Throughout time, human beings have had to use their feet for transportation and work. Early on, walking was a way of life, whether for hunting or growing crops, collecting wood for fires or food to eat, or collecting water for home—all required walking, lifting, stretching. Survival was often determined by humans' ability to protect themselves from danger, build habitations for living and make tools and weapons.

As man moved into modern urban society, more "time-saving" conveniences were made. More time was spent at a desk. Stresses of life increased (how ironic, with all those time-saving devices!). Man became more sedentary.

This sedentary lifestyle, combined with poor eating (with its accompanying malnutrition and increased toxin exposure) has created an ever-increasing epidemic of poor health. In this fifth Habit in the Habits of Highly Healthy Humans, I have chosen to address the importance of moving to maintain good health. Let's start with the simple act of walking, since walking is a natural form of movement.

We all take between 2,000 to 5,000 steps per day on an average basis. Proper walking means you are standing up straight, with your shoulders back and your chest forward, and your head is centered on top of your spine. Your head weighs about 10 to 12 pounds and if it rests forward it causes strain on all your neck muscles to keep it up. An effective walker should imagine a string from the bottom of the spine through the top of the head, slowly pulling the head up and stretching the spine up. You should be able to walk with a book on top of your head without letting the book fall (without holding it with your hands). Your hips should move freely with each step, and your arms should move freely with the opposite legs.

As you begin to initiate your movement plan, start slowly and build up with no more than an approximate 10% increase per day. To get the maximal benefit, any plan should include activities that are pleasurable, recreational, and not just "for health's sake."

Walking is a great way to start getting your body into a healthy mode! It is inexpensive (free) and therapeutic, if you take the time on your walks to ponder upon the blessings in your life for which you are grateful. On your walks you can observe nature around you, plan what you desire for the future, and think upon issues that require your thoughtful focus (think about Healthy Habit #3). Often solutions will come to you on a quiet and pleasant walk. You will notice what is going on around you in greater detail: the sounds of birds singing, the dew on the grass, the clouds gliding by overhead.

One advantage of walking is that it uses a variety of muscles with each step. It has very few risks, and you can literally “go at your own pace.” Be certain that you obtain walking shoes with plenty of toe room (nice and wide); buy shoes that fit well and provide you with good cushion while walking. If, however, walking is not to your taste, you can “get moving” with other options. Other low risk activities include bicycling, slow dancing, and table tennis (although racket sports tend to work one side of the body more than the other).

As your Healthy Habits program develops, stretching may be the most important part of the whole plan for you. Stretching prevents muscle tearing during an exercise plan and lessens or relieves the lactic acid build-up that can build up during and after the exercise. Stretching tends to prevent muscles from tightening. Stretching also can create free and greater mobility for the joints and actually will relieve most tendonitis.

If you apply no more than these two elements of healthy movement—stretching and walking—know that these two constitute an excellent program for the vast majority of us. Their potential benefits include a better overall feeling about self, which is often reinforced by peers. Some people will lose weight, but not everyone will, and not everyone will lose all the weight they want to lose. Your program to “get moving” cannot have weight loss as its only goal or you can become discouraged. Your goal should be to become healthier, more aware, more grateful, more in tune with your body.

About three quarters of exercisers who smoke will quit smoking, so that subtle benefit can have tremendously beneficial results long term. With a regular movement or exercise program we are able to participate in more of the activities of life. We can gain confidence to know that we have the ability to run away when in peril. There is a certain amount of pleasure that is felt both during and after exercise.

Some of you are looking for a higher intensity program that is achieved through maximal exertion. This has the potential to markedly increase your metabolic rate, cardiac output, and heart rate. You should have your personal physician's approval before starting these kinds of programs. Program types that I include in this category are aerobics, dancing, jogging, sports, and sprinting.

Unfortunately, the greater the strain on the muscles, the greater the risk of injuries. If you make too fast a progression from a couch potato to a weekend warrior, you also increase your risk of injury. About one third of serious joggers will have a strain, stress fracture, or muscle tears per year. This risk can be minimized by running on a soft surface.

The current recommendation for cardiovascular endurance is to calculate what is your target heart rate. Keep these tips in mind and follow them:

1. Determine your maximal heart rate. Your maximal heart rate is determined by subtracting your age from 220.
2. Your target intensity should be 60% to 90% of your maximal heart rate.
3. The duration of this endurance program should be anywhere from 15 to 60 minutes.
4. You should plan on a frequency of 3 to 5 times per week for exercising.
5. There are three phases as part of this cardio respiratory plan: the warm up, which should be 5 to 10 minutes and may include light calisthenics and stretching; then the conditioning piece of it; and finally a 5 to 10 minute cool down period with again, light conditioning and stretching.

Many of my patients have asked me about training through weightlifting. If you choose to weightlift, there are some principles that are important to keep in mind. The current recommendations for muscle strength building or weightlifting include an intensity that will permit you to do at least 5 to 15 repetitions and 1 to 3 sets of these repetitions daily. The frequency of exercising the same muscle group should be two to three days apart; however, you can exercise your abdominal muscles on a daily basis.

In weightlifting, warm up with approximately 50% of the anticipated weight to begin. Do a controlled movement; that is, do not “throw” the weight. Your muscles will receive maximum benefit from the movements if your movements are controlled. Sudden “throwing” the weight increases injuries significantly. You should exhale with lifting and inhale when lowering the weight. One important caveat with weightlifting is to be sure all muscle groups or opposing muscle groups are built up for strength, as a serious imbalance of muscles can cause injury to the body.

Final summary comments include:

Now that we've “talked the talk,” it's time to “walk the walk.” Tie on those comfy shoes, and enjoy your commune with nature!