defined with rocks or plants on the ground, which have been used in various cultures—from ancient India to North American Hopi Indians to medieval Europe—for thousands of years to help focus the mind and enhance the spirit. The spiral pattern, which is repeated in nature (think of a seashell, for example), and the act of walking toward a central goal, are thought to play a role. To find one of the more than 150 labyrinths in Canada, go to labyrinthsociety.org and click on “Labyrinth locator.” Repeating a short loop on a nature trail may help you achieve the same calming effect.
Breathe big
“Try visualizing energy with your breathing: You’re breathing in fresh air, a new day, a different attitude; you’re breathing out everything that’s stale, old and tired,” says Scott Kortge. Or think of a colour that represents peace and acceptance to you. Imagine that colour coming into your body when you inhale, and another colour that represents anger or fatigue going out as you exhale.
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