Daily HealthBeat Tip

Slower is better

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Working out hard isn't the only way to get in shape. A new study says obese people who walk at a leisurely pace burn more calories per mile than walking at a normal pace. And they put less pressure on their knees. The study is in the journal Obesity Research.

Researcher Ray Browning of the University of Colorado at Boulder, whose work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, explains it's because obese people walk differently than normal weight people. He says they generally have wider stances and heavier legs that swing in a wider arc. He says walking is fine � but:

"People should do other activities that are non-weight bearing, like swimming, cycling, stair stepping, elliptical training to get the cardiovascular benefit that they're not going to get from walking faster." (14 seconds)

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: September 27, 2005

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