Fitness Facts

Stretching Has Many Benefits

In terms of preventing injury, studies have suggested that warming up may be more beneficial than stretching before exercise. Regular stretching, however, has many other benefits-increasing flexibility, improving range of motion of joints, improving circulation, relieving stress, promoting better posture and reducing the risk of lower back pain. Some believe that stretching may also help relieve inflammation of muscle tissue.

[SOURCE: “Stretching focus on flexibility,” MayoClinic.com,] February 21, 2007]

What is Moderate Intensity Exercise?

Most health guidelines call for 30 minutes or more of moderate intensity exercise daily. But what constitutes “moderate intensity?” A study correlating exercise expenditure and walking speed on a treadmill concluded that moderate intensity is 100 steps or more a minute. That’s equivalent to walking a mile and a half in 30 minutes.

That standard varies, of course, with fitness level. If you’re unable to go at that pace for 30 minutes, work up to it by aiming first to do one thousand steps in 10 minutes.

[SOURCE: American Journal of Preventive Medicine; University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter, June 2009]

Take 10,000 Steps to a Better Body

Women who walked 10 thousand steps or more daily, as measured by a pedometer, had significantly lower body fat precentage, waist circumference, hip circumference and waist-to-hip ratio than sedentary subjects, according to a study of middle-aged females. Women meeting the 10 thousand steps a day recommendation were also more likely to have a body mass index in the normal range. [SOURCE: Dixie L. Thompson, Jennifer Rakow and Sara M. Perdue, “Relationship between accumulated walking and body composition in middle-aged women,” Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, June 9, 2004]

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